It was officially the longest week in the history of long weeks, and it was only just starting. Sunset took a moment to rest her forehead against the icy cold metal of her locker, wondering if she could get away with sleeping through to Friday.

Probably not, she decided after several minutes of serious consideration. The principals might have relaxed some of their restrictions on her at school, but almost a week of missed class would be pushing even their forbearance to the limits. Just suck it up, Shimmer. You can do this. You have to, she told herself. It wasn't like there was another unicorn prodigy living as a human that could study magic in her stead. She had yet to hear back from Princess Twilight—it was highly likely that the alicorn was still upset with what Sunset had said about Princess Celestia, but Sunset couldn’t bring herself to apologize.

That meant she had to power through, even if her dreams had started making sleep impossible. Sighing, the former unicorn lifted her head and set about opening her locker to put her books away.

“Hey, pony-girl,” a voice called from over her shoulder.

Sunset turned towards the voice, sending a wan smile Flash’s way. “Hey, Flash,” she responded.

Almost immediately the friendly grin on his face morphed into one of concern. “You okay, Sunset? You…don't look so good.” He looked around and lowered his voice. “I thought you said your date went great.”

Her lips turned up more as her mind flitted back to Friday. “It did,”she said, the ghost of Twilight in her arms and holding her under the stars making her stomach feel as though it were full of butterflies. “I don't think it could have gone any better than it did—it was practically perfect.”

His brows pinched together. “Then why do you look like someone replaced your lunch with the Meat Lover’s Delight?”

Shoulders sagging, Sunset slumped against the lockers with a harsh sound. “It’s complicated,” she bit out, pushing down the memory of dreams and nightmares.

Flash watched her for long enough she started to feel twitchy, the instinctive pony need to get away from a predator’s stare fighting her own natural tendency to respond to such with aggression. She bent her knee, resting the toe of her boot lightly on the tile, resisting the urge to turn the motion into a complete kick. “What?” Sunset finally asked, a little harsher than she intended.

“You need a break. No band practice today right, since Rainbow has soccer stuff after school?” Flash glanced at the calendar she’d stuck in her locker to keep track of important after school activities.

The redhead nodded. “Yeah…I was going to sort through some of my data and run a few more tests.”

Her ex-boyfriend shook his head. “It can wait until tomorrow, pony-girl. You and I are going to go get something horribly deep fried and unhealthy, take it back to my place, and then I’m going to beat your ass in some Smash Brothers.”

“Flash, I can’t. I have to try and figure out what's going on with this magic.” Sunset shook her head, wild mane bouncing around her shoulders. “As much as I’d love to, I can't afford to just skip my responsibilities, even for a day.”

Gentle hands on her shoulders made her look at him, and idly she wondered if she’d gotten taller in the last eight months—she didn't remember being so close to eye to eye with him when they’d been ‘dating.’ “Sunset,” he said, “I know you feel the need to throw yourself into your work…but when was the last time you just took a day for yourself, and actually acted like a teenager?”

“I—“ When was the last time? Sure, she let herself have Fridays, and she’d had a sleepover with the girls recently…but a corner of her mind nagged her that she’d spent half of that sleepover testing their magic.

“You need a break, Sunset. What good will figuring out the magic do if you’re so burned out when you do that you just collapse? You need to take better care of yourself—if not for yourself, then for those of us who care about you.” The blue-haired teen squeezed her shoulders lightly. “And if that means I have to be the friend who makes you do stupid teenager stuff once in a while, to make sure you come through this okay, then I will.”

Sunset couldn't help but laugh. “Really ‘taking one for the team’ with that, aren't you?” she commented with more than a little sarcasm. “Such a sacrifice.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Considering I'm offering to spend my money on buying my ex dinner and then spend the afternoon getting my ass kicked in video games to help her feel better, yeah.”

They both went silent for a minute before Flash rubbed the back of his neck. “Wow. When I put it like that I sound pretty pathetic.”

“I don't think so,” the redhead disagreed. “I think it makes you sound like exactly what you are: a really nice guy who cares about his friends. And…youre right. I haven't really stopped since the Sirens showed up. Maybe an afternoon just hanging out will help me get my head on straight.”

Flash chuckled. “That’s the spirit! And, you know, if you just want to rant to me about whatever’s bothering you, Sunset, I’m all ears. I know there's some stuff you're not ready to tell the girls, but…I’ve got your back.”

With renewed vigor, Sunset dumped the books and notebooks she didn't need into her locker, retrieved the few she needed for homework—world history, joy—and shut the door with a resounding clang. “Let’s get out of here—are we going to the place that makes the beer battered fish?”

