Stretching her neck out with a pained grimace, Twilight Sparkle leaned back in her desk chair after closing her notebook. She had finished all the assignments she had been given for the next two weeks, and found herself itching to go back out to the lab in order to continue going over the data her machines had collected. Unfortunately, she could do nothing more until several programs finished sorting and searching, and there was little she could do to hurry along the process that she hadn’t already programmed into the algorithms when she’d designed them. It left her at a loss for what to do, since it was too early for bed and she’d already eaten dinner.

Purple eyes roamed her desk, and she found herself straightening it up compulsively, restacking already neat papers, putting books back in their spots on her shelves, and sighing when she found one of Sunset’s socks wedged between the desk and the wall. Somehow. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know how her girlfriend managed to get the article of clothing stuck back there. As she went through a stack of old mail that had come addressed to her, her fingers touched an envelope addressed by a familiar hand.

“Oh!” she murmured to herself. “Moondancer’s letters—I almost forgot again!”

The dark haired teen pulled the letter out of the envelope. As always, Moondancer’s letters were written on old fashioned stationery paper—this particular set of pages were done with faint images of constellations in the margins—with an old style fountain pen. Even the envelope it had come in was of a heavier weight paper, and had little designs carefully printed on it. Moondancer’s calligraphy was smooth and practiced, and was quite pleasant to look at as she reread its contents.

Twilight,

Just so you realize, I did not receive a letter after your one regarding your Halloween evening. I am assuming the mail system has lost your response, and thought you would appreciate knowing. (This is not any kind of accusation or criticism directed at you, Twilight, so please do not grow overly anxious about the matter. The mail system is, at its best, still somewhat unreliable through no fault of yours.)

To hopefully further assuage your inevitable hand wringing and fears that I might be upset, I have included a few of my more recent sketches I thought you might find fascinating. The first one is of the house I am staying in for the year—there is something very pleasing in the view from my bedroom window of the courtyard and the way the ivy grows on the wall across from it. The second is of the mosaic in the bottom of a fountain in the town square, which I thought you might have more interest in, given its depiction of several constellation myths with stars present and clearly marked.

School here is proving to be very different than Crystal Prep. The work is definitely easier, but the students are a little more friendly. Reminds me of the way people were back in elementary school. The upside to the easier work is that I’m able to focus more on my own research—Italy has such history, and the fact that so many ancient sites are open to the public for tours has made this entire year as an exchange student worth every penny and every ounce of effort it took to get here. I have already filled numerous notebooks with both sketches and information of just locales in the immediate vicinity of my current residence and the school. I must admit that I am extremely grateful for the forbearance of my hosts, as well as the fact that my host-father is also a scholar of history himself. He and his daughter—Tessere, the one I mentioned in my other letters—have been quite willing to indulge my interests and take me to various locations on the weekends and expound greatly on the histories and legends associated with each site while I take photographs and reproduce likenesses with pencil.

One of my teachers is a Doctor of Archaeology and Anthropology, and he’s already put the word out that he’s looking for a few student volunteers to go on a dig this summer. I submitted an application for it the same day! It's apparently a nearly brand new site, somewhere in the mountains, and even if all I do is carry water and dirt, it’ll be worth the experience in the field. I know I’d prefer to do most of my work in the climate controlled confines of a lab, but working with the site as the artifacts are unearthed has its own appeal. If nothing else, I could use it as a chance to explore the area around the site, taking photographs for later references or get some sketches done.

How are things going at CPA? Is Suri still targeting you or has she found some new freshman to go after? And how about this new friend you said you made? The one going through a rough patch? Are things looking up for her yet? I know you mentioned that she had very few friends…perhaps when I return at the end of the summer, you might introduce us. It is always a pleasure to meet another intelligent mind, and from your descriptions of her, I would believe there to be enough intellectual common ground for us to form some type of friendship.

If I do not hear from you before the holidays, have a good Christmas, and good luck at the estate this year. Maybe they’ll give you breathing room for once.

