Pulling a thermometer out of Sunset’s mouth, Shimmer examined the results only to find the girl was still clearly well under the weather. She frowned a bit, thinking her pampering, medication administration and her soup would have assisted in bringing the girl’s illness down. However it seemed Sunset’s body was determined to remain in poor health for a bit longer. Shimmer pulled herself out of a sigh and shook her head.

“Are you certain you will be alright here today? I can stay home, it’s no biggie… I can skip this meeting, I mean it…” Shimmer spoke.

Sunset shook her head adamantly against the idea. Part of her already felt bad keeping Shimmer held up in the house to care for her, she could feel that guilt growing just at the thought of making her shirk on her responsibilities for her.

“Nah, I’ll be okay. The school is having an important meeting, and you should be there. You’re the owner of the school after all,” Sunset reminded, hoping if she stressed it enough that Shimmer wouldn’t object.

“Mostly in name though. The school has been run by advisors left by my father for years now, it has managed without me, it’ll be fine…” Shimmer attempted to argue.

Sunset raised a finger and placed it on the girl’s lips. A cough exited her as she tried to muster up her strength to tell Shimmer off. “The students were inspired by your return to the public eye, don’t disappoint them. They need you, I’ll be okay. If I need anything I will call you, promise.”

Shimmer gave a grimace and awkwardly contorted her mouth to a face of unease. “You promise?”

Sunset nodded. “Promise.”

She sighed and nodded before squeezing her sister’s hand gently. “Don’t overexert yourself, and try and get some more rest.”

“Okay mom.” Sunset rolled her eyes.

Shimmer leaned down and gingerly planted a kiss on her sister’s forehead before brushing a few strands of her wild unbrushed hair out of her face. She examined her sister’s face before a smile appeared on her own. “Love you, see you tonight.”

Sunset giggled and shooed her away with her hands. “Go on now, go do the important businesswoman stuff.”

Coming to a full stand, Shimmer rolled her eyes and adjusted her glasses before winking as she walked away, her heels clacking on the ground before she exited and closed the door gently.

Sunset found herself admiring how professional Shimmer actually looked in her black skirt suit, she looked so much older than a girl who was about to turn eighteen. The life she led had shaped a woman, a lady and it was evident. Yet underneath that was an innocent girl, a child almost. She was an interesting contradiction.

She had a baby face, but a womanly body, which clearly was accented well in her wardrobe. Sunset wondered if she would have ended up more like Shimmer had her parents actually took an interest in her life.

Deciding not to go down that path though, she changed her internal dialogue back to the subject of Shimmer and recalled a conversation they had shared regarding her upbringing. Sunset was always fascinated with magic and dedicated much of her young life to studying it. Magic in the human world only fascinated her even further and it was bothersome that it had had such a negative impact on Shimmer’s life. While magic excited her and opened up new doors, for Shimmer it had done the exact opposite; magic had taken her family from her, robbed her of her piece of mind, stole her innocence even. The effects of magic had forced Shimmer to grow up quickly.

Still, Sunset was saddened that Shimmer was still adamantly against the subject of even discussing magic, even in regards to how to repurpose her own. As far as Shimmer made it seem, the only thing she wanted from magic was a method to suppress it; a way to make the magic in her life simply disappear. This made Sunset far more self-conscious about using her own magic around the girl.

It concerned her enough to want to reach out to someone. Reaching around to the end table she picked up her phone and checked the time. It was a little past eight AM, meaning that school wouldn’t start for another hour. That meant Applejack and Rainbow were still sleeping and wouldn’t be available until three minutes before the bus arrived, Rarity would be too busy getting ready, and Fluttershy likely wouldn’t be up for another half hour.

That left only one option, one person she knew that despite the time would already be completely prepared for the day. The one person among their friends that was eager to get to school even on the worst of days. Sunset could almost imagine her sitting at her desk in her bedroom watching a clock that would grant her permission to go to school finally.

Weakly, she navigated to Twilight’s contact card on her phone and hit it. She noted how exhausted her muscles were, it was clear she wasn’t even past the worst of her cold despite her best efforts, and Shimmer's care.

Holding the phone to her ear she leaned back into the pillow and rested her head as she listened to the rhythmic dial tones. After around three, she heard a click and a voice return to her, “Hello, Sunset?”