“The same. They've got these new cheese and bacon potato bites that are amazing, and they added fried cheese bites to the menu last fall….along with a few weird vegetarian options that sound pretty gross to me, but you might enjoy them.” He nudged her shoulder with his own. “You can get whatever you want, my treat. Some weird old guy with the ugliest striped suit tipped me a hundred bucks yesterday for making his coffee order ‘to absolute perfection.’”

Sunset snorted. “You may very well regret that, Flash—I skipped lunch today to run tests around school and to prep for tutoring on Wednesday—apparently word has gotten out and I had a dozen people asking me about what subjects they could get help with. Speaking of, you're still solid on your world history, right?”

The blue haired young man blinked at the question as Sunset shut her locker and started walking with him down the hall. “Yeah…why? Are you failing again?”

“Not yet, but I could always use a little help. No, it's just that Flitter and Wisp asked me today about if we had anyone who could help with history if they were willing to help others with English. I thought it might be smarter to build on each others strengths so that no one person is doing all the heavy lifting.” She shrugged. “And I know you and Bon-Bon both sleep through history and ace the tests.”

He considered her suggestion. “That's…actually a really good idea, Sunset. Wondercolts helping each other. Maybe you ought to talk to Principal Celestia, make it an official after school thing. She could do sign up sheets or something.”

The former bully bit her lip. “I’m kind of banned from running any kind of official extra-curricular school activities…it was one of my punishments from the Fall Formal,” she admitted. “No dance royalty, no club leadership positions, no committees or councils, nothing that would put me in any kind of position of power. If it weren't for me being the only student with any kind of Magus Certifications to my name, I doubt I’d even be in charge of the magic research.”

Holding open the door to the parking lot for her, Flash tilted his head back. “Maybe you should ask anyway, pony-girl. That was something given out right after the Fall Formal, right?” When she nodded, he grinned. “That was back before you saved us all from being mind slaves to a bunch of shrieking seahorses. Maybe things have changed, and they’d be willing to let you help put together an after school tutoring thing that's open for people to sign up.”

“Maybe…” Sunset worried at her lip, her hands otherwise engaged with holding a few extra books that wouldn't fit in her backpack. “I guess it can't hurt to ask.”

She followed Flash to his car, pausing long enough at her bike to secure her backpack and books in its storage, then slid into his passenger seat. “Alright, I’m good to go—let’s go spend your hard earned tip money.”

The other teen laughed. “Sure! And on the way, you can tell me how your surprise date went,” he ribbed her, grinning.

That made her blush to the roots of her hair. “It went great,” she confessed. “You were right. I didn't have as much to worry about as I thought. Twilight had the best night, and when I explained it all to her…it just all clicked, and now she wants to see if we can do a few more dates during some of our free nights or on Fridays….when we’re not bogged down with schoolwork or other commitments.” She glanced his way, wondering if this was weird for him, given his feelings for the princess.

A hand lifted off the wheel while they sat at a red light and squeezed her shoulder. “I’m happy for you, Sunset,” he told her, flashing one of those cheerful grins her way. “And I knew it would work out—from the way you talk about her, your Twilight sounds like she cares about you a lot.”

Staring out the window, Sunset could feel wayward thoughts intruding. “Yeah,” she responded softly. “She’s more than my girlfriend…she’s my best friend, and that….that matters more to me than I can put into words…”

The former unicorn trailed off, the conversation having dredged up the thoughts that had been eating at her all weekend from where they had settled in her subconscious. She did care about Twilight…more than she could ever remember caring about anypony or anyone. The human girl really was her best friend, the person whose company she would seek out in the worst moments just as much as the happy ones…and in recent weeks, it had become impossible to deny that the dark haired girl was eliciting a number of very physical reactions that no other human could manage, something Sunset was struggling to come to grips with. Before, the physical, carnal desires had been just that…physical; manifestations of hormones and an adolescent body that was still in a state of flux with the chemicals it was flooding her brain with. It had been something she could ignore the way she did her best to ignore her monthly cycle—inconvenient and discomfiting but survivable—but ever since the dream with Twilight in the body of a pretty little unicorn mare, teasing and enticing her amidst a field of wildflowers and sunshine, it was no longer just physical.

Now, the dreams made her heart race and her body ache for hours afterwards, and she felt that old, familiar hunger in her soul. Sunset found herself dwelling on the Twilight from her dreams, of soft moans and whispered pleas and bared skin pressed to her own, and part of her wondered if the real Sparky would be like that if they went further in their intimacies.