Moondancer

Of the few friends she had made, Moondancer had been the one she connected with the best, enough that before she had met Sunset, she would have referred to Moondancer as her best friend. Both of them were advanced intellectuals, and that allowed them to interact more as equals, without having to think too much on whether or not the other would understand the large words and complex thoughts being brought up in conversation. At the same time though, Moondancer was emotionally distant and somewhat disconnected from other people in a way that even Twilight herself wasn’t. As much as they could bond over intellectual pursuits and shared interests, Twilight had always felt that they didn’t mesh in other areas or connect on much of an emotional level...but she did her best to be a good friend, even when it was hard to tell if Moondancer appreciated the effort or just found it annoying.

It didn’t stop her from feeling horribly guilty over the fact that she’d ignored her friend for the last few months, enough for Moondancer to not just notice but to comment on. The dark haired girl had just been caught up in her research...and Sunset. Mostly Sunset, if she was completely honest with herself. Twilight couldn’t help it—spending time with Sunset was the highlight of her week, and she looked forward to Fridays with the same eager giddiness that she felt about Christmas morning.

She reached over on her desk and pulled out a fresh sheet of paper, ready to respond to Moondancer, starting with an apology. It wouldn’t make ignoring her friend right, but it was a start...and maybe it would be a good idea to start scheduling in time with Wallflower too, since they were the only two of their four person group of friends still currently at Crystal Prep.

Dear Moondancer,

I’m so sorry about not responding sooner—life got away from me over the holiday season! Sunset joined us for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and we wanted to make sure we included her, which meant a lot more planning than normal. Couple that with exams, and I completely forgot that I hadn’t responded. I didn’t mean to, really, and I hope you can forgive me for neglecting our friendship.

I love the drawings—you’re getting so good at them, I actually felt like I should be able to touch the paper and feel the texture of the stone! The fountain mosaic was astounding too, and I’m curious if there are other fountains like that in the area? If you find any more, I’d love some photos!

It’s good to hear you’re getting some real work done on some of your independent projects, and that you don’t have to put up with people like Suri and Sour Sweet all by yourself. And a potential spot on a brand new dig site? That would be amazing for you! I wonder if you would be able to get some form of credit for it towards the field? Maybe you should talk to the Professor about it and find out? Even if it's just something you can add as extra experience, that would be wonderful for you! If you get picked to go—and I’m sure you will—you’ll have to take pictures to show us when you get home! I showed Sunset some of the photos you sent me with your last letter, and she thought the ones of the vineyard were really pretty—she said to tell you that she thinks you have a real talent for landscape photography.

Crystal Prep is still Crystal Prep, and the other students all still dislike me, and Suri is still looking for ways to make me miserable. I spend as much time as I can in my lab so I don’t have to interact with them. It's given me plenty of time to work on my latest project—that energy anomaly I've been trying to track finally happened again, and I've now got hundreds of pages worth of data! Makes me miss you even more, because I could realize use your abilities. I’m going to try and use it as my semester project, so wish me luck getting Principal Cinch’s approval.

As for Sunset, she’s doing so much better now. It got really awful for her for a little while, but things have finally been getting better for her. She had such a great time with us over the holiday, and then her other friends threw this big sleepover for New Year’s Eve, and she had a great time there! She’s a wonderful friend, and I’m just hoping more people at her school will start to see that. I’d love to introduce the two of you when you get back this summer—it’d mean a lot to me to have you two be friends with each other too.

I hope you had an equally good Christmas, and I promise I’ll do better at trying to remember to write back right away when your letters show up, that way I don't forget again. I can't wait to hear how the rest of your year goes!

Your friend,

Twilight Sparkle

Pulling open her desk drawer, the dark haired girl found an envelope to stick the letter in, sealing and addressing it, before setting it where she would see it to remember to mail it. Then she returned to organizing her desk. She had about twenty minutes before the program would be done with her data, just enough time to finish cleaning up. Twilight tossed an empty water bottle in the trash, before ducking down to pick up what looked like a piece of scrap paper. Spotting writing, she unfolded it to make sure it wasn’t important, only to be glad she looked as the words inside made her feel warm all the way to her toes.

Hey, nerd, it read. Not sure when you’ll find this, but I figured it might make your day a little better! Good luck with your exam! The words and Sunset’s signature were surrounded by goofy little doodles, and had been stuck to the top of her study guide for her math class during exams, taped there by Sunset one of the nights she’d stayed over before Christmas. Twilight tucked the little scrap into her nightstand drawer, fingers idly toying with the house-key her girlfriend had gifted her. A goofy grin had taken over her face, thoughts about all of the little things Sunset said and did that made Twilight feel special coming to the forefront in her mind, and she spent several minutes sitting on her bed, thoughts distracting her.

