Wobbly legs carried Sunset down the stairs as quietly as possible. Her phone told her it was close to noon, but with how her episode the night before had dragged everyone out of bed, she didn’t want to wake anyone still sleeping. Twilight was still in the shower, but the hollow space in her stomach was unwilling to wait any longer, so she was going to see about making them breakfast.

Or finding some, given the rich scent of eggs and what she thought might’ve been waffles coming from the kitchen. Her ears picked up the sound of Velvet’s tired voice talking to Cadence, and she slowed, creeping closer to decide if walking in at that moment would be intruding.

“...hate that school,” Velvet’s voice took on an upset, angry note, though she still sounded exhausted. Sunset felt a moment of guilt, but as the woman’s voice became more angry, she pushed it back, listening just beyond the kitchen doorway in the front hall. “I hate that I do, but I cannot be silent anymore. I know you all went there, and I know it's a family tradition for Night, but I hate that school. I was never comfortable with how it felt, and I despise Abacus Cinch and that...that...attitude! I wish I had been more adamant about you kids going somewhere, anywhere different!”

Cadence’s voice remained level, calm, but there was worry in it that she couldn’t conceal. “Velvet...” A pause, then more insistent, “....Mom...”

“I know!” she snapped, before calming, “I know. Hatred does no one any good, but I can’t help it! That’s the first meltdown Twilight has had in ages, and it was triggered by something that woman did—I know it, even if I can’t explain how I know.”

There was a soft laugh from the younger woman. “We all know the power of your Mom-Sense. If you say it, I believe you.”

“You didn’t see her when she came home yesterday,” Twilight Velvet whispered, though she might as well have been shouting in Sunset’s ears. The way she sounded made her heart twist, because Sunset had heard that sound of distress and pain before, in her girlfriend. “She wasn’t just anxious—she was terrified for no reason she could explain. It wasn’t like her, not at all, and I’m worried for her. She was unreachable until Sunset arrived, and even then...I was worried even Sunset wouldn’t be able to reach her. I almost called Gently out of desperation.”

Sunset leaned against the wall, frowning as she eavesdropped. She should feel guilty for doing it, but her worry for Twilight overrode the feeling—especially after yesterday.

She could hear shuffling and then the clinking sound of a mug being set down on the table. “I....part of me wants to disagree, but I’m not sure I can. Principal Cinch was always so stern and commanding, but I didn’t cross paths with her often, other than the occasional student council business.” She sighed. “I do understand why you’re upset, Mom, especially since I’ve seen and learned a lot more about how other schools are run, and the various forms that abuse from authority figures can take.”

Anger bubbled in her chest now, anger directed at this Principal Cinch where before only mistrust and worry had existed.

Velvet exhaled, the sound a heavy sigh. “It was such a different experience when I called Sunset in absent that day; it really opened my eyes. Abacus Cinch or her Vice Principal would never be caught dead answering phone calls like a secretary, but not only was that not an issue, the biggest concern on her mind was that she had no idea who I was. She was worried about who was calling for one of her students. I want Twily to have that, at school. Not academic acceleration, but an environment where she can grow and learn and feel safe, just like she does at home. Where people will give a damn if she’s not okay.”

That made the redhead blink—she hadn’t realized that Miss Luna or Principal Celestia had had an extensive call with Velvet...though it made the administrator’s statements make more sense.

“And maybe you’re right,” Cadence agreed. “Maybe our Ladybug would be better off with an environment like that...somewhere she might be able to make friends and enjoy herself while she’s inventing a way to change the world.” She laughed, as if something funny had occurred to her. “And if it’s such a big deal to the rest of the family, just tell them you’re taking Alabaster’s advice and sending Twilight somewhere she’ll get more appropriate socialization and learn to network instead of becoming a...what was it you said she called it in her little fit of outrage after our Twily gave her a piece of her mind?”

“‘An anti-social recluse with no concept of how to behave like a proper lady, which is what we get for letting her associate with the dregs of society as a best friend.’ I’ve always despised that old bat, but after she said that, I have no use for her and had to work hard to keep my feelings to myself.”