And that Friday night? It had been the first time she’d had one of those carnal dreams while in the same bed as the source of those desires. Jolting awake from a much more intense rendition of the end of their date and finding Twilight’s body warm and soft and still very much present and solid in her arms and tangled up with her had almost been her undoing. The other girl waking up and wiggling free for a trip to the bathroom had been a relief, and she’d cried into her pillow until the ache in her core had finally subsided and with it, the rising magic that had been making her blood burn and her limbs tingle, just before Twilight had returned. She’d managed to feign sleep as her girlfriend had returned to the spot in her arms, but it had been over an hour before she’d relaxed enough to fall back asleep herself.

Flash, as if sensing her withdrawal, had fallen quiet during the car ride, interrupting only when he pulled into a spot outside the unsung treasure of Canterlot: Batter Up!—a tacky looking theme restaurant with interior decoration dedicated to the human sport of baseball, and enough fried goodies to clog every artery of every person in the city and surrounding counties. Sunset gave him a thin smile as she followed him inside, assaulted by the scent of oil, breading, half of the potatoes grown in Idaho, and a myriad of meats and other edibles.

Sunset’s thoughts wandered again as they stood in line, drifting back to her girlfriend and her own uncertainties. It was hard to separate the various emotions from each other, they were such a tangled mess, especially with how her magic was reacting to them. The unicorn turned teenager knew she cared about her best friend, and felt genuine affection for her, just like she did for her other friends, but there was another layer that muddled it, a stronger affection that was wrapped up in a desire to protect Twilight from the things she was vulnerable to, and a need to see the younger girl smiling and happy that sometimes felt as strong as any nudge from her cutie mark.

What was more, that didn’t even touch on the way their physical intimacy made her feel…the way Twilight’s hugs and soft touches filled a hole inside her that she hadn't even known needed filling, the warmth that grew inside her whenever her girlfriend kissed her nose or whispered, “Sunny…” in that tone that made Sunset feel like she was flying without wings.

“Sunset?” Flash’s voice broke through her thoughts, so much less welcome than Twilight’s would have been, regardless of how twisted up she made Sunset feel. “What do you want?”

At some point she and Flash had reached the register without her realizing it. “Oh…uh…get me a number four,” she said absently, her focus still turned inward.

The blue haired young man looked at her oddly. “Sunset,” he said again. “That's a double bacon cheeseburger meal. Last I checked, you don't eat cheeseburgers. Or bacon. Unless you’ve decided to try a new diet?”

That finally jerked her back to the world around her and she blinked confusedly at the menu. “Horseapples,” she swore. “Yeah, no…the number ten—the seafood basket, with the Old Bay breading, curly fries….and can I get a side of your fried okra too? And a large Dr. Pepper.” Her face felt hot from the embarrassment of almost ordering something she would never in a million years eat.

“Get what you want, pony-girl,” Flash told her. “I told you, it's my treat.”

She smiled at him as best she could, still flushed from her near mistake. “That’s good for me,” the former unicorn said, running a hand through her frazzled mane and trying to corral her scattered thoughts back into some semblance of order.

It proved a nearly impossible task, as each thought spawned several more, even if they were fractured, half formed things, and by the time they got back out to the car with several bags of greasy food, she was ready to scream frustration to the heavens. So maybe that was why when they had settled in the car again, and Flash turned to her, his brows pinched in concern, and asked, “You wanna talk about it?” Sunset blurted out a question without even considering an answer.

“How do you know if it’s love?”

Flash sucked in a mouthful of his drink, causing him to hack and sputter to clear his airway. Sunset took the bag of food he was holding so he wouldn't drop it. “Dammit, pony-girl,” he rasped when he could breathe again. “Don't do that to a guy when he’s drinking.”

“Sorry,” the redhead said, feeling guilty. “I just…you asked…and I’m just…” she trailed off, unable to voice her feelings.

“….Love, huh? Is it that serious then? You and Twilight?” Blue eyes studied her curiously.

Sunset groaned. “I don't know! That’s the problem! How am I supposed to know? I never had any friends before the disaster at the formal, and I’ve told you that my dating you was not about feelings. And humans do things so differently than ponies, so I have no idea how to judge these things!” A fist struck his dashboard in frustration.

“Whoa! Okay, Sunset, calm down. Don't break my car.” He reached over and squeezed her wrist gently. “Take a few minutes to breathe while I get us back to my place, so we can talk while we eat, instead of having these super important conversations in a car.”

Nodding, Sunset adjusted her hold on the food. “I’m sorry, Flash. It's driving me a little crazy.”

“Don't sweat it, pony-girl. Love’s a big deal, I get it. Just focus on holding our food, and I’ll get us to the house and we can talk.” He pulled away from the curb with one last calming squeeze to her wrist, leaving her to sit in silence for the ten minute drive back to his house.

