“Huh…did you know you live about four blocks from Scoots?”

Sunset pushed open her front door, holding it open until Rainbow Dash stepped inside. “Yes. I’ve known about Starlight House for several years,” she admitted. “I don't exactly go out of my way to advertise where I live, but I did learn who lived near enough to me to be a concern.”

The athlete watched her for a few seconds after she shut the door behind them. “Yeah, but that's not an issue anymore, so we can totally have sleepovers here now!” She slugged Sunset in the shoulder in a friendly way. “No parents, big open space, and a big screen tv with all the consoles and surround sound! This would be awesome for sleepovers and movie nights!”

She chuckled at Dash’s enthusiasm. “I’ll…think about it. Maybe after the Games are over and we make sure that we fend off whatever dark magic is going to happen there. Right now there's a few things more important than planning on how to clean my house to make it suitable for guests.”

Rainbow Dash sprawled on the couch. “Uh huh…” she said, fishing something out from under one leg. “Seems to me like you have no issues having Twilight over for sleepovers.” One hand held up a purple bra. “Seeing as how this is way too small for your tits…and it's too lacy to not wear for show.”

In the process of starting up the steps to the elevated loft where her bed was, Sunset stumbled and missed the bottom step. Dash peered over the back of the couch at her, the bra still dangling from her grasp. “Oooooh…that tells me this isn't here from a PG-13 sleepover!” she crowed.

Scowling, Sunset snatched Twilight’s misplaced bra away. “So what? She's my girlfriend—we’re allowed to get cuddly with each other.”

“Uh huh…finally did the Horizontal Monster Mash?” her friend asked.

Sunset stomped up her stairs, not really caring for her friend’s choice of comically crude and somewhat insensitive words to describe a very personal part of her relationship that meant more to her than just carnal pleasure.

—Two can play at that game, you know.—

For once, she agreed with the voice. “As a matter of fact, yes.” She left a deliberate pause, then added, “Right where you're sitting, as a matter of fact.”

Rainbow Dash made a noise and jumped up. “Dude! Did you at least clean the couch after?”

“It’s my couch,” she countered, “and I live alone.” The former unicorn dropped her backpack on the bed and began to sort through what she needed to bring with her when she went to Twilight’s in a few hours. “Besides, you were the one being nosy about what we have done—for someone who keeps telling me you're not into that sort of thing, you are pretty nosy about it.”

The other girl laughed, and started rooting through her stack of games on the coffee table. “Because you sure as hell aren't going to tell Flash about how going down on Twilight Sparkle gets you going, and if that's how you decided to break your news to Rarity, she would die, Shimmer. That leaves me to be the one to ask. Besides, it’s not hard to tell you were ready to explode. So? Was it good?”

She leaned on the railing, looking down at her friend. “…Okay…it was…” she murmured, tipping her head back to stare at the ceiling, “…fantastic. It was right and it was us, and it just happened without either of us feeling…like it was too much.” Sunset exhaled, feeling her muscles fight her anticipation induced tension, wanting to relax. “And…it made me decide…to tell her about Equestria.”

Silence reigned for far longer than she expected, before Rainbow Dash finally responded. “Holy shit. Are you serious?”

Sunset remained draped over the railing. “I…I’ve made my choice, Rainbow. You girls…Twilight…her family…even Principal Celestia, Miss Luna, and the rest of the school…this world, and all you insane monkeys…” She flashed her friend a small smile. “You care. You accept me. You don't mind that I’m a unicorn or that I turned into a monster and almost killed you, or that I’ve brought magic and more monsters into your lives. You still want to be my friend. I go to school, and people welcome me. They fought for me without me knowing, just so I could be on the Friendship Games Team. Twilight’s family gave me my own room at their house, they let me spend Christmas and Thanksgiving with them, they treat me like I’m part of their family. Twilight is my best friend…I was still so much a monster that first night, I tried to warn her…and she didn't care. She just wanted to be my friend, and she’s become so much more than that to me. This world, the people in it…you want me. You accept me.”