Sunset blinked. She had gotten the sense that Twilight’s extended family was unbearable, but a statement like that was something right out of the mouths of Canterlot aristocracy.

Cadence muttered something that might have been an unflattering description of the woman in question. “There. Although I’m not sure how it would even be their business.”

“They make everything their business, dear. It’s how they are. Family reputation and all.” The woman sighed again, and Sunset could hear the chair move as she stood up, moving around the kitchen. A sizzling suggested that she was making more waffles. “I am just so sick of Twily being set off for no real reason by teachers, by her classmates, and above all by that horrible, pinch-faced, sour, self centered, egotistical...harridan! It’s like they do it for the sole purpose of watching her suffer, while they stand by and do nothing! ...and that’s not acceptable. It’s not what she needs, and it’s a terrible way to run an educational facility.” A distressed sound, like she was choking back tears, rent the air.

“Mom?” Cadence sounded worried again.

“I think I’ve just had enough of sitting by and watching my baby struggle and hurt so needlessly. She deserves better from a school, she deserves better from so-called educators...but mostly, she deserves better from us. We shouldn’t find ourselves relying on Sunset to make it better—she’s a child too, and Twilight is not her responsibility. Not like this. Not like yesterday.”

The former unicorn’s ears burned, the guilt in her chest returning as she stared at the wall. Here she was, eavesdropping on a private conversation in a manner more befitting the pony...person...she used to be, only to hear genuine care and concern for her well being in Velvet’s voice. Creeping around the corner, gripping her elbows awkwardly, she cleared her throat. The sound that interrupted Cadence’s intended reply sounded more like a shamed whicker than any human noise, and Sunset hung her head. “I...I’m sorry,” she started with, shoulders hunching as she spoke. “I...didn’t want to interrupt, because it sounded important...”

It took everything she had for Sunset not to fidget uneasily, half expecting chastisement and disappointment from Velvet for her behavior. Princess Celestia had certainly chided her for it on several occasions, usually after a teacher had caught her eavesdropping on her classmates’ conversations. Not that the Princess had ever known the real reason for most of those occurrences, with her learning the little bits of nastiness they had planned for her so she could turn their pranks back on them later.

Instead, a comforting and careful arm went around her shoulders, pulling her into one of Velvet’s soft ‘mom hugs.’ “Sweetheart, you didn’t do anything wrong—if it was truly a private talk, we would have gone to my study.” A hand stroked her hair gently. “How are you feeling this morning?”

Sunset leaned into the embrace, taking solace in a brief few moments of comfort before she stepped back. “I’m okay—I’m sorry I worried everyone last night.”

Velvet gave the waffle iron a quick glance, then turned her full attention on Sunset. “You have no cause to be sorry for that either, Sunset. We can’t control our subconscious.”

She looked at the two women in the kitchen, taking in how disheveled and worn they both looked. “I know...but...I feel...awful that I woke everyone up, over a bad dream.” The redhead sighed, sitting down in one of the empty chairs at the table. “I don’t normally have them when I’m here—and when I do, Twilight can usually wake me up before it gets too bad.”

Her girlfriend’s mother studied her with concern, and Sunset hastened to reassure her. “It wasn’t because of what happened with Twilight yesterday, Mrs. Velvet, really. I get nightmares like that sometimes...” She blew air out of her nostrils in a mix between a sigh and a snort. “They aren’t usually that bad, but it’s just something that happens sometimes.”

Turning towards the coffee maker, Velvet took Sunset’s mug, the one she’d received for Christmas, and filled it with fresh coffee, automatically adding just the right amount of sugar and creamer. “Do you have nightmares often?”

Sunset shook her head. “Sometimes. It...comes and goes.” She wasn’t sure how to explain all the things that haunted her. “They were really bad after the Fall Formal, but...things have gotten a lot better since then.” The woman didn’t need to know about the Battle of the Bands.

The warm mug was pressed into Sunset’s waiting grip as Velvet’s eyes met hers. “I understand if you don’t want to share details, Sunset, but...if I asked you to rate your dreams on a scale of one to ten...where would last night have fallen?”