Once they were firmly settled on his living room couch, containers of their takeout spread on the coffee table, Flash gestured at her with a chicken strip. “So. Love. You said it’s different for ponies. Want to start with explaining that?”

Chewing viciously on a fried shrimp, she grimaced. “Humans…are both fixated on romantic partnerships and disgustingly casual about it. Look at people at school—how many boyfriends has Whisper Song been through since the beginning of the year?”

He rolled his eyes. “Probably a dozen. Rumor has it she hit three dozen last year before summer break.”

“…that’s what I mean. Ponies don't do that. We…aren't constantly looking for a partner, and we don't dip in and out of relationships like that. Not every pony wants a partner, especially when we’re young, and most don't go hunting for them like it's the most important thing in the world…but when we do find our Special Somepony, it tends to last. Maybe not forever, but years, even decades.” Sunset popped another popcorn shrimp in her mouth, giving herself time to organize what she else wanted to say.

Flash studied her. “…in other words, you're not into casual dating and hook-ups.”

Shaking her head, the former unicorn replied, “Not usually, no. I mean, there are some ponies who are, but they’re…a minority and culturally, they’re…outliers. But…that’s not who I am.”

“Except when you're faking a relationship for the social games?” her ex joked with a raised eyebrow.

Her face heated. “I felt uncomfortable the whole time,” she admitted, unable to look up from the food in her lap. “In a lot of ways, I was…relieved…when you broke up with me.”

A fist punched her shoulder lightly. “Relax, Sunset. I’m not angry, not anymore.”

Sunset sighed. “I can't help it. I still feel terrible for what I did to you. I really am sorry about that.”

“It sucked at the time, but it's okay, pony-girl. You were a different person then, and that person is not the one I’m friends with now.” Flash gave her one of his goofy grins. “And as your friend, I’m curious. You say you're not into humans, and that you aren’t one for casual dating…so….why Twilight? What makes her different?”

Her mouth opened to answer, but the weight of the question gave her pause. Why Twilight at all? Brows furrowed, she spoke haltingly, trying to find the right words to explain. “Twilight’s…she’s not like any human I’ve ever met,” she said quietly. “She…she’s smart, and funny in this dorky, endearing way, and she’s the first person or pony I’ve really ever met who can have an intellectual conversation with me on my level—”

“Wow, ouch.”

She snorted. “I don't mean it like that—I mean, I could talk advanced spatial calculus with her and she can do something other than stare in confusion at me because I’m throwing around high end theoretical math. We can talk for hours on all kinds of subjects, and even the ones I’m not great at she can somehow make interesting…” The redhead’s expression softened as she thought about her girlfriend. “She also always seems to know just what I need when my head is at its worst, and I don't have to try and put feelings into words with her. She just…knows, as weird as that sounds. And it's the same with her—there's no games or manipulation with her. We just click, and…I trust her, more than I think I’ve ever trusted anybody. She’s…” Twilight’s own words came to her, and she smiled. “Sparky’s my very best friend, and I wouldn't give that up for anything…”

The young man opposite her on the couch nodded, swallowing a mouthful of fries. “She sounds like a pretty cool person, Sunset, and a great friend.” Then he canted his head to the side like Spike when he was curious. “What about when you kiss her? What’s that feel like?”

Sunset felt her face go crimson. “Flash!” she yelped. That wasn't the kind of thing she was going to share with anyone else. “Inappropriate much?”

He shook his head. “I didn't mean it like that, Sunset. I mean in your heart, in your head? How does being with her as girlfriends make you feel? Like when you kiss her, what does it feel like?”

Relaxing and trying not to get hung up on the memories suddenly clamoring for her attention, the former unicorn took a few deep breaths. “…I feel…warm….happy. It's usually just the two of us, and she’s a hugger, which means all I can see and smell and feel is her…”

She could feel the echo of that soft, slim body pressed against her, setting her nerves aflame and tying her up in knots with how badly she desired more. Her breath stuttered awkwardly in her lungs as she fought the reaction her body was having from memories alone. The last place she wanted to deal with her body betraying her was in front of Flash.

When she finally managed to look at him again, her face was even more flushed than before, but the redhead had managed to stave off the hunger that settled into her core. “…sorry…”

Flash arched a brow, looking amused. “I can safely say you definitely feel something for Twilight that goes beyond ‘just friends.’ I’ve never seen you look like that before.”

“Like what?” Sunset asked, feeling a little uneasy. Had he been able to tell she was—

“Happy….but…happy in a way that comes from the heart and soul of a person. You never smile like that, and the way you sounded when you talk about your Twilight…like she’s the world’s greatest Christmas and birthday gifts all at once. You’ve got it bad for her, pony-girl.”