Sunset smiled just hearing her voice as she responded, “Hey Twilight.”

The girl seemed somewhat awkward in her reply, her tone off.

“Something wrong?” Sunset asked.

“Oh… no… nothing…” she was obviously lying.

“Twilight, what’s wrong?” Sunset repeated herself.

Twilight sighed on her end. “It’s nothing, Sunset just some bad dreams lately that’s all. Nothing you need to worry about, I’m more worried about you. I haven’t seen you in school, I was told you are sick, how have you been?”

Sunset found herself smiling again at the fact that Twilight was concerned for her.

“I’ve been better, but I’ve been worse too. Shimmer is keeping me at her place and in bed. She made me soup the other day, and she is taking good care of me, promise.” Sunset raised her hand, even though Twilight couldn’t see her.

“Where is she now?” Twilight instantly asked.

“She’s out, but she has her phone and she said she’d run home if I needed anything, I promise you, Twilight, I’m okay,” Sunset calmed her, already detecting more concern in her tone.

“Has she been alright? I mean I know she’s still attending therapy and all but…” Twilight seemed to trail on, not sure how to finish that thought, Sunset decided to do so for her.

“She’s fine, but I’m worried about her when it comes to magic…” Sunset admitted.

“Magic? What of it?” Twilight asked.

Sunset adjusted in her seat and put her phone in her other hand so she could reach some tissues at the side of her bed to wipe her runny nose.

“Well… Magic is definitely a force that we’re not escaping any time soon, that’s pretty clear. Whatever caused us to have magic in the first place is here to stay, and Shimmer likely isn’t an exception to that…” Sunset began explaining.

Twilight gave a gentle “mhm”, followed by, “what’s your point?”

“My point is, she should learn to finally embrace it so it doesn’t leave her in fear forever… I feel it’s the only way she will overcome what happened fully…”

Twilight let out a long sigh and Sunset could feel a long explanation coming from her. “Sunset,” she began, “we tried that already, remember? Magic killed Shimmer’s parents, her own magic at that. I understand how she feels just as I’m sure you do… Magic can turn people into monsters if it’s misused. It took a long time for me to stop worrying that I’d eventually turn back into Midnight Sparkle, and to be honest… The thought still crosses my mind…”

“You still worry about that?” Sunset inquired.

“Not that often, but every now and then the thought comes up,” Twilight admitted.

Sunset was truly surprised, she had thought that Twilight was completely over her fear of the demon she once turned into. She surmised that Twilight had gotten better at suppressing that fear as time passed.

“I would never let that happen to you again, Twilight. You know that,” Sunset spoke.

An innocent laugh came from the phone as Twilight responded, “I know you wouldn’t. I trust you. I’m sure Shimmer does too, but it takes time. You are right that she will eventually need to get past her fear, but small steps.”

“I just worry she may never reach that point, Twilight… She isn’t like you. Magic made her lose her parents… I don’t know how I can help her get past that…” Sunset sighed.

“Give her time, Sunset,” Twilight reassured.

Sunset ran a hand through her messy bed head and nodded before sighing. Twilight’s analysis was spot on, as much as she didn’t like to admit it. She was never the best at being patient, but she conceded that Twilight had an excellent point, there was no way she could speed the process up.

“I guess you’re right… I’m lucky you’re my friend,” Sunset praised.

She could practically feel her friend blush over the phone. “Oh stop… I’m the lucky one. You saved me from turning into a monster.”

“You’ll never be a monster in my books, Twilight,” Sunset replied.

That time Twilight actually did blush. The bookworm struggled to form a coherent sentence for a solid twenty seconds before finally managing to get out, “Thank you.”

“Anyway, I should probably get some more rest. I’ll try and be back in school as soon as I can, promise. All my effort is focused into getting better.” Sunset held her hand up even though she couldn’t be seen.

“I’ll hold you to it. Get some rest, Sunset.”

“Talk to you later.”

“You too.”

With that, the call ended and Sunset placed her phone on the nightstand. She yawned and stretched before placing her aching head down on the pillow, allowing her eyes to gently close and soon the world around her was tuned out as she felt the embrace of slumber take her away.