She pulled herself out of her daze with a head shake, realizing that she still needed to finish her cleaning up. Then maybe after she did, she could call Sunset, just to hear her voice for a few minutes. Humming to herself, she reshelved several books, taking time to reorganize them. The action was familiar, calming, and didn’t require a lot of focus, and so she found her thoughts wandering once more, back to her best friend. Her hand reached up again to play with the key hanging from her neck, running over the ridged metal, the shape of it already memorized by body and mind. It was such a little thing, but several times when she was at the estate over the holiday it had grounded her and helped her stave off her anxieties.

Twilight noticed that she had stopped cleaning and was staring into space again, thinking about Sunset. She sighed, flopping back on her bed and giving up. Her hand stretched to the nightstand on her side of the bed to grab her phone, realizing somewhat belatedly that at some point she had unconsciously started considering one side of her bed as ‘Sunset’s side.’ It was probably silly, since her girlfriend only stayed over one night a week, but Twilight decided it was a harmless bit of silliness that made her feel good, especially when pressing her face to ‘Sunset’s pillow’ gave her a faint whiff of the redhead’s shampoo.

Swiping her thumb across the screen and tapping her contacts list, she couldn’t fight the giggle that escaped. At some point before she’d gone out of town for New Years, Sunset had managed to get her hands on Twilight’s phone, and edited her own contact information. Instead of a normal picture of Sunset’s face as the image staring back, it was a rather windblown, goofy looking Sunset Shimmer making a funny face at the camera—a random image snapped by Twilight during one of their trips to the museum. It made the dark haired teen shake her head, trying to fend off more giggles. Between the image and the edited contact name, Twilight couldn’t help but laugh, and she hadn’t had the heart to change the creatively altered contact back yet. Not when these little gestures from Sunset were a sign of how far she’d come from the angry, hurting girl that she had first met…and Sunset’s way of saying she cared.

Sunset was not always the best at saying what she was feeling—she tried, Twilight knew, especially when they were alone, but it was a struggle even in the best moments. It wasn’t terribly surprising, all things considered. Twilight had done some reading on the psychological effect that a situation like Sunset had gone through tended to have on people, and a long term issue with expressing or articulating emotions was on the list. The redhead seemed much more comfortable with the doing than the saying, her attempts to speak about feelings often breaking down into halting sentences, strange pauses, tension in her shoulders and the spark of anxious fear in her eyes—Twilight sometimes wondered if it was fear of rejection, or fear of something else.

It should have been a huge problem for the two of them, given Twilight’s own struggles to read the social cues of others…but it with Sunset, it was almost as if she was openly telegraphing her every thought, every feeling she couldn’t get out there in words, and for once, Twilight could decipher what she was observing, could feel the emotions it sometimes felt like Sunset was projecting with all the force of a freight train. She’d even managed to learn the little cues, little quirks about the redhead that most people missed, committing a dozen or more behaviors to memory over the last few months. Like how Sunset tended to be more strongly affected by scents, particularly ones that triggered some sort of memory—she’d get this sort of pained and wistful look on her face sometimes, her eyes unfocused because her attention was turned inward. Or how she was prone to nuzzling against Twilight’s cheek or neck like a kitten might to show affection, making soft little throaty noises of pleasure and satisfaction. Or the way she tended to cling to Twilight in sleep, curled up around her and snuggling close as if the smaller girl was a life sized comfort toy, her nose scrunching up and her lip turning turning into a pinched frown in distress if Twilight tried to pull away at all.

A soft sigh escaped the dark haired teen. It felt good to be able to read Sunset that way, to know that her best friend turned girlfriend was someone she could understand, even when it was hard. Of course, it also made her wish that they didn’t go to different schools, because the confidence and security she felt in Sunset’s presence would have been wonderful to have when she was dodging people and receiving dirty looks in the hallway…and with Sunset at her side, Suri and her cohorts would never try any of the pranks and mean-spirited nastiness that they inflicted on Twilight. Well. They wouldn’t try them more than once—one thing she’d observed over the last few months was that Sunset’s intense, fiery personality meant she was extremely vehement about defending people she cared about, and she was clever enough to figure out a way to turn the pranks back on the prankster, especially if Twilight helped her. Someone like Suri, or Sour Sweet, or the other popular girls would stand little chance against Twilight and Sunset working together.