Sunset thumped her head into the back of the couch. “But is it real feelings or is it something brought on by this body and its hormones?!” she demanded in a frustrated tone. “How do you humans tell the difference?!”

Her almost shout faded into silence, and Flash sighed. “…I wish I could give you a better answer on that, Sunset, but…everyone is different. The best advice I’ve ever heard is just ‘you’ll just know.’”

Bitterness crept into her response. “That doesn't exactly help me now…or help me figure out what she feels for me.”

Flash stared at her for a long time, before he said, “Why are you in such a hurry to know, Sunset? Did Twilight give you some kind of ultimatum or deadline to figure out your feelings?”

The former unicorn shook her head sharply. “Of course not! Twilight wouldn’t do that.”

The young man nodded. “Okay, what about someone else putting pressure on you? Her family? Someone else who wants to date one of you?”

Sunset snorted. “The only member of her family who knows we’re dating is her sister-in-law. And even if they did know, her parents…they aren't like that.” Her ex-boyfriend seemed to mull over something for a long minute, and it made the redhead wonder exactly where he was going with his line of thought. “Flash, why are you asking me things like that?”

He held up a hand. “I have a reason, Sunset. Just one more question.”

Scowling, she crossed her arms. “Fine. Ask.”

“Is this need to know and define your feelings some kind of pony thing that I’m missing?”

That gave her pause. “…not exactly?” she hedged awkwardly. When he made a ‘go ooon’ motion with one hand, her shoulders sagged. “It's…it's complicated…and more of a ‘Sunset the pony exile’ thing that I really don't want to get into.”

Flash sighed again. “Look, you want my honest opinion, pony-girl?” When she bobbed her head in a quick nod, he chuckled. “I think you're doing that thing where you overthink everything in order to have total control over the situation, Sunset. Just like our sophomore Spring dance—do you remember that?”

Her face flushed. That had been a near disaster that had almost undone her plans involving her staged relationship and after that, she’d governed the whole ‘dating Flash’ thing with a much lighter hand. He’d had a much better grasp on what human dating was supposed to be like anyway. “….yeah…that was…”

“Pretty awful?” he laughed. “That’s my point here though. There’s no reason to rush it. You don't have to know today, or tomorrow, or this week. Stop worrying about whether its some kind of ‘monkey sex thing,’” he chastised, making air quotes with his fingers, “and just let yourself feel the way you feel with her. Sooner or later, you’ll realize that you know the answer to what you're asking, without having to pick your relationship and your feelings apart like a math problem.”

Sunset fell quiet, thinking over his words while she finished off her food. Maybe he had a point. She still had time—maybe not as much as he thought, given her girlfriend’s insatiable curiosity and investigation into magic, not to mention the way it was becoming harder and harder to ignore the desire that burned inside her when she and Twilight were curled up together. And hadn’t her and Twilight’s whole foray into dating been about “trying and seeing where this goes?” It was definitely going somewhere, but it wasn't there yet, wherever “there” was. Sure, she would need to make a decision about what she was going to do eventually, but …that could wait until she knew for sure what she felt, right?

Setting aside the empty styrofoam, she took a long swallow of her soda. “…maybe you're right. It…maybe I am overthinking it.”

With a chuckle, Flash squeezed her shoulder with one hand. “Then stop, and let it just happen, Sunset. Maybe it's love, maybe it's just a high school romance, maybe it's just teen hormones and platonic feelings getting all twisted up together, maybe it's a love that will be the stuff of legends. Who can say? What matters is that you two are happy with where you are in the present moment. The rest you’ll figure out in time. And with everything else you're worried about, you could stand to stop stressing about something.”

She blew air out her nostrils on a resigned snort. “…you're not wrong. I need less stress in my life…”

A controller was dangled in front of her nose. “Then let me make good on my promise about today, and help you destress with some video games. You still like Smash Brothers, right?”

Her lips curved up into a competitive smirk. “Prepare to eat my fists, Sentry.”

Flash made an overdramatic gurgling squeal, throwing himself half off the arm of the sofa. The hand not holding the controller stretched out towards Sunset beseechingly, and he rasped, “How…could…you? I thought…I was…one of your…favorite monkeys…”

It was so ridiculous, she couldn't help but laugh until her sides hurt. “There are no friends in Smash Brothers, Donkey Kong,” she giggle-snorted. “Only enemies to be crushed!”

He went limp, hanging off the sofa arm like a ragdoll. “….betrayed!” Flash cried, “Betrayed by someone who abuses Kirby for a cheap victory!”

