The dreamworld shattered with the sound of a slam, leaving Sunset in that unpleasant, groggy state...this time accompanied by burning in her bones, the return of a pounding migraine, and a throat that felt like she’d swallowed an acre of the Abyssinian desert. She pushed herself towards some semblance of coherency, weak human ears straining to make sense of the noise, instinctively pushing down the way her magic fluttered in her chest. Rolling over, the former unicorn slid off the bed to all fours beside a confused looking Spike, who nuzzled and licked her face while she attempted to gather her wits.

It took three tries and the aid of the nightstand to get her body into a bipedal stance, and the world spun dizzily. Sunset leaned heavily on the nightstand, her palms on its cool wooden surface the only thing keeping her upright. The dog whined and bumped his head against her leg, clearly trying to push her back towards the bed, but Sunset flashed her teeth at him, clicking them warningly in the empty air. “No, Spike,” she slurred. “Something’s wrong...”

Crossing the room was a harrowing adventure all on its own with the renewed migraine messing with her inner ear, and her joints were made of searing agony, making her legs tremble like a newborn foal’s. By the time she got the door open and shuffled into the hall, she could make out angry shouting from downstairs. Her girlfriend’s beloved pet wasn’t making her efforts any easier, still trying to herd her back to bed. He finally seemed to give up as Twilight’s furious shout ripped through the house, scampering down the stairs and barking.

Twilight made sure to slam her foot down as hard as she could with each step up the stairs, taking visceral pleasure in the way the loud sound reverberated and vibrated through the house. Initially, she’d intended to run up to get to the sanctuary of her room where she could be upset in a private space, where no one could listen to her rant and scream while she reorganized her desk and bookshelf, but at the last moment she changed her mind. She wanted them to hear every single step, all while secretly wishing she had some kind of power—as irrational as that was—to make the sounds shake the whole house violently, just so she could illustrate how much they’d upset her by refusing to let her go through with her perfectly reasonable desire to work on her project before bed.

The noise of her own steps drowned out another sound vying for her attention, but what little leaked through was like fingernails on her eardrums and even on her skin. And then something impacted her ankle, preventing her from bringing it down the way she wanted and it made her finally look down.

“Spike!” she hissed.

The dog whined and tugged on her sock again, before scampering up a few steps then running back down to her, barking. Twilight scowled at him. “Not now, Spike! Go see, Mom if you’re hungry!”

Spike tried a few more times, and each time she shooed him away—not harshly, as even as angry as she was, she didn’t want to hurt him, but it was a firm dismissal of his antics—making it clear she was too upset to play whatever game he was interested in. He finally took the hint, racing the rest of the way down the stairs and into the kitchen with the skittering of doggy toenails.

Once he had left her alone Twilight resumed her progress up the stairs. As much as she loved her dog, she didn’t need another reminder of how people saw her as weak and in need of help—or pity—and Spike was another one of the things that had happened because of just that. Instead, she turned her focus to the task at hand, already making a list in her head of what she wanted to sort first and if she had the materials in her room to at least start on schematics. They could block her from the lab but they couldn’t halt all her scientific progress. She mumbled to herself under her breath, already descending back into planning for her project, when a familiar pair of blue green eyes and a tousled mess of fiery hair stopped her in her tracks.

There, leaning heavily on the wall and looking half asleep, was Sunset, dressed in a pair of pajamas and staring worriedly at her. “...Sparky?” came the husky voiced inquiry.

What was Sunset doing here? It was Monday, and there had been no communication about her coming over at all. Twilight knew her parents had extended an open door to her the way they had to Cadence, but Sunset never came over without Twilight’s permission first. So why had she bypassed it this time?

“What are you doing here?” Twilight bit out, leveling an annoyed glare at the taller girl, stopping in the center of the hall and crossing her arms over her chest. Normally Sunset would have been a welcome sight, but right now, she was a distraction, one that Twilight couldn’t afford, not if she was going to make things easier for the two of them in the future. She waited expectantly for an answer, a part of her feeling guilty for the way Sunset flinched at her tone.