The redhead knew she was babbling now, the words just pouring out with all the emotion she’d been trying to contain for months. “I’m in exile from my homeworld, but for the first time since I ran away…that doesn’t feel like a punishment. I started out trying to make some semblance of a life here because I had no choice…but now I’m doing it because I want to. Because this world feels like home, more than Equestria ever did.”

Running a hand through her shock of brightly colored hair, Rainbow whistled. “That’s…that’s a lot to unpack, Shimmer….but I get it. And we do want you—we’re your friends and you have become an awesome person, even if you're a magic horse. You’re our magic talking horse, dammit!”

“Pony,” she corrected with a wet laugh.

“Tomato, to-mah-to,” was the reply. “Look. You and Princess Twilight are cool, but the more I hear, the rest of Equestria sucks complete ass.”

Blinking, Sunset sighed. “Equestria is a beautiful world, Dash, and ponies are not so bad as a species. Just because I couldn't fit in doesn't mean everything there is awful.”

With a shrug, Dash fiddled with getting a game into her Playstation. “Maybe not, but it treated you like shit, when it just sounds more like you were a kid with a condition and anger management problems that made it worse. Did they do anything besides yell at you to control yourself? Cuz…that just makes it worse. I’ve got this cousin, on Dad’s side. Kid’s like…eight now, but he's got this thing where he just starts cussing people out randomly. Really loud, really nasty…but it's not his fault. He's got a condition that makes him do it, and it upsets him when it happens, cuz he’s a good kid and doesn't want to say all that. His folks took him to a doctor, found out he had a condition, and they helped him instead of yelling at him. Yelling just makes it all worse. Any of those other ponies try to do that for you? Or did they just yell and complain and make it your fault for something that wasn't?”

There was no real good answer for that, and Sunset sat down heavily on her bed, holding the magic journal in her lap. “Princess Celestia tried,” she admitted, feeling a little raw at the memories surfacing from where she kept them. “When I was very young, there were so many tests, and she consulted with a lot of experts—even a few Abyssinians and fox-folk—but while they could tell her what the problem was, they had no idea how to fix it without damaging me or my magic. Too much magic in too small a bottle, basically, that made it…volatile.”

Her friend laid on the couch so she could play the game but also look up in Sunset’s direction. “You were a tiny unicorn shaped magic bomb. Heh. Unicorn creeper.”

“With less hissing,” Sunset said, chuckling at the joke in spite of herself. “And my emotions are…well…you know.”

A snort escaped the athlete as she guided a small dragon to roasting sheep. “Right, and that whole magic and feelings feedback loop thing makes it worse, right? But what did they do after that? Besides tell you that it was on you to control yourself?”

—She’s got a point, horn-head. Even the princess was just an endless litany of trying to get you to control your emotions so you wouldn't hurt somepony else. But what about the ponies who deliberately tried to goad you?—

What did it say about the state of things when Dash and her inner monster were making the same point?

—That maybe you should listen more?—

Yeah, that wasn't going to happen.

Rainbow took the silence as her answer. “Exactly my point. They didn’t do anything but make it your fault…if a ‘normal’ unicorn,” blue fingers made air quotes above the controller, “had some kind of magic surge as a kid, would they have gotten the same treatment?”

Sunset rubbed her face. “I don't know, Dash. I was never normal—nothing about me or my life was ever normal. No other foal was ever documented with a problem as severe as mine. My SET score was beating out some of the most powerful archmagi in ten centuries worth of records before my fifth birthday. My magic was unstable and surges happened all the time for several years past where they normally stop. I wasn't allowed out of the princess’ sight until I was five! I had barely even seen other foals my age before I was seven or eight! They never figured out if I even had a family out there, somewhere, but I was too dangerous to let anypony adopt me! Do you know what that's like? What that means, to have nopony but yourself on your family tapestry? I’m not just an orphan—I’m an outcast, and if even my own family didn't speak up to claim me, then other ponies assume there's a reason! That it’s me, that something is wrong with me! They barely wanted me around their foals—their foals certainly weren’t keen to make friends and tell me what things were like for them.”

