Trembling hands splashed water on her face. “Get it together, Shimmer,” she hissed at her pale reflection. “They’re going to think you’re crazy on top of everything else.” She had to compose herself—she wasn’t going to let anything jeopardize the warm feelings this place gave her, or the opportunities to spend time with Twilight…and that ‘anything’ included herself.

Deep breaths. She needed to breathe, to calm her racing heart and put Princess Cadenza out of her head, the same way she’d separated Princess Twilight and her Twilight. This Cadence was human, not a princess, not someone who’d lucked into being made family to Celestia. This was a blank slate, someone she should get to know on her own, without the baggage of another world and another life having any weight.

There was a soft knock on the door. “Sunset?” Twilight called. “Are you okay?”

She reached over and opened the door to admit her friend. The other girl came in and shut the door behind her, before resting a hand on her arm. “What’s really wrong? You’ve been all kinds of out of sorts since you arrived. Was school that bad today?”

Sunset sighed. “It’s been a lot of little things, Sparky. I’m sorry I’m acting like such a lunatic.” She wilted a bit. “…I hope I haven’t messed things up with your family....I really like being here...”

Twilight hugged her, resting her cheek against Sunset’s shoulder. “It’s fine. No one is angry or offended…though…” her brows furrowed. “Why did Cadence and Shining upset you so badly? Bad experience with police?”

Arms found their way around the lavender skinned girl automatically—after several weeks, Sunset was growing to like the spontaneous hugs she got from Twilight. “I mean, I do try to avoid cops—most of them see ‘teen in leather’ and assume I’m doing something illegal—but that wasn’t it. Cadence…looks like someone I knew once, back before I was on my own. Someone I hated for something that wasn't her fault. I just needed a minute to sort my head out, that’s all.” She winced. “Can you not mention any of that to your family? I don't want to upset them.”

Purple eyes regarded her behind thick glasses. “I haven't yet, and I won’t unless you want me to. I’m not stupid, Sunset; I know there’s a lot of stuff about your life that isn’t normal for teenagers. I’m not going to pry, but when you're ready to talk about why you live by yourself and why you ran away from home, I’m willing to listen. I won’t judge you.” A hand came up to brush a few errant strands of hair back from her face. “You’re my friend, Sunset Shimmer, and I care about you, no matter what your story is. Nothing is going to change that.”

“Thanks. I…I will tell you, eventually. I just don't think I'm ready yet.” She playfully tweaked Twilight’s nose to lighten the mood. “I can promise you I’m not doing anything illegal or immoral though.”

Wrinkling her nose, the shorter teen pulled away to open the door. “Come eat? Dinner should be ready.”

Sunset sniffed the air in the hall. “That smells good—what is it?”

“Mom takes dietary restrictions seriously, so she made one of the salmon recipes for dinner, that way you wouldn't feel left out.”

Blue-green eyes lit up—the rich, fatty fish like salmon and tuna had been popular for dishes for griffin and other carnivorous dignitaries, and she used to hide under the banquet tables and gorge herself as a filly on them until she either fell asleep or got caught. She only managed to have them once in a while in the human world, and only at restaurants—something few and far between since she tried to manage her finances wisely. She grabbed Twilight’s hand and pulled her down the hall to the dining room before she realized what she was doing.

The rest of the family was already there as the two girls entered, one laughing as she pulled her hand back. Velvet stepped around the table after setting down a pot filled with potatoes and gave Sunset a motherly hug which the former unicorn returned shyly. “It’s good to see you again, Sunset! Salmon tonight—I hope that’s okay?”

The redhead nodded vigorously, eyeing the portions of fish on the serving tray like some people might eye a chest of gold coins. “Yes, ma’am. I haven't had salmon in so long, and it was always one of my favorites.”

Velvet ushered Sunset to her seat next to Twilight, and without much in the way of fanfare, the family began to fill their plates. None of them mentioned Sunset’s earlier freak-out, though she caught Cadence studying her or Twilight more than once.