For a moment, Sunset worried that she was caught in another nightmare. Twilight—her Twilight, at least—had never looked at her that way, or spoken to her with such venom. She recoiled, fingers pressing harder into the wall, extending her senses as much as she dared. It hurt, and she winced at the warning stab of pain in her temples that left her dizzy and panting, unable to really get a sense for anything beyond crippling agony.

When the spots stopped dancing in front of her eyes, she realized that Twilight’s expression had changed. The angry sneer had been replaced by a more familiar worry edging towards panic. The dark haired girl had taken a few steps forward, one hand now outstretched. “Sunny? What’s wrong?”

What was the excuse Luna had intended to use? Dodgeball? Sunset rubbed her head. “...you know how blocking something with your head is a bad idea? I learned why today,” she joked evasively. It wasn’t a lie. They would think dodgeball, even though she meant magic.

Purple eyes went wide, and she made a sound of distress. “B-but no one said anything?!” she cried, tripping over her words. “Why didn’t anyone tell me something was wrong? Are you okay, Sunny? What happened? Why didn’t you text me?!”

A figure brushed past her, Velvet’s voice answering her daughter in a clipped, curt tone that echoed a long ago Sun Goddess in Sunset’s memory. “And if you had answered your phone any of the times we called you, or truly joined us for a civilized conversation at the dinner table, then you would have known, Twilight.” Every line in Velvet’s body, every ounce of inflection screamed that the woman was extremely put out with her child and it made both teens wince for different but related reasons.

“Sunset Shimmer, enough. I have tried to dissuade you for weeks every time you have brought up the mirror. Let me be blunt: We will discuss the mirror—and other things—in due time, but you are not ready now. Do not broach the subject again.” She could see the Princess’ dismissal, the anger, her disappointment...all of that and more reflected in Twilight Velvet even as the woman moved closer to her.

Yet...at the same time...Sunset picked up on the little gestures that made it different, that relaxed her muscles and made her breath ease, dispelling the image of an angry mare. Velvet still gave Twilight a pat on the shoulder, a gesture laced with affection and reassurance of the woman’s love for her child, even if she was upset with her over something. And despite all of that, she still answered the remaining questions. “Sunset got hurt in gym class today, and the school nurse recommended she be monitored tonight and tomorrow in case of a concussion.”

“...oh...” Twilight said in a small voice.

Sunset watched, still leaning on the wall, relaxing as the agitated feelings that had permeated her mind when she woke up dissipated. Maybe it wasn’t dark magic or any danger--just...a disagreement of some kind after a stressful day? It still caught her by surprise when Velvet wrapped an arm around her shoulders, straightening her up gently and touching the back of one gray skinned hand to her cheeks and forehead. She looked at the woman, confused.

“How are you feeling, sweetie? Is your headache back?” The woman was back to motherly concern and comforting warmth.

Her stomach growled viciously. “A bit dizzy...head hurts...but...I sorta skipped lunch to work on something,” she admitted.

Velvet smiled, and started guiding her towards the stairs slowly. “Well, while Twily takes some time to sort herself out and calm down, why don’t we see if some vegetable soup and rice will do something about the growling monster you seem to be harboring? It’s better if you have a little something in your stomach before taking medicine anyway.”

“Okay...” Sunset allowed herself to be led, her eyes locking briefly and worriedly with Twilight’s, one hand reaching out to brush her girlfriend’s arm as she passed her in the hall.

“I’m sure Twilight will be down to join us in a little bit, Sunset,” Velvet reassured her. “Right now, I want you to focus on yourself and feeling better.” The woman guided her down the stairs, careful to stop every few steps to let Sunset’s equilibrium reestablish itself. Once on the main floor, Spike met them, making worried whines and seeming to do his own check on Sunset, before scampering up the stairs after Twilight.

At that moment, Sunset almost thought the dog was as confused as she felt.