Arms hugged herself defensively. “I meant it when I said my first friends were here, in this world. That I feel like I can belong here, make a real life for myself, even if it means giving up on ever being in my real body ever again. That's why I want to tell Twilight and her family…so that they know what they’re opening their home and family to. If they let me stay after they know everything…” The unicorn-turned-teenage girl scrubbed her face with her hands. “…then I’ll know I can truly be happy here. With her. With them. With my friends.”

The game paused, and Rainbow sat up a bit to look at her. “Is that why you’ve been all jittery today?”

“Yeah. It's a big deal…and so complicated. I had to talk to Princess Twilight, for permission, and she's volunteered to help me prove the whole thing to my Twilight. And I just…I have no way of knowing exactly how any of them are going to react…” Forcing herself to her feet, she turned back to the task of emptying and repacking her backpack, sorting through notebooks and clothes and making several piles. “I want to believe that they will be okay with all of it, but…I don't know for certain, and I don't exactly have the best track record.”

Abruptly, Dash was there, next to her, an arm slung around her shoulders. “Look, Sunset…one of two things is going to happen when you tell her. Either she believes you or she doesn’t. No in between. And if she believes you, then she either accepts you, or she doesn't.” The arm tightened around Sunset’s shoulders as a faint tremor passed through her.

She couldn't look at Dash, and stared at the cover of the song notebook Twilight had found for her during her outing with Cadence. It was covered in summer constellations with artistic renderings of the beings and beasts around the star patterns, and a sweet yet simple dedication inside the front cover. Written in Twilight’s neatest cursive script, in midnight blue ink from her favorite ‘space pen,’ it read, “Sunny, I hope these stars inspire you the way ours do for me. Yours, Sparky.” “….do you think she will?” she asked, running her fingers over the notebook.

Another squeeze of the shoulders settled her urge to bolt and hide, and Dash rested her head companionably against her shoulder. “I don't know your Twilight, but if she's anything at all like the princess, I don't think you have anything to worry about. It sounds like she likes you a lot, and her folks too, if they gave you a bedroom at their house. I don't think you have anything to worry about, even if she has to do like you do and have some alone time to deal with it after you tell her.”

The former unicorn had considered and accounted for that, but she couldn't stop the thread of worry and doubt. “…what if…what if it's not enough proof?”

“What? The princess and the talking dog?” Her colorful friend slugged her arm lightly. “Then you call me. My magic is pretty safe, and I don't mind being a labrat so you can get the girl. I’ll be there in ten seconds flat, and be the best wingman ever—because that's what friends do.”

Stifling a laugh, Sunset tried her best to avoid the mental images that caused, of her nerd in a lab coat, trying to put Rainbow Dash through her paces. “Only if you can promise no rainbow goo this time. That completely ruined my laptop, and her setup is a bit more expensive than mine.”

Rainbow flashed her a smirk. “I dunno…rainbow goo would give you an excuse to offer to wash her hair for her…”

Coughing, Sunset shoved her away lightly. “I didn't need your help to do that.”

Her friend cackled with laughter. “Kinky.”

“Weirdo.” She let the laughter fade, before saying, “Thanks, Dash. It's nice to know I have a friend like you.”

This time, the smile she got back was open and honest. “You have all of us, Sunset, and we’re here for you, no matter what. We aren't going anywhere…” The athlete crossed her arms. “And…if it all goes to shit and she doesn't accept you as a unicorn or because of the magic or whatever…then she doesn't deserve you, and I’ll be happy to kick her ass for you…but I don't think you have to worry so much.”

Sunset leaned into the hug, grateful for the support from her friend, but couldn't shake the way the offer made her stomach squirm uncomfortably. Thinking about Twilight not accepting her for her she was hurt, she decided, but worse was the thought of what it would mean for Twilight if their friendship ended. She could easily remember how lonely she had been at CSGU, before she’d hardened her heart and retreated behind her anger and hate, how many nights she’d cried into her pillow where nopony but Philomena could see her weakness or how much they got to her…and she could easily grasp how awful Twilight’s school mates were to her—she’d seen that evidence first hand.