Blue-green eyes flicked away from the concerned expression to stare into the depths of her coffee. She knew the answer, but she didn’t want to say, because she still wasn’t sure she could explain the horrors of her dream to them without explaining where she was from. As the silence stretched on, Sunset knew she would have to give some kind of answer, but which one was preferable?

To stall, she took a long drink, finally looking back up. Both Velvet and Cadence were watching her, waiting patiently for her response. She had no choice but to answer. “Last night was...about as awful as it’s been for...a long time,” she confessed quietly, before returning to her previous point and trying to direct them away from the details. “But it wasn’t because of what happened with Twilight. That didn’t cause my nightmare—helping her is something I needed to do, and it didn’t hurt me, I swear!”

Fingers smoothed a lock of hair back from her forehead. “I believe you, sweetheart, and I’m not saying that you shouldn’t help Twilight, or that I won’t let you. That would be needlessly cruel to both of you girls, because it’s plain to see you both care deeply about each other and want to support each other...” The older woman sat next to her, still smoothing down the wild mane that Sunset hadn’t bothered to brush yet. “At the same time, I don’t want you to believe that Twilight and her mental and emotional well being are some form of obligation or in any way your responsibility. They aren’t—as mature and self-sufficient as you are, you are still a teenage girl, and it would be inappropriate for Night and I, as Twilight’s parents, to foist such a thing off on you or make you feel like we have. Do you understand?”

The feeling of those fingers running through her hair and behind her ears was familiar and relaxing, a mirror to the way Sparky did it, and she couldn’t help but lean into it. It was a soothing touch, one that conjured memories of sitting out on the balcony in the mornings as a small filly letting the Princess of the Sun curry her coat and comb out her mane and tail. “I understand that, Mrs. Velvet, and I’m not trying to infringe on anything...but I can’t do nothing. I...” How could she explain it to this human woman, that her need to be there for Twilight, to be her support, her friend, her defender, was not just the whims of a friend, but a desire that came straight from the deepest parts of her soul, speaking to her in a way that mirrored her cutie mark’s vague but insistent nudges?

The former unicorn was pulled into another hug. “I know, Sunset, and I understand. You don’t have to explain—there are some things that don’t need words.” Sunset found herself looking at the older woman, meeting her eyes, only to find that the sincerity and warmth in them was something that she could practically feel. “It’s something we have in common, Sweetheart. We all want to be there to support Twilight when she needs us, because that’s what it means for us to be a family. We support each other, help each other—and that includes you too, Sunset Shimmer. Your mental and emotional health is just as important to me as any of my children, because you are part of this family as much as they are. Just as you need to be there when Twilight needs you, I need to do the same for all of you.”

Sunset knew the intensity in those eyes, could feel the force behind it, and it startled her. She’d seen human stubbornness and determination before, but this was different. This went beyond being intractable...it was the same level of conviction, of soul deep knowing as a cutie mark, a driving force and desperate desire that could not be denied or ignored all rolled into one. It drew the former unicorn up short, and her need to argue dried up. She knew better than anyone in this world what that kind of driving need felt like, and how much it hurt to deny it or fight it.

“...I understand,” she acquiesced, swallowing hard around a lump in her throat and trying to ignore the prickling feeling at the back of her eyes. “...and I...” She hesitated, feeling the weight to her words and a faint tingle of magic in her veins itching to respond. “...I appreciate it,” she finished, mind gripping her magic firmly to prevent it from getting out of her control. “...thank you...”

Cadence had been quietly watching the whole time, and gave Sunset a big smile as the redheaded teen leaned into Velvet’s hug more. It made Sunset feel...good...and she savored the way the atmosphere in the room had shifted. At least until she started smelling something burning, and Cadence yelped out, “The waffles!” before darting towards the waffle iron on the counter. The contents of it were starting to smoke, and she clearly intended to stop it before it got worse—only to collide with another body that had just entered the room.