Feet carried Twilight towards her bedroom in a slow, dazed manner. Everything felt awkward and wrong, like something in her brain was out of place, but she couldn’t quite grasp what. Shutting her door behind her, she leaned back against the wood, doing the breathing exercise Cadence had taught her years ago. She had been furious at her parents, and for a moment, she’d been angry at Sunset too, but she couldn’t remember...

Her hand cramped, and she looked at it in confusion, taking in the white knuckled grip that was clenched tight around something. It took a few tries for her hand to release the death grip on what turned out to be a scrap of napkin with a somewhat smeared ink drawing. The dark haired teen stared at it, trying to make head or tails of what she was looking at...only for clarity to hit her like a bus.

She saw herself screaming at her parents, recalled the words she’d used, the way she’d felt... Twilight let out a whimper, sliding down her door until she could bring her knees to her chest and hug her arms around them. It had made sense at the time, feeling threatened by how they had kept interfering with her work, but looking back on it now, she wondered how she could have missed the signs that something important was going on... More than that, the more she studied her own behavior, the more irrational and childish it appeared.

Twilight knew she had to struggle against getting so engrossed in her projects and interests. It was something that Dr. Soft-Spoken had worked to help her understand with a greater sense of self awareness, and it could be a real challenge at times, when the siren song of knowledge and discovery held her in its grasp. There were times in the past it had even prompted meltdowns and screaming fits like the one she’d just had...but she hadn’t behaved this poorly in at least three years, nor had it ever been...quite so hateful.

Tears burned in her eyes, and she but back a sob, her throat tight. Why had she behaved so terribly? More than that, how could she have said such things to her parents? Or been so mean initially to Sunset, who had nothing to do with any of it?

Going back over the memories again, she could see all the little things she had missed when she came home: Spike’s curious absence, Sunset’s bag and coat hanging on her peg, her boots tucked out of the way amidst the other shoes, even a place set for her at the dinner table and her favorite tea in a pitcher on the counter. Each one an obvious sign that her girlfriend was in the house, and she had been so fixated on her project that she’d missed it, even when she knew that Sunset had asked her family to be her emergency contacts partially to allay Twilight’s fears!

Guilt reminded her that she’d also suggested playfully not two days ago, when they’d woken up Sunday morning super early and spent the time just after sunrise lazily indulging in a heated make-out session, that Sunset consider coming over more often to spend the night so they could steal more moments like that when something wasn’t wrong...more lazy wake ups in each other’s arms and sweet affection to bolster them before a long school day.

Twilight cringed as that gave way to the memory of the look on Sunset’s face, the pain that flashed in those eyes when she’d....Oh no. No no no no... another sob made it past her throat, and she curled even tighter in on herself, causing Spike—who had followed her into her room—to paw at her and whine worriedly. She’d actually sneered at Sunset, spoken to her like she was an unwanted, unwelcome intruder—how could she have done that, when she knew just how much that would have hurt her girlfriend?

The teen rocked a little, whimpering and sniffling and crying. What should I do? How do I— Her mind searched in vain for something, anything she could do to make this all right. An idea formed and she seized it with desperation. Cady! Cadence would know how she could fix this, make it up to Sunny and apologize to her parents, how she could put everything right. Twilight scrabbled for her phone, ignoring the way Spike whined and nudged her arm with his nose, trying to comfort her. “I’ve got to make this right, Spike. I hurt her...I hurt her and I did something I promised I wouldn’t ever do!”

Curling her fingers around the phone, she pulled it out with a shaking hand, struggling to hold it steady enough to punch the right number on her speed dial to reach Cadence.

The phone began to ring, and every ring that went unanswered ratcheted her anxiety up another notch. “Please pick up...please pick up...” she begged, tears streaming down her face. Twilight wasn’t sure what she’d do without Cadence’s help. Just as she was about to give up, the line connected. “C-Cady...?” she whimpered.

Instead of her sister-figure’s voice, another woman answered, her cool tones and crisp enunciation something at least someone Twilight recognized as someone who had often answered Cadence’s dorm phone in college. “Hello, Ladybug,” the woman said. “It’s Lu. Cady’s right in the middle of something, but she’ll be done in a few minutes. Is this an emergency?”