Without Sunset, Twilight would have only her family again, and maybe Indigo…none of whom she shared her deepest self with, not the way she did with Sunset. The thought of Twilight having to go back to the way she lived before, without her…

“Yo, Shimmer, you alright?”

Something wrenched painfully, and her magic thrummed as the voice hissed, —That won't happen! We won't let it!—

Her inner monster had the right of it. Taking a deep breath, the redhead looked down at Rainbow Dash. “I…appreciate the thought…but…I actually…have a different request…if things go badly.”

Brows furrowed, but Dash nodded. “Sure. Whaddya need?”

She pulled away, gripping her elbow with one hand, and met Rainbow’s gaze. “If…if telling Twilight goes the worst way, and…I’m not welcome in her life anymore…will you see to it that she has friends in you and the girls? I don't want her to be left alone and with only Indigo for a friend. Please…I know what it's like, and I…I don't want that for her. Can you do that?” Her magic flickered like a candle in a stiff breeze, reaching out to the colorful athlete imploringly, even as blood colored sparks left painful marks on amber hands.

Dash stared intently at her, and the Pony-Up that came as blue digits grasped Sunset’s wrist was a relief to the burning in her veins. “I promise, Sunset,” the other girl said, not a hint of sarcasm or humor in her tone. “No matter what happens when you tell her, Twilight has a whole new group of friends waiting to meet her.”

Magic rippled when she squeezed Dash’s hand in turn, like something slotting into its proper place, and the electric tingle of her friend’s power caught the sparks and changed them from red to a soft blue white that guttered out. “Thanks, Dash.” Sinking back into a seat on her bed, her whole body slumped as pain faded and her magic returned to its semi dormant state.

“Hey, anytime, Shimmer. Besides, it's not like it's a hard ask. Having a Twilight as part of the group all the time is going to be super awesome! Does she play any instruments or sing? We could totally get her in the band! And it would give us a tiebreaker in votes too!” Dash grinned. “I am so stoked! When are you gonna tell everyone else? I know you want to tell your girl first and all but…I'm here to help if you want it when you break it to the others.”

Ponyfeathers.

In all the stress of the upcoming Games, planning to tell Twilight the truth, her own magic problems, and all that had been going on for Twilight at Crystal Prep, she hadn't even considered that she would have to tell the girls and CHS students in general about anything. “…I…hadn't thought that far…” she said tiredly. “There's so much else going on right now that it slipped my mind.” Sunset rubbed her face, feeling tension build in her temples until it threatened to become a headache.

“It can wait,” Dash said, seeming to understand right away. “Gotta tell Twilight first right? And then talk to her about it, because it's kind of about her.”

Sunset laughed weakly. “It…would probably be a good idea to include Twilight in planning about a conversation that involves her, yeah… “

The soccer star grinned. “That's because no one ever wants to get couched.”

“Cou—you know what, no. I don't want to know what possible meaning there is behind you turning a large piece of furniture into an ominous verb.” Sunset turned to repacking her bag with the things she needed, including some of her notes on the local magic, a thing of Sun Bites, and the spare thaumometer. “I need to finish packing—I’m already running late as it is, and Mrs. Velvet was doing Italian tonight. I do not want to miss out on Eggplant Parmesan.” Just the thought of the rich, baked and breaded slices of the dark skinned veggie topped with fresh cheese and the vegetarian sauce variant her girlfriend’s mother made especially for her made her mouth water.

Curiosity played across Dash's face. "Her mom a good cook then?"

Folding up a pair of jeans to wear in the morning, the redhead made a sound in her throat. "Rainbow, I grew up eating food prepared in the palace kitchens, and I can say without a doubt that Mrs. Velvet is better than all of the palace chefs and pâtissiers combined.” She could practically taste the carrot and zucchini slivers that had been cooked in the sauce, to say nothing of the blend of garlic and milder onion and a half dozen herbs all harvested herself from her own garden in the backyard. “There is a reason I had to go up two pants sizes and a shirt size this winter.”