Both forms ended up sprawled on the kitchen floor on their rears, and Sunset stared in bewilderment at the sight of Cadence and Twilight Sparkle looking stunned and confused. There was this long moment of silence, but something about the whole thing just hit her, and Sunset started to chuckle. It wasn’t long before Velvet joined in, and once the shock wore off, the other two started to giggle as well.

It was to this that Shining poked his head into the kitchen. “I smelled something bur...ning...” His eyes raked the room, taking in the sight of four laughing women and a smoking waffle iron. “...you know what? Never mind. I’m going back to bed...”

It took some time, but between the four of them, breakfast had been made without any further risk of food catching fire. Now, with a plate of waffles—topped with fruit—and some cheese-laden scrambled eggs in her stomach, Sunset felt more put together than before. She finished her coffee, feeling the light touch of Twilight’s bare foot rubbing against her calf under the table, and sent a small smile towards her girlfriend.

Twilight bit her lip for a moment, eyes flicking away from Sunset towards her mother, and Sunset followed the glance with one of her own. Velvet had worn a contented expression through most of breakfast, one Sunset suspected had to do with the same desire to take care of others that the redhead had seen in the older woman earlier. Returning her eyes to her girlfriend’s, she tilted her head questioningly.

The other girl frowned, but cleared her throat. “Mom, Sunny and I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Velvet set her coffee mug down slowly, exchanging a brief look with Cadence, before giving her daughter her full attention. “What is it, Twily?” Something flickered in her eyes, but Sunset couldn’t quite read what it was.

The dark haired girl toyed with a bit of her hair. “We...talked a little about what happened yesterday, about how I got really agitated and upset because I was afraid that in an emergency no one would know to contact us...we were thinking about taking steps to prevent that in the future...”

Sunset picked up the train of thought when her girlfriend trailed off. “My principals also figured out that the number on my file doesn’t go to anyone but me,” she added. “I’ve been asked to find someone—an adult—that I trust to be listed as an emergency contact in case something happens.” One hand ran through her fiery mane, pushing it back from her face. “I...wanted to ask if I could put you down there as my emergency contact,” the former unicorn asked Velvet, feeling an uncomfortable mix of emotions that made her slightly queasy.

Several sets of eyes were watching her, and she felt Twilight squeeze her knee under the table. Sunset took a moment to breathe, letting Twilight pick up the discussion again. “That’s when I thought that we could make sure that Sunset has more than just my number, and that you guys have hers, in case of an emergency on either side.”

Silence reigned for a long minute as Velvet absorbed their words, looking back and forth between the two teens with a thoughtful expression. Her fingers curled around her mug, tapping the ceramic lightly as she finally gave her response. “I’m glad that the two of you talked through the problem,” she began, “and I believe that sounds like a good solution to help mitigate stress on all sides. If you are willing to trust us with your number, Sunset, then I see no reason not to do so, in the event of an emergency or even complications...like Twilight’s phone meeting another unfortunate end at the hands of mad science.”

Twilight blushed. “That was an accident, Mom, and only because Spike bumped into me! I didn’t mean to drop it into the acid!”

“It still happened, dear.” Velvet smiled at her youngest child, taking any sting out of the teasing jab.

“Don’t forget the incident with the electro-magnet,” Cadence added. “Or the time—”

“Cadence!” Twilight complained. “They were accidents...” she told Sunset seriously. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Sunset chuckled and slung an arm around her shoulders to give her a hug. “Don’t feel too bad, Sparky. When I was nine, they had to replace the entire roof of the chemistry building because of one of my more infamous experiments, and don’t get me started about what got me banned from the greenhouse.” She couldn’t help but grin, remembering some of her more notable mishaps at CSGU or the pranks she and Philomena had pulled. “...and that’s not even touching anything I did at the pal—” The former unicorn realized what she was about to say and hastily corrected herself. “—to the staff at home. Did you know that two dozen chickens and marble floors are a terrible combination?”

Twilight stared at her before breaking into uncontrollable laughter. “Chickens?! Do I even want to know where you got two dozen chickens?”