Her finger pressed the call button. For now, she would have to settle for the little moments: the calls, the texts, the not-dates disguised as outings between 'best friends,' and the Friday night sleepovers. Like right now, with her thoughts caught up in everything Sunset Shimmer, she just wanted to hear that familiar voice.

Three rings in, she got her wish. “Hey, Sparky,” came the greeting with the warm tones that Sunset only ever used with her.

“Hi, Sunny,” she responded, unable to help the way her lips curled upwards into a happy smile.

“What’s up? Everything go okay at school today?”

Twilight sighed. “…It was okay. I spent most of my free time in my lab, so that part was great, even though I’m really worried about the proposal for my semester independent study project…but I spent the rest of the day dodging some of the more popular girls who really have it out for me—like it’s somehow my fault they fail their exams.”

Sunset let a sound not unlike a growl. “…you shouldn’t have to do that, Twilight.”

“Sunny, it’s okay. I’ve gotten really good at avoiding them over the last year—it helps that none of them are very smart.” Twilight toyed with her hair. “Though it’s sweet of you to be worried about me.”

That got a small laugh. “Of course I worry about you—you’re my nerd, remember? I’m supposed to have your back.” She could hear the creak of the mattress when Sunset flopped on her bed. “So if school was okay, what’s up? You don’t usually call me this late—not since your mom got onto us about staying up until after midnight three days in a row.”

Twilight flushed. “Well...I…” she bit her lip.

“C’mon, Sparky, you can tell me. What, did you eat all my brownies?”

“…I missed you. Missed your voice,” she confessed.

The girl on the other end of the phone laughed—not a sound of cruelty, but instead one of pure joy and mirth. “So you called just to hear me talk to you, hmm? Couldn’t wait until Friday?”

Her face hot, Twilight mumbled, “…this is the longest we’ve been apart since we met. I’m allowed to miss my best friend. Girlfriend.”

There was a bit of silence on the other end, before Sunset responded, her voice soft. “…I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss you terribly too, Sparky. I’ve been looking forward to Friday all week.”

Rolling onto her side, she curled up around her pillow. “Two more days, Sunny.”

“I’m coming over as soon as I can...” Sunset got even quieter. “…I…was hoping for some time with you before dinner…”

Twilight could hear the longing note in her voice, and felt a similar emotion take up residence in her. “I think I’d like that. I’m supposed to have a meeting with my principal about my semester project that afternoon, and it always messes with me—even thinking about it makes me feel like I can’t breathe. Principal Cinch is extremely intimidating.” She ran a bit of her hair through her fingers, a nervous habit she’d never been able to control, trying to remember that she needed to breathe.

“Hey…Sparky…I’m here. Focus on me, alright?” Through the haze starting to steal over her, she could hear Sunset deliberately taking loud and steady breaths, and she worked to match it. The feeling eased, and the intrusive thoughts receded. “That’s it. I’m right here. I’ve got you.”

The anxieties pushed down for the time being, the dark haired girl pressed her cheek into Sunset’s pillow and inhaled deeply through her nose. Once again the scent of her girlfriend’s shampoo—mingled with an even fainter scent that was just Sunset—tickled her nose and triggered a positive reaction in her synapses. “…Sorry, Sunny.”

Sunset sounded worried. “Are you sure you’re okay? It’s not like you to get that agitated just mentioning talking to someone. Is your principal that bad?”

“Principal Cinch is…she’s just very strict and has very high standards, Sunset, and she expects me to live up to my own abilities. She makes me compete with myself and my own successes, rather than measuring me against other student’s abilities.” Her fingers curled around the pillow. “…I just tend to overthink things, you know that.”

“If you’re sure,” her girlfriend responded slowly. “Just seems counter-intuitive to be so stern that your best students are petrified to talk to you. Princ—” Twilight caught the hint of a stutter. “Principal Celestia can be intimidating, sure, if she’s angry at you, but she’s always so open with the students. Even my Vice Principal is nice unless you’re in trouble.”