Eyes studied her for a minute. “That's not a bad thing. You might’ve always had big tits, Sunset, but you were too thin before. I just always figured you were one of those popular bitches with an eating disorder you hid from everyone.”

She sighed. "Pass me that shirt from the top of my clean laundry basket? No…not an eating disorder. Just a dietary incompatibility issue that means most of the stuff readily available is not something I’ll eat.”

Dash tossed the shirt at her. “Then it's good someone’s looking after you. I don't know a damned thing about being a vegetarian other than ‘salads’ so…” She shrugged, looking uncomfortable at trying to voice emotions. “I’m glad you have them, okay?”

“Me too. I…just hope I get to keep them.”

That earned her a playful shove. “It’ll be fine, Sunset. Now…what else do you need to pack?”

Sunset took a breath as she turned onto Twilight’s street, repeating Rainbow’s final call of support to herself. “Dash is right, Shimmer. You can do this.”

—It’ll be easier to protect Sparky once she knows about the magic…—

No. She wasn't doing this now. There was too much riding on the next few hours and she wasn't about to risk it to wrestle with her demon.

—Relax. This is too important to mess up…not that self sabotage is ever the plan, even if you are insistent on it.—

The voice needed to shut up and go back to sulking. Or plotting. Or whatever it was violations of sanity and the natural order did.

Sunset could feel that portion of her recoil, drawing itself together as if intending a nasty retort. The former unicorn dropped the kickstand and parked in front of Mrs. Velvet’s car in the driveway, and waited for whatever she was about to hear. She expected sarcasm, or a counter insult, or…something…other than what she got.

—Nothing about Sunset Shimmer is a violation of the natural order,— that stupid little voice said with quiet and surprising sincerity. —You are more than what we were born as, but it was the only way.— It paused. —And…not that you want to hear it, but…just be yourself tonight. They love Sunset Shimmer, not some image of what Sunset Shimmer should be.—

She sat in stunned silence for a minute on the bike, unsure of how to take that. The voice retreated deeper into her and didn't respond to a few attempts for any explanation…which didn't make her feel any more confident about anything going on in her life, not the voice, not her magic, not her plans to tell Twilight, and certainly not what they were going to do next week about the Games.

Finally, she shook off her stupor and turned off her bike, before adjusting her bag and heading for the door. The existential crisis could wait—she had to survive tonight first. Introducing her girlfriend and girlfriend’s family to magic and her otherworldly origins by way of said girlfriend’s interdimensional doppelgänger and her draconic son was enough of a headache for one evening.

Let her never be accused of doing anything by halves, she thought with a self deprecating laugh, even as she turned the doorknob and pushed it open.

“Hello?” Sunset called out, when Twilight didn't meet her with Spike in the front hall. “Twilight? Mrs. Velvet? Mr. Night?”

Velvet stepped out of the dining room, wiping her hands off on a towel. “Afternoon, sweetheart—we were starting to get concerned. Was traffic bad?”

She shook her head, bending to take off her boots. “No…I got a little sidetracked—a friend came home with me for a bit and I was talking with her about something important. I’m sorry I’m late—dinner smells amazing.” While working at the laces, she added, “Twilight engrossed in the lab again? I texted her that I was running a little late…I would have thought she’d have let you know.”

Silence, and then Night spoke from her left, in the doorway to the living room. “…you mean Twilight isn't with you?”

Setting her shoe down slowly, Sunset straightened back up. “No, sir. I haven't seen her since last Saturday…she’s not home yet?” The little hairs on her neck prickled unpleasantly.

“She isn't, and she messaged earlier saying she was working on her project, that she didn't need a ride right after school…” Night was looking at his wife now, and his expression was unhappy. “She's come home at a reasonable hour every night this week, even if she's spent most evenings in the home lab.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and dialed a number, putting the phone to his ear.

“We thought you were still picking her up after school,” Twilight Velvet said, concern lacing her tone. “She even mentioned seeing you yesterday.”