“Don’t be such a sore loser,” she returned. “I used the character as intended. It's not my fault you need to get good at the game.” Her face was still scrunched up with laughter. “I don't even own this game and I kicked your flank up one side and down the other!”

The door opened as she gave him a shove with one booted foot and he fell dramatically onto the floor with an exaggerated sound of fake pain. “Sunset! How could you!” came the muffled words from where his face was smooshed into the carpet. “I trusted you!”

She barely heard him, freezing in place as his mother and sister stared at her from where they had just come in the front door. His mother was looking between the two of them with a slight frown. Sunset swallowed uncomfortably. “Um…Mrs. Sentinel…hi.”

Flash immediately pushed himself up off the floor and back on to the couch. “Hey, Mom.”

Before the woman could answer, the child at her side piped up with her own commentary on the scene. Flash’s sister was…nine? Ten? Sunset couldn't remember exactly, and human ages were still something she had a hard time narrowing down, but it was definitely in that age category where both children and foals tended to say whatever came to mind, with no filter. “Is Sunset your girlfriend again? She didn't do a very good job last time—girlfriends aren't supposed to make boys cry.”

The redhead winced, both at the remark itself and the way it changed the room’s atmosphere into a tense mass of awkwardness and embarrassment. Her ex-boyfriend turned a bright shade of vermilion. “Ivory, that’s not really—” he started, but again the child interrupted.

“Yeah it is! I heard you crying!”

Flash’s mother put a firm hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “That’s enough. Leave your brother alone. Go in the kitchen and get your snack, then sit at the table and do your homework.”

Pouting, Ivory scuffed her feet on the floor on the way to the kitchen, making squeaking sounds with her shoes the whole time. She gave Sunset a dirty look, like the former unicorn was somehow at fault for her being yelled at. It didn't help make her any less uncomfortable and she decided maybe she should leave before it got worse or Mrs. Sentinel could throw her out.

Just as she was gathering herself to make an excuse to leave, the older woman turned her attention back to the two teenagers. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line—not a frown, but definitely unhappy. Flash rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks, Mom. It's really not something I wanted the third degree over…”

Mrs. Sentinel flicked her gaze to her oldest child. “Tactless as your sister was, she did raise an interesting point. I’d like an answer as to what is going on here, given everything she put you through last September.”

Oh, ponyfeathers, horseapples, and flaming hydra farts. Sunset cringed back, trying to decide if making a break for the door would generate enough surprise to get her unscathed past Flash’s mother, or if maybe going through the window was a better option, despite the hassle of glass shards in thin human flesh. It’d probably be the less painful option, truthfully.

Flash narrowed his eyes, his blush fading only somewhat as embarrassed awkwardness gave way to frustrated indignation. “Mom!” he protested.

“I know it’s a personal detail, Flash, but it doesn't take a lot of inference to put together what happened and how badly you were hurt,” Mrs. Sentinel responded, brushing some dark green hair back from her face. “I’d hate for that to happen again, just because someone is playing games with your feelings.”

The look being leveled her way didn't do anything to alleviate the guilt and shame overtaking Sunset, and she shrank into her seat, mentally preparing herself for a dressing down that frankly was well deserved.

The young man on the couch with her had other ideas, however. “Look, Sunset and I talked about that,” Flash said firmly. “Why we broke up and why it didn't work between us is not really anyone else’s business but ours.” Blue eyes glanced towards Sunset worriedly. “There was a lot going on I didn't know about at the time, and I forgave her for what happened. It’s my choice to be her friend now.”

The words burst out of Sunset as a fresh wave of painful guilt and shame rolled over her. “Flash, your mother’s right. I was horrible to you, and you didn't deserve any of it. I used you for my own reasons and my own gain, and then treated your feelings like garbage. She has every right to hate me and be suspicious, because she’s your mom, and she loves you.” The words hurt to say, but she could see it, the fierce protectiveness in Mrs. Sentinel’s dark eyes that was the same as the one in Twilight Velvet’s when she’d finally detailed her grievances with Crystal Prep to her family, and she knew it was true.

“….Sunset…” Flash started, but trailed off.

She gave him a crooked smile, more to mask the pain that stabbed through her when she realized she couldn't ever remember the Princess of the Sun looking at her that way than it was out of any humor. “It's fine. You’re lucky, you know? To have a mom that loves you that much. Don’t get mad at her for it.” You're lucky to have a mother at all, her mind added for her, the thought steeped in bitterness and hurt.

She started to collect her trash—no use in leaving behind a bigger mess—partially to give her a chance to put emotions back in the box she tried hard to bury in the corner of her soul. Flash made a sound in his throat, before he turned on his mom.