For the most part Sunset was quiet and subdued, preferring to listen to the conversation unless she was addressed directly. Never before had she directly witnessed a full family dynamic in action, with parents and siblings and extended members (since it seemed like Shining and Cadence were just shy of being officially engaged) all seated in one place like this. The whole scene was just…alien in every sense of the word to her—even when she’d ‘dated’ Flash, she’d avoided going to his house for dinner much. His family had led busy lives, so most of her experiences there had just been the two of them, with her relegated to eating a salad or a sandwich in a house of borderline carnivores. Before that, before she’d fled beyond the mirror, any private dinners with Celestia had been completely different since it had just been the two of them, no paternal figure or ‘siblings’ in sight. Seeing such a dynamic play out before her made Sunset’s soul weep, the old pain creeping up on her that made every breath burn and her throat feel like a brick was lodged in it.

Warm fingers rested on her forearm under the table, giving a squeeze, and Sunset glanced to her side. Twilight smiled at her and squeezed again, and the former unicorn felt the pain ebb as her friend drew her into the conversation, mostly centered on their museum trip and how they were getting there.

---

'Family Movie Night' was proving to be an experience all its own. With Cadence and Shining taking over the sofa, and the parents in the two armchairs, Sunset and Twilight were sprawled on pillows on the floor, a bowl of popcorn tucked between them. An epic musical score had begun, and Twilight leaned over, “I can’t believe you've never watched Star Wars! It’s a staple of science fiction.”

“Sparky, I can’t watch it now if you're distracting me,” she teased, trying to read the text scrolling vertically up the screen—though the statement wasn’t a lie. Honeysuckle tickled her nose, and Twilight was close enough that she could feel the warmth from her skin; it was enough to make that traitorous little voice start murmuring in the back of her mind again.

—You don't seem to mind the distraction all that much…—

Clearly that corner of her brain hadn't gotten the memo: She liked mares, not humans.

—Who says you have to like all humans? Maybe it’s just this human. After all, you're not fantasizing about the brunette in the white dress with really obvious nipples, are you? And she’s on the screen.—

There was a human myth about a woman named Pandora opening a box and letting a bunch of bad things escape that couldn't be returned to confinement. Sunset was starting to feel like she’d opened a box of her own with this nagging voice. Twilight was important to her, the first friend she had—she was tentatively willing to call Applejack a friend after more than a week of the other girl joining her for detention—and the only one that lacked years of bad blood and baggage. The last thing she needed was to ruin it with stupid monkey hormones messing with her head, taking more from the friendship than was actually meant; in Sunset’s mind, that was the only possible way she could even be remotely attracted to a human…especially Twilight Sparkle.

—Keep telling yourself that. Maybe you’ll believe it someday.—

Sunset squished the voice back into a corner by trying to bring to mind images of some of the mares she’d found attractive on the other side of the mirror, never noticing that every one of them sported purple eyes and a beaming smile.

---

The credits were interrupted by a soft snorting snore, and Twilight looked down to realize Sunset had dozed off, face pressed into her shoulder. Without thinking, she reached out with her other hand and brushed back some of Sunset’s fiery hair. The other girl’s nose scrunched briefly, before her features smoothed once more. That made her lips turn up at the edges happily.

A barely restrained noise made her glance back and realize Cadence had seen the whole thing, her eyes wide and excited. Crap. The rest of the family was stretching, preparing to head up to bed. Her mother kissed the top of her head. “If you can’t wake her, sweetheart, just bunk down here in the living room.”

Cadence lingered, sending Shining Armor up on his parents’ heels, waiting for a few minutes before settling across from Twilight, her back against the TV table. “Sunset asleep still?”

A tilt of her head down confirmed Sunset’s state of unconsciousness, the redhead arms having curled around Twilight’s waist in a fiercely tight grip. Her face was surprisingly serene, and periodically she’d rub her nose into the fabric of Twilight’s shirtsleeve with a sleepy murmur. Twilight stalled for time, taking longer to enjoy watching Sunset than was needed to determine her current state. “Yes,” she finally answered, tearing her eyes away to look back at her old sitter.

“You two look cute together.” Cadence’s eyes gleamed in the dim light.

Heat rushed to Twilight’s face. “Cady!” she hissed. “It's not like that! We’re just friends!”