Shimmer kept close to her sister trying to walk through the sludge that they called mud after a fresh rain. She wasn’t sure why they had waited until after it had rained, but perhaps they didn’t anticipate the weather which led Shimmer to believe they had planned to bring her out to these woods weeks back, and that this meeting was premeditated and the weather happened to be a hitch in their plan.

Sunset had insisted she come with her as she had something she wanted to show her out in the woods behind her high school as she put it. Not much for camping or outdoors, Shimmer wasn’t entirely certain what to wear, and instantly regretted not wearing converses instead of the heeled boots she was sporting. Ironically, Sunset appeared to be more skilled at navigating the wilderness in heels than she, despite obviously having more experience, she figured that Sunset’s knowledge of living in the woods must have just naturally made her more skilled at walking through mud, sticks and uneven ground.

Peering around, Shimmer could see the various bugs coming out of their hiding places that had been made damp. Silkworms dangled all around them and Shimmer did her best to avoid them, though she was certain she would find many hidden in the creases of her dress later.

The temperature had begun to cool, and for that, she was thankful she had opted for leggings under her dress on this fall afternoon.

Sunset seemed just fine in only a black tank top and tattered jeans. Shimmer opened her mouth. “How are you not freezing?”

Sunset shrugged. “I used to live out here. I spent a good few years living in the wilderness, so I’m pretty adapted to it. I don’t get cold as easily as a result. Though once I caught a fever from hell out here and had to nurse myself back to health using natural crap I found out here; wasn’t a great Fall that’s for sure.”

“Oh… So this is where you lived? It’s… Quaint…” Shimmer attempted to keep the conversation going, but couldn’t really think of much more to say, clearly realizing that Sunset didn’t even believe that statement was true.

With a nod, Sunset brought that conversation to an abrupt close, obviously not wanting to talk about her past anymore, predictable. The two had beaten the subject to death at that point anyway.

“So what are we doing out here exactly? You haven’t told me yet…” Shimmer finally popped the question she had wanted to ask since she was invited out to this location. It had been scratching at her more so when they entered the woods. Her mind briefly entertained the idea that this seemed like the premise of a horror movie, or several that she had seen. Part of her contemplated bringing this up to Sunset; however, she was almost certain Sunset likely would be unfamiliar with virtually every horror movie ever.

“You’ll see,” Sunset plainly responded.

Not the answer Shimmer was hoping for.

Shrugging, Shimmer realized she had no choice but to be patient and hopefully the answer would come soon enough.

Finally reaching a point further into the heart of the woods, Shimmer spotted a familiar figure; pale skin, long blue hair and a pair of dorky glasses. There was no mistaking it, it was Twilight Sparkle; the awkward, nerdy and somewhat adorable member of their circle of friends.

The bookworm approached and bowed slightly causing Sunset to shake her head in disapproval. Twilight grimaced and coughed before nodding slightly. It was evident that the two had had a discussion prior about formal greetings, a discussion that clearly wasn’t sticking in Twilight’s memory.

“Shimmer, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” Twilight smiled warmly.

Shimmer always appreciated Twilight among their friends, probably second to Rarity. Still, she couldn’t help shake how strange it was that these two asked her to meet them in the woods; it almost seemed out of character for them.

Shimmer smirked and gave her response. “Klaatu barada nikto.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and Sunset grew a confused expression, clearly not understanding the reference.

“Really?” Twilight asked cocking her brow.

“I was just checking because you two are acting super strange. So spill it, why are we out here in the middle of nowhere?” Shimmer responded.

Sunset looked to Twilight, who gave another glance back at her before the duo nodded to each other and focused their gaze directly on a confused Shimmer. Shimmer gripped the skirt of her dress tightly, already not liking where she felt this entire ordeal was heading. A knot appeared in her throat, and her hands began to tremble slightly. In her mind, she fought hard to suppress memories that were trying to claw their way to the front.

“Shimmer…” Sunset began, placing a hand on her sibling’s shoulder.

“No… I’m not doing this…” Shimmer shook her head, tightly closing her eyes, wishing that this would all just be a dream.

The other bespectacled woman took a step forward and placed her hand on Shimmer’s other shoulder in comfort as well.