Sunset turned back to Velvet. “I didn't know she needed a ride. We talked about it last week, and she said she needed to buckle down and finish her project—she wanted to try and complete it before the games, I think.” Her stomach lurched. “And I couldn't have seen her—I spent the afternoon with a friend who was visiting from out of town…” Had Twilight been looking for her and seen her talking to the princess? Surely she would have noticed that…

Whatever her girlfriend’s mother saw in her expression caused the woman to soften fractionally and come forward to enfold Sunset in a hug. “Sunset…it's not your fault,” she said, gently pulling one of Sunset’s hands away from her mouth—the former unicorn had even realized that she’d started cribbing on her thumb.

“I…I was just doing what we talked about,” she said, trying to express something of the unpleasant guilt she felt. “I…had no idea she hadn't told you…I should have…but I’ve been so busy this week, and we’ve only talked over texts, and…do you think she’s okay?” If something had happened to Twilight, she wasn't sure she could stop herself from burning CPA to cinders and ash this time. Forget the Rainbow…the whole campus and all the dark magic in it would burn from her fury.

Velvet guided her into the living room, where Cadence and Shining were looking on with worried faces. “I believe you, and it's not your fault. We shouldn’t have assumed to begin with. And I’m sure Twily is just distracted and hasn't realized how late it is. You know how invested she can become in her projects.”

Sunset sank into the couch cushions, nodding jerkily. “Yeah. I hope that's it—her principal has been…really keen to learn who I am since I was there…to the point of even harassing Principal Celestia on the phone. Principal Celestia threatened to call authorities and that made her stop…but what if she changed tactics? What if she tries to force Twilight to tell her about me?” The thought made her nauseous, and made the demon inside her snarl.

—That slimy thing had best keep its claws off Sparky!— it snarled, causing Sunset’s magic to flare dangerously.

The redhead wrestled it down. She couldn't let it start sparking and causing fire now, not with Twilight’s family so close. She made a sound in her throat as she pushed everything down, shaking and unnaturally cold after.

The adults were staring at her in concern. Velvet squeezed her shoulder. “I want to hear more about this, but let me get you something hot to drink first, sweetheart. I want you to take some deep breaths in the meantime. Night is trying to call Twily and he’ll probably go get her in a minute.”

Settling deeper into the cushions, Sunset focused on calming her magic, trying to get the wild power to settle, to lessen the fierce burning in her veins and molten tar that was sitting in her gut, to dispel the cold sensation that felt too much like shock in her hands and fingers. By the time Velvet had returned with a mug of hot chocolate, she no longer felt like she was a breath away from exploding or fainting, but she still felt the shock-like cold creeping in on the edges. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome, Sunset.” Velvet sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Now, do you think you are up for explaining what you meant about being targeted by Abacus Cinch?”

A shaky sip of cocoa fortified her enough to start talking. She went into as much detail as she could about the unsettling behavior of the CPA students when she picked up Twilight three days out of five the week prior, of the way there had been CPA students trying to spy on her at CHS—and follow her home, at least once—and what she had learned from her principal, who was very much on the verge of reporting the whole thing to someone a lot higher up the food chain than the school board. “…I’m just worried that maybe she’s trying to get my information out of Twilight now,” she finished. “I’m not sure why she wants it so bad, but I can't imagine it's a good reason.”

Shining Armor narrowed his eyes at her—not suspiciously, or at least not suspicion directed at her—and asked in a tone that gave away his day job as a detective, “Any ideas on why? Even a shot in the dark?”

The former unicorn bit her lip, glad that the obfuscation of what was really going on would soon be at an end. “…I…have an idea or two,” she admitted carefully, but did not elaborate.

They were all watching her—except for Twilight’s father, who was still in the other room on his phone. Velvet, in particular, regarded Sunset with a serious expression for a dozen heartbeats before asking in a soft voice, “Sweetheart, may I ask you a question about that? I understand if you don't want to answer, but I am asking out of concern for you right now.”