“Mom, she has a girlfriend.” The words were surprisingly soft spoken, but they cut through the suddenly silent house like a cannon shot.

The silence felt like a heavy suffocating blanket, weighing down on Sunset’s whole body until she felt like she couldn't breathe right. Her hand clenched harder around her empty soda bottle, the creaking of strained plastic providing some measure of relief from the strained absence of noise. She watched as the expression on the older woman’s face shifted through a variety of emotions, all directed at Sunset herself: shock, confusion, mistrust, anger, and finally, slowly enough that Sunset could practically read her contextualizing her former knowledge with that new piece, a sort of understanding. It lacked the warmth and welcome of Velvet and Night had always been so quick to show her, but at least it didn't seem quite so unpleasant as before. It didn't help with the oppressive lack of sound either, but at least the unicorn-turned-human no longer felt like she was being stared down by an angry bear.

Then from the kitchen, Flash’s sister called, “No wonder she was a bad girlfriend—she likes kissing girls! Maybe you’d have had better luck if you had boobs, Flash!”

Flash rolled his eyes in annoyance, before giving Sunset an apologetic smile. His mother snapped towards the kitchen, “That’s enough, Ivory Raven! You know better than to interject in conversations that are not your business! Now either pay attention to your homework, or you can do it in your room, without your snack!”

That shut Ivory up, and made Flash sigh with relief, rubbing the back of his neck again. “So…yeah…” he said awkwardly. “It just took until we talked again to understand why I’m really not her type.”

Sunset shook her head. “It doesn't excuse how awful and ugly I was to you before, Flash. You’re too nice a guy to deserve that, no matter what my personal reasons may have been.” She could recall, with clarity, just how devastated he’d looked when he’d come to her that day, a week or two into the school year, presenting her with an ultimatum about her behavior and their relationship, and she’d laughed at him.

“So let me get this straight. You don't like how I run this school, and if I don't give up everything I’ve spent years working towards, you’ll…break up with me?” Her eyes were like blue-green ice chips as they raked over the young man in front of her.

Flash nodded. “Sunset, you don't need to do all this to be great and popular. It's not worth it, and you’ll have more friends if you're nicer to people. Like you used to be. All this popularity is going to your head, and it’s…you’ve changed.” He looked down, saddened. “…and I don't know if I can love the person you're becoming.”

It was almost too much, the hilarity of it. This stupid human boy really was a gullible fool who’d believed her entire act. Where had someone like Flash been when she was a filly? She burst into laughter, the sound tinged with both mockery and bitterness. “Love me? You don't love me,” she sneered, “and the fact that you’ve deluded yourself into believing that is the most pathetic thing I’ve ever heard.”

His head snapped up, blue eyes wide and startled. “What? No, that—I do love you, Sunset…You’re a lot of fun to spend time with when you aren't focused on being popular.”

More laughter filled the air, and she let her disgust and sour amusement twist her flat face into as much of a nasty expression as this body could get. “You really mean that, don't you? You really are a stupid creature,” the redhead mocked. “Especially if you think I would change my plans for someone like you.” Sunset got closer, staring him down. “Your threats are nothing more than the hollow barking of a puppy on a very, very short chain. You see, I don't need you anymore—and I certainly don't have any actual feelings for an underdeveloped, emotionally unstable, simpering ape that follows me around with so much air between his ears.”

“What?” Flash’s voice wavered. “Sunset—”

“Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough.” She spoke slowly, enunciating each word with emphasis and clarity, driving each one home like a dagger. “I. Don't. Care. About. You. I never did. You were a means to an end, and you have served your purpose admirably.”

Her ire spiked as his eyes filled with actual tears. “You—but I—how—I love y—”

“That’s your problem, not mine. Snips! Snails!” She snarled, snapping her fingers.

Her two flunkies appeared at her elbow. “Yes, Sunset Shimmer?” one of them asked, practically saluting her.

“Get him out of here. His whimpering is giving me a migraine, and I have more important things to do.” Like the final draft of plans for the theft of one of the most powerful magical artifacts ever known. She turned, ignoring the way her two lackies mocked and pushed the stunned, distraught form of her now ex-boyfriend out of the room.

She shook herself out of the memories. “You deserved a lot better than me, and I know that eventually, some girl is going to be very lucky to have you.”

His brow furrowed, searching her face. “Sunset, we talked about that. I had a chance to get it all off my chest and I forgave you. It sucked, but it's behind us, and I’d like to think we’re pretty decent friends now.”