“Shimmer… We understand… Magic turned both of us into monsters at one point… We know what it’s like to be afraid of it… We just want to help you, I promise. If you can get past your fear you can move on from what happened and magic can actually open new doors for you…” Twilight tried to explain.

Tears were already welling up in the girl’s eyes as she stepped backward and swatted the two away. Her heal got caught in a mole hole and causing her to tumble backward landing upon her read in the mud with an audible splash. Twilight and Sunset rushed to help her up only for her to swat them away again, pain in her expression and daggers in her eyes she stared them down as she brought herself to a stand, trying to brush her rear off.

“This isn’t helping me guys! I’m not like you two; I didn’t just turn into some monster and almost hurt people… I killed my own parents. I watched as their blood covered my living room. Fuck… I still have nightmares about it. Neither of you knows what that’s like, I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone. Magic may be able to help you two, but all magic has ever done for me is make my life worse,” Shimmer growled as she frantically attempted to clean her expensive dress with her hands to no avail.

“We were just trying to help…” Sunset frowned.

“Well don’t. No good comes from magic; I never want to use it again for as long as I live. I want nothing to do with magic, I wish it would just go back to where ever it came from,” Shimmer’s voice was stern, filled with venom and a serious look plastered upon her face.

With those words, she turned and began trudging back along the muddy pathway. Twilight sighed and frowned as she placed a hand on Sunset’s back. “Sorry Sunset…”

“I hope she comes around eventually…” Sunset sighed.

Flicking a lighter and bringing the flame to a rolled-up marijuana cigarette, a relaxed Shimmer took a long puff and exhale. She leaned back in her chair and stretched before closing her eyes and daydreamed. Her mind cleared of her long day of failed scientific experiments and wasted effort. She had hit several dead ends in her research attempts to try and understand the force capable of exiting her body.

Entering the room as she blew another cloud of smoke into the air was a slightly older male with scruffy hair. His V-neck shirt contorting tightly around his muscled body as he sat down across from his girlfriend in the recliner. He reached forward to grab the joint from her, only to have her swat his hand away with an annoyed glance.

Taking his bronzed dark-skinned hand back he rolled his eyes. “Seriously? You can’t share?”

“Hey fuck off; I’ve had a rough day…” She sighed.

“What the hell do you even do in that lab of yours?” He asked with a raised brow before opening a soda.

“Nothing important evidently…” Shimmer responded.

The dark haired boy rolled his eyes and sighed before putting his feet on the coffee table in the room. “Seriously, babe you need to think about other stuff. Why don’t you come hang out with us sometime? We’re going to a concert next weekend, why not come with us?”

“Will there be pot there?” She lifted her head up to meet his brown eyes.

“Probably not.” He shrugged.

“Not interested.” She let her head fall back down.

Her boyfriend leaned in and placed a hand on her arm only for her to pull her arm away, a move he likely should have predicted given her history. Sunset Shimmer was always the kind of girl that avoided any and all affection, they had only been dating a few months, but he felt no closer to her than when they started.

A third of her time was spent getting high and drinking wine; another third spent in her lab for hours on end; the final third was spent being depressed and lying in bed doing nothing of use.

Romantically she was pretty closed off, though she did respond well to compliments. She always appeared to be a fan of her appearance and enjoyed when others noticed it.

“Why are we dating again? Literally, all you ever do is get high and lay around,” he complained.

“It’s because I’m cute.” She smirked before taking another puff.

“I’m serious, Sunset.” He crossed his arms and raised his brow.

Sitting up, Shimmer got a look at his chocolate-colored face and matching eyes. His toned muscles flexing slightly as he stared her down. A part of her licked her lips as she observed his features with a grin.

“It’s because you’re cute too.” She giggled.

“Like you’d notice when you’re not high.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head in annoyance.

“What difference does it make, Fennel?” She groaned in annoyance as she came to a stand and walked over to the counter top to pour herself a glass of wine.

“I’m done with this, Sunset Shimmer,” He replied as he took a stand himself.

She looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes as she picked up the glass and sipped.

“I’m serious. Whatever this is… It’s over. I’m not going to play whatever game you’re playing,” he spoke as he picked up a denim jacket perked on the side of the chair and began to put it over his muscular body.

Shimmer shrugged with apathy. “See you later, then.”