She sniffled again, aware of how choked and nasally her voice sounded. Spike whined as she cleared her throat, the sounds mixing to form a weird background sound. “N-not an e-emergency,” she managed. She remembered a number of calls just like this a number of years ago. Cadence’s friend and dorm-mate had always been nice to her—genuinely nice, not the fake nice of someone who pitied her for her anxiety and other problems.

“Alright,” Lu responded levelly. “Would you like to wait? Or do you want to have her call you back when she’s done?” That was one of the things that was nice about Lu. She never got angry and was never in a hurry, and she gave Twilight nice, easy, simple choices that she could still make with her anxiety or other emotions running amuck.

“W-wait, please.” Twilight sucked in a shaky breath that finished more as a sob.

There was a noise of understanding, and another question that was an echo of the times she’d called the dorm. “Would you like me to talk, or would quiet be better?”

That was another nice thing about Lu. She was happy to hang out on the line and describe whatever was going on on the other end that Twilight couldn’t see if Twilight was not in a place to handle the pervasive quiet. Like today. “T-talk, please,” she pleaded, hiccuping slightly. She couldn’t handle the silence today, not when all it did was give her a chance to replay that hurt-stricken face, the soft quip about something hitting her head laced with the pain Twilight had inflicted.

Lu hummed in response before launching into a detailed account of the goings on at the house, where she, Cadence and Shining were spending an evening doing some monthly meal prep and enjoying each other’s company. She listed off the various dishes they were putting together, and talked about how Cady was currently dividing up marinated chicken into bags for slow-cooking, and provided an explanation of what had gone into the marinade. The mundane descriptions helped slow Twilight’s racing heartbeat and calm her sobbing, hiccuping breaths into something approaching normalcy. She even managed a sound not dissimilar from a laugh when Lu described the yellow streak painting her brother’s nose that he hadn’t discovered yet.

“Okay. Cadence is washing her hands now, once she’s done I will pass you over to her,” the calm voice told her. “While you two are talking, I’ll be putting the chicken away in the freezer for them and a cooler for me.” Lu chuckled, and offered conspiratorially, “I appreciate the timing of your call. This will give me the opportunity to sneak a few extra bags of the lemon chicken—I like that one, but my sister always manages to eat more than her fair share. Older siblings can be such a pain sometimes.”

Twilight laughed at that too, following it with a sound of agreement. “Shining does that with my chocolate bars,” she admitted before blowing her nose into a tissue.

“Definitely an older sibling thing. Maybe I can bribe you to call next month so I can sneak more of the chicken then too?”

That twisted the knife in her chest, and she broke out into renewed tears. “I-I don’t want to do s-something bad next month,” she sniffled. “That’s why I called...I messed up, bad, and I did something stupid that hurt my best friend! I need Cady to help me fix it!”

Lu reassured her. “Breathe, Ladybug. It will be alright. Best friends fight sometimes, but you can always work to make it better...” She trailed off, and Twilight could hear a murmured conversation in the background between the woman and Cadence.

There was some shuffling of the phone changing hands, and Cadence’s voice came from the speaker. “Hey, Ladybug. I hear you need a little bit of help making up? What happened?”

Some of her stress melted away—her sister-in-law never failed to help her feel better and find a solution to her problems. “I messed up, Cady!” she blurted, unable to contain it any more. “I hurt Sunset and Mom and Dad too! I didn’t mean to, but my meeting with Principal Cinch went so well and I’m doing it as a special project with funding from the school and there was another event that my instruments caught, and I guess I just got so excited that I didn’t realize I was doing what Dr. Soft-Spoken is always warning me about, with the tunnel vision? I missed all the signs and I stayed late, almost missing the bus, and I couldn’t answer my phone during the ride so I missed their calls about Sunset and then when I got home I was still so excited about my project that I wanted to go right out to the lab, but Mom wanted us to eat dinner and I think tell me about Sunset, but I got so mad at them that Dad locked down the lab. Which made me so angry, I don’t even know why, and I screamed at them and said such awful things, and then when they wouldn’t let me get in the lab I was going to go upstairs and work, but Sunny was in the hall and I didn’t know she was there—”

“Twily?” Cadence interrupted gently. “Stop and breathe. Your words are running together and I can't understand you. Take a second and do your breathing, then keep going.”