Mrs. Sentinel chose that moment to interrupt the teens. “Your ability to forgive others is one of your most wonderful traits, dear,” she told her son. “I just wish it wasn't something you needed quite so much.” Then she turned her focus back on Sunset. “I’m…still not happy with how you hurt him,” she told the redhead, “but I can understand why it happened. Figuring out who you are as a teenager is hard enough without throwing sexuality into the mix.”

Sunset’s gut churned, the food that had tasted so delicious a short time ago now sitting heavy in her stomach. The woman was offering something like a smile, but it was a smile Sunset had grown up seeing—polite, but it didn't quite reach the woman’s blue eyes. “I’ve had to do a lot of…self reflecting since the fall,” she admitted, not entirely sure herself if she meant the season or her nosedive into a crater courtesy of a rainbow. “There were…a lot of things I did because I didn't know there were better options, and because I was afraid. It doesn't undo what I did, Mrs. Sentinel, and I know that, but…I am trying to be better.”

The eyes might have softened just a fraction, but it was hard to read. “…I guess there aren't many ways to break that kind of news pleasantly to someone who believes that you return their feelings, especially when you went to such trouble to make it look like you did.”

Sunset winced. “I…I know. I could have handled it better…but at the time I was…” The former unicorn hesitated. “At the time I was in a really bad place, and I wasn't a very good person. I had things I thought I wanted, and I was willing to do whatever I had to to get them.” Guilt gnawed at her—she wasn't lying, but it felt…wrong, somehow, to let the woman think this whole conversation was about her being like Twilight: afraid of people finding out her preferences in a partner, when it very much wasn't. But she also knew that the real truth would just put her friends in danger, risk her own cover, and potentially make the woman think she was either insane or on drugs, so she shoved the feeling down. “I learned the hard way how wrong I was, and in the end, it left me with nothing.”

Flash reached over and patted her shoulder. “You have friends now, Sunset, and we accept you for who and what you are. And we all forgave you for what happened before.”

Smiling at him, the former tyrant queen of CHS, nodded. “I know, and I can't tell you how grateful I am because of that.”

Mrs. Sentinel made a noise Sunset couldn't place, addressing her son. “You really are such a sweet and compassionate young man, dear. Your friends are very lucky to have you in their lives.”

The words struck home, hard, and Sunset found herself mulling them over. His mother had raised a lot of good points, especially the last, considering her own history with her ex. With everything she had done, the fact that he had been willing to forgive and just let it go, no strings attached, and without the sense of obligation that had jumpstarted her friendship with the girls…it was something amazing. He really was a good person, and she was glad to be able to call him a friend.

Sunset realized something else in that moment. Even after everything, Flash had believed that she had changed, was capable of change…and in a way, she wondered if he had always seen her, and not the facade—as Rarity was keen to point out, her acting skills weren't really that great. It was a sobering revelation, and she studied the young man with new eyes and a warm smile. “Yeah…you're right. I am pretty lucky to be his friend.”

Sunset. Not having the best of days, is she?

First emotional turmoil, then having to deal with her ex-boyfriend's mother. Yikes.

All while trying to research magic, run tutoring, and figure out if she's falling in love with the human girl she's having steamy dreams about.

Also, yes, a bit of a look back at the Sunset-Flash "relationship" and how badly it ended. After all, the two things that stand out the most to me in canon were how they tried to do the "standard teen movie b-plot" of Protagonist ends up with mutual crush involving Antogonist's recently broken up with Ex, while Antagonist still wants the ex...and then it just sort of...collapses halfway through into this weirdly unnecessary, shoehorned "romantic subplot" because Sunset couldn't be LESS INTERESTED if she tried...and her line in Rainbow Rocks, where she openly states "I never had any feelings for him. I was using him to be more popular" right before acknowledging how awful a person she was.

So in the end, I decided that Flash was "good guy", but Sunset was pretty toxic--you don't get turned into a rampaging demon for being a petty high school bitch, to be honest--and the relationship ended REALLY badly. Hence why Sunset has felt guilty, and why she avoided him...and this bit was a peek into what went down. And why Flash's mom is pretty unhappy to find "that redheaded teenage harpy" in her living room.

And poor Flash. This is now twice that Sunset has dropped a bomb on him in his car....though at least he was parked this time. Let's hope she doesn't make this a habit. (*whispers* He's not that lucky.)

As for his little sister...he totally strikes me as the type to be an older brother...and his sister is the embodiment of obnoxious younger siblings everywhere, giving him shit.

Any who....Sorry for it running late on posting, but this week was a "Week of Migraine Hell" and i spent several days just wanting to die in a dark room every time light or sound happened.

Hope everyone enjoyed, hehehehe.