“No, you won’t. I don’t know what your problem is, I don’t know why you’re so closed off to the world, but you’ve definitely inspired me to never pursue internet dating again,” he grumbled.

It wasn’t the first time that one of Shimmer’s relationships fell apart, and it wouldn’t be the last either. Part of her questioned why she even bothered trying to date in the first place, but she surmised it must have been to fill some kind of hole or try to act like the typical teenager she was supposed to be even though she was far from typical. She actually did like Fennel, but it was clear that his patience simply wasn’t enough to handle her.

Shimmer gave a dismissive wave as he stormed out of the room and took his leave. She sat back down and picked the joint she had rolled back up and took another long drag and exhaled. Chuckling she shook her head. “Too bad, you were going to get lucky tonight cute stuff,” she thought out loud.

Sunset,

I have been doing a bit of digging through your files and a lot of this is how do I say… extremely fascinating. Magic… Who would have guessed? I mean I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t see it all here; videos, written accounts, photos, the works. This kind of finding could change the world, for better or for worse if it falls into the wrong hands. Your research is incredible; I can’t believe this is what you were working on all that time.

That being said, I figured I would give you a few more bits of information regarding this Ghost that I keep seeing appear within your files after the security breach you experienced.

Whoever he is, he clearly is going above and beyond to cover his tracks. Any attempts to pursue him seem to meet dead ends on my end and I’m imagining you’ll be having the same kind of luck.

Enough shop talk though, I feel compelled to say what’s clearly on both of our minds since these interactions began again… How are you doing?

Sincerely,

You-Know-Who

Shimmer sat back at her desk as she looked over the email she had received via her phone. Part of her didn’t want to talk about this any further, but she knew that she’d just get more messages down the road like this one, poking at the matter until she opened up regarding it.

She shrugged and figured there was no harm in feeding curiosity.

I could have sworn we agreed not to use our real names in these messages from here on out for security purposes. After all someone could be monitoring this channel of communication as you said.

I understand how unbelievable the entire situation is, trust me. Imagine living it rather than just reading about it. You’ve likely read everything by now, so chances are you now know my secret. You know what a hypocrite I am; you know a truth that only a small amount of people actually know. You know why I hid from the world; you know more than any one person ever knew about me…

The cruel irony is… We’re one in the same…

Sincerely,

SS

Shimmer reached forward and grabbed a cup of coffee she had purchased on her way to the school. The meeting she was to attend had ended and she decided to check over her emails and relax a bit before heading back home to care for her ill sister.

It was probably for the best that she got these interactions out of the way before getting home as she wanted to avoid questions from her sister. To her surprise she received a response relatively quickly in the form of a text message this time.

I know we aren’t supposed to message each other in any other way besides email, but I felt the need to talk to you.

Shimmer sighed and made a response.

We’re not very good at being professional are we?

A smile was brought to her face as she got a reply.

Evidently not. So… I guess we’re really talking about that subject you brought up in the email huh?

Shimmer rolled her eyes at how her contact was playing dumb. She hated how much they always beat around the bush, but she couldn’t be entirely mad at them as she recalled that the both of them were always mysterious and cagey with each other in the past. They both acted like they both were having a contest at how mysterious they could be.

That’s the direction you clearly were going with it. Why waste time pretending with the whole “how are you doing” thing? Why not just talk about the thing we both know we want to talk about.

As expected the response was quick.

Very well. I wanted to say if you think we’re both the same in that we’re both murderers, you’re wrong. Accidents happen, we’re both just the unfortunate victims of circumstance, but you didn’t stick around long enough to find that out…

Shimmer sighed and decided to end the conversation so she could get back to finishing up to get home to her ailing sister.

Can we please talk about this some other time? I get it, I suck and I’m a bitch. Right now though, I don’t have time for this. I didn’t contact you to fix me or my totally fucked up life, lord knows it’s likely beyond repair at this point anyway. Many professionals couldn’t fix whatever was wrong with me.

I contacted you because you know your stuff and you’re the fastest learner I know. For now let’s keep this strictly business and less personal, at least for a little while longer. I can’t go through this again. I get that I owe you a lot of explanations and even apologies but like… Not now. Not today.