“Probably not. It’s a long and embarrassing story, involving a somewhat violated statue from the gardens, a bird of prey with a sense of humor, and a few fires.” Sunset made a face. Princess Celestia had been rather unhappy with both of them after that, and she’d been barred from the gardens for a month. “The point is, accidents happen, Sparky. And this way, if another accident happens to your phone, we can still get in contact with each other.”

Across the table, Cadence muttered, “It’s tempting to see if it improves that awful marble ballroom at the estate for the next New Year’s party. Could you see Alabaster’s face? Because I can.”

Velvet rolled her eyes, and nudged the conversation back on track. “As for the other...Night and I would be honored to be listed as your ‘adult contact’ for your school, sweetheart, but I want to make sure we’re on the same page with what that entails, or at least, what you are comfortable with it meaning.”

Sunset considered that, her arm slipping off Twilight’s shoulders as she gave it thought. “I...hadn’t considered it meaning anything but you being the person to call if I like, slip and fall down the stairs or something.”

All three humans winced at her somewhat morbid statement—Twilight gripped her arm tight enough that Sunset began to regret her choice of words—before Velvet addressed her again. “That’s perfectly reasonable, Sunset, and we would want to know if you got hurt. I know we’d want to make sure you recovered as well if something were to happen.” She smiled again. “But my question more involved other things they might contact an adult for, such as problems with a class, or even the opposite—academic accolades we might want to celebrate with you.”

The words hit her with all the force of a train, and she blinked, looking away to hide the way her eyes watered. “...you...you’d ca—” Sunset swallowed and chose a different word, one that hurt less. “You would want to know about things like that?” the redhead asked in a quiet voice that made Fluttershy seem boisterous by comparison.

Next to her, Twilight made an inarticulate sound of distress, the fingers already gripping Sunset’s arm tightening to the point where her knuckles whitened and in the back of her mind, Sunset wondered why it didn’t hurt. It was enough that she saw Velvet’s hand reach across the table to tap her girlfriend’s wrist gently but firmly to make her loosen the hold. The former unicorn bumped Twilight’s knee with her own, a silent signal to let her know it was okay, before finding Velvet’s gaze again.

The woman made sure she had Sunset’s attention before answering in a far more serious tone than she had expected. “I do, Sunset—we all do, and we would very much like to know. It matters to us that you are happy in school, that you are doing well, if you’ve achieved something you are proud of, or even if you needed help....just like all those things matter to us when it comes to Twilight being at school, and how it was important when it was Cadence and Shining in school.” The hand that had tapped Twilight’s squeezed amber fingers briefly. “More than that, we would love to be able to celebrate with you about the good things in your life, or be there when the bad happens.”

Sunset couldn’t respond right away—the painful lump in her throat prevented that. She took several deep breaths to get her emotions back under control, to shove the errant thoughts and wishes back in a box in the far corner of her heart and soul, right where she kept most of the rest of the emotions about the mare who raised her. When she finally was able to respond, her voice was still weak and rough, but at least it was level. “...Okay. That...would be okay....”

She twisted in the chair to fumble for a pen and a piece of paper from the little table tucked in the corner where the phone sat, using it to further get herself back under control. The redheaded teen managed the paper, but when she grabbed the nearest pen, she felt something twist in her gut. Her vision went hazy as the nasty laughter from her nightmare echoed in her ears...

And then the magic in her surged in response, a quick, violent riposte that drove the horrible sensation away. Sunset was aware of the sharp sound of breaking plastic as her senses returned to normal, and she stared dumbfounded down at the remnants of the writing utensil in her palm, the mangled plastic bearing the Crystal Prep logo and colors.

What in the world was that?

Thoughts going through Velvet's head: "Just TELL US already!"

Also Velvet: "THis is my daughter Twilight, and either-going-to-be-my-future-daughter-in-law-or-just-my-unofficially-adopted-daughter Sunset." Just accept it now, Sunset. You've been claimed by these humans--those freaky monkeys will pack-bond with anything.

So yeah. Things are happening.

Strange things.

Dangerous things.

*ominous music*