“Just friends? You guys look like you're a lot more than friends to me. I never cuddled any of my ‘just friends’ like that.”

Twilight sighed, her face turning serious. “Cadence.” The stern tone made all the play drop from the woman’s face as she studied the girl she’d known since she was very small. Twilight adjusted Sunset’s hold so she could curl an arm around the redhead’s shoulders protectively—even if all she was guarding her from was Cadence’s matchmaking attempts. “It’s not like that. She’s been hurt badly and she hates herself for her past mistakes.”

Her eyes dropped to look down at the other girl, her face melting into a half smile. “I’m the first person to ever try to be her friend, the first person she feels she can really trust. I don’t want to risk hurting her more, just because I find her to be the most amazing and beautiful girl I’ve ever met, that somehow manages to keep surprising me in little ways that I never expected.” She sighed heavily, her face falling as her eyes returned to Cadence. “Besides, she probably isn't interested in other girls.”

Cadence absorbed the words, watching both of them intently, the wheels in her head clearly turning. “Oh, Ladybug,” she said at last, reaching out to pat Twilight’s shin sympathetically. . “You’ve got it bad, don't you?”

A soft sniffle escaped and the dark haired girl nodded. “…she’s smart and well read, she dabbles in mechanics and engineering, enjoys science…when I talk I don't have to stop and define every term larger than eight letters, and she always seems to understand what I’m talking about. She asks questions about my interests or what I’m talking about instead of telling me to stop talking... She’s been there when I needed help but she doesn't treat me like I’m helpless…I feel..safe..with her.” Eyes trailed down again for a moment, and the blush returned. “It also doesn't hurt that she’s gorgeous, and looks drop dead sexy in leather.”

“She is quite the eye-catching young woman, isn't she? Pulls off the ‘bad girl’ look well.” Mi Amore Cadenza waited to let the giggles subside. “I don’t want to see you get hurt, Ladybug, and bottling up your feelings is never healthy…nor are either of you doing that good a job of it.” Twilight felt her eyes widen in momentary panic, her anxiety surfacing despite the feeling of Sunset close to her. Cadence seemed to catch the signs and hastened to reassure her. “I don’t think anyone else has noticed but me, but I’m also not so certain the attraction is as one sided as you believe.”

Protests sputtered on her lips, and Cadence held up a hand to forestall them. “This isn’t just ‘Shipper-Cadence’ talking, Twilight. Hear me out.” She fell silent, letting the pink skinned woman continue.

“I’m not saying you have to make any declarations of eternal love…or implying that you two are soul-mates destined to be together. What I am saying is that you might want to consider being honest with her, before you over think things and tie yourself up in mental knots and have a ‘Grade A, Four-Alarm, Twilight Sparkle Freak-Out’ about it. Because if it is mutual, Twily, if she’s got as little frame of reference as you’re implying, she may not understand if your behavior around her changes because you’re trying to get rid of a crush.”

That was something Twilight had not considered, and now that it had been voiced, it tumbled around in her mind, unable to be put aside. It was something she needed time alone to think over, her brain already starting to use it in mental ‘what-ifs’ that varied wildly in outcome. Her chin lowered in thought, eyes straying once more to the sleeping Sunset Shimmer.

Cadence rose and patted her shoulder. “If nothing else, if it is one sided you may end up with the best wing-woman ever. Think on it, Ladybug.” She left Twilight deep in thought with her sleeping friend completely unaware of the conversation that had just taken place.

---

Mi Amore Cadenza headed for the stairs, smiling to herself. The more she had observed during the night, the more she had come to agree with Velvet’s sentiments—but she had also picked up on things the adults had missed. The two teenagers had clearly formed a bond and a friendship, but there was something else there, and it wasn’t just Twilight Sparkle harboring a crush on her redheaded friend. Twilight might’ve believed it to be a one-sided attraction, but from where Cadence was sitting, Twilight had nothing to worry about. When it seemed no one else was watching, Sunset Shimmer looked at Twilight Sparkle like she had hung the stars themselves.

Next Chapter: Chapter Sixteen: Arguing With Myself Estimated time remaining: 55 Hours, 29 Minutes