Halting her rambling, Twilight put her fist to her chest and drew air in and exhaled in time with the extension and curling of her arm muscles. A dozen breaths later she felt calm enough to continue. “I didn’t know she was there, Cady. And I was just so angry at that moment and all I could think of was my project, and I said something awful, made her feel like I didn’t want her there! I treated her like she was in the way! Please, Cady, I have to fix this! What can I do? What if Sunset really thinks I don’t want her around? What if she doesn’t come back, doesn’t want—” It was too much, and words failed her.

“Twily, I need you to breathe. Breathe and calm down, and we’ll talk.” Obediently, Twilight ran through the breathing exercise again, listening to the sound of Cadence having a murmured conversation in the background, answered by deeper tones that could only be her brother. It took the teen longer to calm down this time, before Cadence addressed her again.

“Alright. You better, Ladybug?”

“Yes...” She was calmer, but she really didn’t feel better.

Cadence made a soothing sound. “Shining texted Dad, and it's okay right now. Sunset is fine, and she’s not angry or upset with you and she’s not planning to leave. Right now she’s eating dinner and talking to Mom and Dad. Does that help?”

It was a lifeline she had needed more than anything and her muscles finally relaxed as tension drained away. Sunny wasn’t mad and wasn’t going away...which meant she had a chance to fix this, to make things right. “Yes...what do I do now?”

She could practically hear the wicked smirk in the laughter that came from the phone, and she knew just what kind of expression was on Cady’s face—and that whatever she was about to say would embarrass the daylights out of her. “...Ohhhh...it’s not that hard, Twily. Making up is fairly simple. You apologize, talk about what happened, and then you two can kiss and decide whether or not the situation warrants make up sex or just a tickle fight.”

“CAAAAADDDYYYY!!” Twilight let out a sound somewhere between a squeak and a squeal, her face burning so hot that she was sure it was redder than Sunset’s hair. Her sister-figure was laughing too hard to offer any kind of reply, and Twilight was too flustered to even think of anything else to say to communicate her displeasure at the comment.

Especially because now the idea had gotten its hooks into her mind and her imagination was happy to supply suggestions to improve on it. Like a smug, triumphant looking Sunset tickling her into submission...and then leaning close to her ear with murmured thoughts on just how Twilight could make it up to her... That alone set a mass of butterflies loose in her stomach for an entirely different reason than any kind of anxiety.

Cadence finally got her humor under control. “Seriously, Twily, it's no different than apologizing for anything else. Just be honest, explain what happened and tell her you’re sorry. You messed up—given what Sunset has told you, I’m very sure she knows what that's like and will hear you out without holding a mistake against you. She cares too much to let something like this ruin what you two have. Go clean up and then go talk to Mom, Dad, and Sunset.”

“Okay...” she could do that.

“And enjoy the making up after, sex or otherwise.”

“CAAAAAAAADDDDDEEENCE!!!”

Maybe its dark magic? Maybe its just teenagers being overly emotional powder kegs? Who can tell? Sunset's brain is a little too fried right now to answer that...

I'm sure its FIIIIIIINE. Nothing to worry about.

Right?

Guys?

Why are you looking at me like that?

Meep.

-------

Also, shout out to the new readers who've joined us in the last few months! Huzzah! Welcome to the madness! If you haven't checked them out yet, there's a number of Rubicon Sidestories also posted by this account, some one or two shots, some the first few chapters in some longer stories.

And for everyone, I'm touching up the first chapter or two for "Cassandra's Cry" to drop them soon, since things are heating up here with Arc 2! *cackles*