She smiled slightly, even though Sunset couldn’t see her. It was sweet of the other girl to worry about her. “…It’s really okay, Sunny. I do this to myself. Principal Cinch really isn’t as bad as I’m making her sound. Sure, she’s strict, but she’s really a good educator and she’s doing us all a favor. The real world is a lot harsher, especially to women trying to go into the sciences—that part of academia is a very male-dominated space, and in the end, I’m going to have to work twice as hard to prove myself. Coddling an over-sensitivity to criticism or intimidation only holds me back. It’s much better to overcome those things now, or I’ll only be wasting time later on.”

“Sparky, that is the biggest steaming pile of horseapples humans have ever spewed. Last I checked, humans do not keep neural tissue in the phallus, so this concept that having one automatically makes a person superior and better at a field of study is ridiculous and completely illogical. You’re brilliant, and that should stand on its own, and more than that, bullying someone…it doesn’t make them tougher. It tears them down. I should know—I was a bully for a long time.”

Sunset’s voice belied her agitation, and Twilight moved to soothe her partner. “Sunset, I know that, and you’re right. It is illogical…but it is a reality for me that I’ve long accepted. I will have to work twice as hard to prove myself in the field I desire to pursue as a career and a passion…and that’s okay, because in the end, there will be no doubt in the eyes of the people whose opinions truly matter that I’ve earned my accolades. Plus, I’ll have my best friend to remind me of the truth if their words ever start getting to me, right?”

“Always,” Sunset responded, her emotions turned from anger to an intensity that should have intimidated Twilight as bad as Cinch did, yet all she felt was that familiar sense of contentment and reassurance.

Their conversation dropped into silence for a few minutes, letting feelings communicate unspoken, even through the phone line. At last Twilight let out a soft laugh. “I was cleaning up my desk and I found the note you left me on my study guide before break.”

Sunset laughed brightly, dispelling whatever tension remained. “You kept that?”

Another giggle escaped her. “Of course I did. It was incredibly sweet and thoughtful of you, and I wanted to be able to remember how that made me feel when I found it.”

“Maybe I should send you a note before your meeting with your principal then. Might counteract some of your stress?” the other girl was grinning as she spoke—Twilight could tell by the way she sounded. “I’m sure I can come up with something so that you aren’t focused on the whole thing.” Her voice dropped in pitch and seemed almost like a purr against Twilight’s ears, sending a tingle up her spine.

Twilight’s breath caught, and she found herself wishing Sunset was with her right then instead of having to wait for Friday, because she really wanted to kiss her girlfriend. She shivered, not trying to fight the giddy sound that escaped her. “…If you can do that, I’ll have to give you an award or a medal or something. That’s a herculean task on its own, Sunny.”

That voice murmured huskily in her ear, “…I’ve never backed down from a challenge in my life, Sparky. You can offer me a title or something when I succeed.”

She shifted on the bed, feeling way too warm. “…Dame Sunset Shimmer, Slayer of Anxiety and Apprehension?”

“If that comes bestowed with a kiss, you’ve got yourself a deal, Twilight Sparkle,” Sunset quipped playfully.

The dark haired girl had intended for her reply to come out just as playful and teasing, and yet…somehow, the words warped as they left her mouth, taking on a weight she hadn’t planned for. “All my kisses are yours, Sunset.” It was strange, out of place with how light and silly the conversation had been, even with Sunset’s affectionate tones, and so unlike her…but it felt right, in that way she couldn’t quite grasp and that she knew would keep her up, wondering…

In the end though, she had no desire to take it back—and with the way her girlfriend sucked in a sharp breath, Sunset was okay with that.

So...yeeeeah. Things and stuff.

Twilight's made mention of other friends. And I've mentioned Moondancer before, here and there, but this is an introduction to the character through one of her many letters to Twilight while she's doing an exchange year in Italy--I do hope I managed to make her...personality come through a little bit.

And the infamous Principal Cinch. I'm sure she's not as bad as Twilight makes her sound. She's probably a wonderful eduator and a pleasant woman.

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Yeah, okay. I didn't believe me either. You guys will get a good look at Abacus Cinch soon enough, and you'll have the chance for yourselves to decide how to feel about the character.

Also look! They're so adorable together, even over the phone. So precious and cute and twitterpated. :P