Silence followed, causing Shimmer to sigh in relief knowing that she placated them. She leaned back in her chair again and took another long sip of her coffee, knowing all she had really done was delay a conversation that would inevitably happen anyways. For now, though, she took solace in knowing that she had at least delayed it temporarily.

Finishing her coffee she closed her laptop and prepared to head home.

A dainty hand reaching into a purse managed to rummage around through used gum wrappers, hair bands, and old receipts to retrieve a ring of keys. Flipping through the arrangement of metallic shards they managed to locate one with Shimmer’s name etched on it.

Twilight had gotten dropped off by her elder brother at Shimmer’s estate. Shimmer had been considerate enough to give Twilight a set of keys to the house and the gate, probably due to her not wanting Twilight to scale the gate and house again. She had commented before how it was clear that nothing would stop Twilight Sparkle from entering a building if she had decided that was what she was going to do. The keys were merely a trophy for her victory. Looking at the set of eight keys, she noted that she had one for every major area of the estate.

The bookworm had been concerned since her close friend had fallen ill in the first place, and while she knew that Shimmer had her likely in the best care available for her, she still knew she wouldn’t be at ease until she saw her for herself.

Turning the key, she managed to get the door open after a hefty push only to hear a bark in the distance, causing the mousy girl to almost jump. Looking down to the ground a familiar giddy canine was wagging his tail with excitement at her arrival.

Twilight reached down and gave the overgrown puppy a good pet before kneeling to his level and rubbing under his chin. The dog responded by lifting his head upright inviting more affection in.

With a giggle, Twilight came to a stop as the dog gave another bark in her direction.

“Hey, Moon. I’m looking for Sunset, can you take me to her? I brought her some tomato soup.” Twilight held up a fogged up container that clearly had freshly made soup within it.

The dog barked again and ran up the staircase, Twilight giving chase as quickly as she could after the speedy canine. With a good flight of stairs behind them and a fairly lengthy run down a long hallway, Twilight was brought to a room with two lavish paintings on either side of the door. The first appeared to be a gorgeous woman with red hair and perfectly done curls. Standing in awe, Twilight could see the artist captures every detail of this woman that he could, her porcelain skin, gentle smile, small lips, and the gentle slant on her eyes. It was clear she was of Asian descent by looking at her.

The dress the woman was sporting was a gorgeous gown of red that had ruffles and laces all the way to the floor. There was no doubt in Twilight’s mind that that dress in the painting cost more than anything she had ever purchased in her life, possibly combined even.

Twilight’s eyes moved down the frame to see a name etched into a metal badge underneath it reading “Sparkle Shimmer”.

That meant that this beautiful creature was Shimmer’s mom and that somewhere in Equestria, there was a counterpart of her that was, in turn, Sunset’s mother. Sunset seldom spoke of her parents, but if Shimmer’s mother looked that beautiful that it was easy to see where Sunset and Shimmer got their looks if Sunset’s mother looked any bit similar.

The thought of Sunset’s beauty made the words of the girl in her dream echo in her ear for a brief moment.

“You’re mine now.”

She blushed and shook her head as she dismissed the memory. A part of her contemplated whether she should tell Sunset about the dream or not, but that part was quickly overcome by embarrassment. No doubt in her mind that Sunset would tease her for such a thing. It was likely just a dream and had little actual meaning, right?

Redirecting her focus she began to gaze at the other painting of a very strapping middle-aged man with a perfectly trimmed beard. There were a few spots of grey and white, but it made him appear distinguished.

His hair was done in a messy style and was dirty blonde in color. He had a sincere face about him and a genuine smile. Teal eyes rivaling Sunset’s own stared back at Twilight.

Like the other painting, this one was adorned in a suit that definitely exceeded anything affordable to Twilight, with a gold chain sticking out of his shirt pocket, likely housing a pocket watch. His right hand tucked into his pants pocket and his left holding a glass of what appeared to be red wine.

Reading the tag below it, her suspicions were confirmed.

“Dusty Shimmer”.

That made this man, Shimmer’s father. Twilight could see the resemblance and smile. They looked like they were a beautiful couple in life. It was a shame that these paintings and the relics inside this house were all that was left of them. Shimmer had never discussed what had happened to them with her or the others, but she assumed that Sunset likely knew the truth.