Sunset exhaled slowly through her nostrils. “I will answer as best I can,” she said after careful consideration of how to respond.

Giving her another hug around the shoulders, her girlfriend’s mother asked, “Do you feel that Cinch’s sudden interest in you has more to do with something related to your past than the events that took you to Crystal Prep two weeks ago? You don't have to go into detail of you don't want to, but knowing which you believe to be more likely will help tell us how we should handle this as a family.”

“I think it's both,” Sunset said honestly. “I think that my past is a major factor, but my appearance on the CPA campus made Cinch actively aware of my existence.”

Twilight Velvet’s brows furrowed in the exact same way as her daughters when she was thinking deeply on something. “Do you believe that it's possible that Abacus might have learned something that means her interest is a risk to you?”

Her next breath was shakier than she preferred, and she wished to the farthest ends of the universe that Twilight was home so she could just tell them and get it over with. Rip the bandage off, as the human saying went. “Without a doubt…which…was why I was meeting with the individual I was yesterday. She’s a friend…but she’s also the one who could give me permission to tell Twilight…and all of you…the truth. The whole truth.”

“About your history?” Cadence asked, toying restlessly with the end of her long ponytail. “The things you mentioned to me before? That you werent ready to talk about to anyone?”

“…I’m ready now. I was ready two weeks ago, but…I had to get…” she hesitated, then decided saying it wasn't anything she hadn’t admitted to Twilight on their date day. “…I had to get the princess’ permission to talk about it. Some of it involves what are tantamount to state secrets…and I had to figure out how to tell Twilight so she would believe it. So all of you will believe me…” She rubbed her face with her hands. “…I want you to believe me…I need her to…I…I’ve accepted that I will never go back to where I came from…but…I want to be here, with Twilight and all of you. I want the life I have here now…but you all deserve to know what accepting me really means. And…I want her to hear it first…from me. Twilight is my best friend, the most important human being in my life…she deserves that much.”

Sunset glanced at Velvet, who she quickly realized was looking at the living room doorway—sometime during her little speech, Night Light had returned from the other room, and the couple was exchanging one of those looks that only they seemed to understand entirely. Neither looked angry, so that was a good sign, even if her girlfriend’s father didn't look entirely happy. Velvet, on the other hand, turned back to the teen with a smile that was present more in her eyes and the joy that radiated off the older woman than it was in the upturn of her lips.

So that was where Twilight got it.

Then she was drawn into a tight, motherly hug—the last time she’d been hugged quite that way had been the night she’d earned her cutie mark, in that nebulous long ago time when she had still had hopeful delusions about the Princess of the Sun. She sank into the warmth it brought to still clammy, chilled extremities. “Oh, Sunset,” she heard as fingers carded through her curls. “Of course you should tell Twilight first, and we will listen when you do. And afterwards, we’ll do something, all of us, as a family.”

Night cleared his throat. “Which sounds like my cue to go get Twilight.” Something in his tone was stiff, and it made Sunset pull out of the hug to watch him.

“What happened? Is she okay? Should I come with you?” Sunset all but demanded.

He frowned. “I have every reason to believe she is alright—but she is not just refusing to answer her phone, she is deliberately and repeatedly declining my calls. Which she is not supposed to do. I am hoping that it is simply her fixating on her project and not something more sinister on the part of Abacus Cinch.” One hand came up to halt Sunset’s rise from the couch. “No. I want you to stay here, Sunset. If you are being targeted by that woman, I will not put you in the line of fire. Shining, would you be willing to accompany me, son?”

Nodding, Shining got up from his father’s favorite armchair. “Let me get my badge and sidearm first,” he said, already heading for the stairs with a purpose.

While he was gone, Night met Sunset’s gaze squarely. “We’ll bring her home, Sunset, and then we’ll be a captive audience for whatever you need to tell us.”

The former unicorn could only nod dumbly, and watch in frustration and worry as father and son walked out the door without her, everything in her crying out to follow them to where her heart was.

*ratchets up the tension*

*cackles*

*goes off to keep working*