Moon whimpered, catching Twilight’s attention. She looked down to see the dog was eyeing the soup in her hand. “Oh yeah, the soup, duh…” She blushed at her forgetfulness.

Gently she opened the door between the two paintings and peaked inside to see a sleeping Sunset laying there.

Twilight approached gently and set the soup down on a nearby vanity as she came to Sunset’s bedside, watching her chest rise and fall as she slept.

Sunset’s lips were slightly parted as she breathed, likely due to her nostrils being too stuffy, and her eyelids were slightly puffy, but still, she managed to look beautiful. Twilight’s gaze fixated on her lips before they moved down to Sunset’s chest. She blushed and stopped herself mentally from undressing her friend in her mind any further.

Still, though her eyes returned to Sunset’s face before wandering to her hair. Before she had the chance to fantasize further though, Moon leaped onto the bed, landing on Sunset, causing her to cough and stir.

She came back to life and gasped before she looked over to Twilight with a smile.

“Oh wow… Hey Twilight, when did you get here?” Sunset extended her arms offering to pull the girl into a hug should she step closer.

Twilight nervously rubbed her arm and looked at Sunset unsurely.

“I know I’m sick, but a hug won’t kill you.” Sunset gestured again with her hands for Twilight to come closer and accept the embrace.

With a nod, Twilight finally accepted the invitation and allowed her friend to close her into a tight but comforting embrace. Sunset always gave the perfect hugs she noticed. Not light like what Rainbow Dash gave, but not something that would push all the air out of your body like what Pinkie would give; just right.

Sunset yawned as she released Twilight and reached to fix a falling bra strap. “So, what brings you here?”

Her voice was mostly nasally and it was clear she was having trouble breathing through her nose, but Twilight ignored it and retrieved the soup from the vanity before popping the lid off of the container and offering it to her.

“I made you soup so you’d get better faster. I know Shimmer already gave you some, but I figured more couldn’t hurt…” Twilight blushed and looked away.

Sunset leaned forward and tried to peak into the container. “Tomato?” She guessed.

Twilight nodded. “With basil; I remembered that you don’t eat meat, so I specifically made a vegetarian soup. You like tomato right?”

Sunset blinked and looked up to see that Twilight clearly was nervous that she would screw something as simple as bringing a sick friend soup up. A smile crept up onto her face and with a sniff, she nodded. “I like tomato.”

Twilight’s face grew a similar smile as she pulled up the chair from the vanity and offered the soup. “Well then you better eat up, I brought you a spoon.”

Before she could even say a word, Twilight retrieved a spoon from her bag and smiled. Sunset looked down to the soup and then back to Twilight as the steam rolled off of it. “It’s a little hot…” she commented.

Instinctively, Twilight scooped some up with the spoon and blew on it lightly. She brought the spoon to Sunset’s lips whom gently slurped in the soup, her mouth being filled with a burst of flavor. It has never occurred to her that Twilight was actually quite a good cook.

“It’s delicious…”

Twilight nodded and blew on another spoonful. “Thank you, I made it just for you.”

“You’re a good friend.” Sunset managed to get out before accepting another spoonful.

“I had a great teacher,” Twilight replied.

At the door, peeking in was Shimmer, who had just arrived only a few minutes ago. Watching her sister receive spoonful after spoonful of the homemade soup from Twilight, a smile formed on her face before she stepped away and decided to leave the two be.

Ironically I am still sick so this chapter coincidentally comes out around the same time. A lot of the sick Sunset stuff is sort of inspired by how me and Applety are when I'm sick. She often makes me soup, and while you guys can't taste it, it's probably more amazing than the soup Sunset in the chapter is enjoying. You'll have to take my word for it.

Behind the Scenes: Originally I actually had to re-write a big section about the soups because I remembered that Sunset was vegetarian.

Note from Applety: She wants to apologize for what she feels is a lower quality illustration this week. She's been having a rough week and depression was kicking in. She originally intended there to be more sketches for this chapter as well but she didn't want to churn out a few crappy sketches while feeling depressed rather than try to deliver at least one decent one.

The chapter may get an "update" sometime this week to include additional artwork so do peak back over the week to see if that happens.

I'm sure she'll leave a comment in the comments below about it all.