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Sunset Shimmer liked Princess Twilight Sparkle.
Everyone in the group was aware of this fact. Suspicions began when her communication journal began making appearances next to her on the table they were sat on, rather than just being left in her bag, and the way her restless turquoise eyes constantly drifted to it, fingers tracing the edge of the book.
Then it would vibrate, and the girl leaps to open it up and watches as the Princess' words materialised before her awed eyes. Sci-Twi saw the way Sunset's face wrinkled from her barely restrained grin. The way her hands fumbled for the pen to send back a response right aways. All prior conversation with the group utterly abandoned in favour of the Princess.
The rest of the girls would share glances and snicker as they watched Sunset scribble away with vigour. Twilight watched too but her face struggled to keep a smile.
Rarity leaned forward, her head rested on her hand. "Someone seems eager to write to the Princess," she teases, the other girls laughing.
Sunset pauses her writing to roll her eyes at the fashionista, but her grin unwavered. "Whatever. I just haven't heard from her in a bit, don't be getting ideas."
But the next day she pulled Twilight aside, Sunset's eyes hardly meeting hers, her hand fidgeting with her shirt.
"Sunset? What's wr-"
"I have to tell you something, Twilight."
The girl's heart leapt to her throat. She tried to push away the foolish optimistic thoughts that Sunset was about to turn around and suddenly profess her romantic fancies for her. Unfortunately, ever since she's developed her own feelings on Sunset, everytime they hung out alone she'd keep fantasising a confession of sorts. Though of course, an awkward geek like her could never dream of actually confessing.
She did, however, thoroughly enjoy imagining Sunset taking the first step. Albeit embarrassing, but she couldn't help herself.
She nods to probe Sunset to keep going, trying to keep her mind in line. Trying to be a good friend.
Sunset takes a deep breath. "I.. Twi, I think I have a crush on Princess Twilight. But.. I'm also not sure. That's why I came to you. I haven't liked anyone in a very long time so I-I just wanna be sure that I'm not overthinking it, and since I trust you the most I felt like I could..."
The rest of her rambling were lost on Twilight's ears. Of course, how could she have been so stupid! Corrected vision 20/20, yet she was still blinded by her own silly fantasies.
Of course it was Princess Twilight. She was the one who helped Sunset find friends, the wiser figure Sunset could rely on. She was more mature and collected and accomplished than herself.
Additionally, the Princess and Sunset are both from Equestria. They have a deeper understanding of one another that the others couldn't have with them.
She should've known than to think she could possibly be on her level. To be noticed, admired by Sunset.
Twilight must've looked on the verge of tears, because when Sunset stopped talking and she zoned back in, her friend's face creased with worry.
"Twi? You good?"
Twilight blinks, swallowing away the sudden clog in her throat. She pretends to adjust her glasses. "Uh, yeah! Just.. tired. Didn't sleep properly last night."
"Really? That's a first," Sunset rests her head on her hand, looking amused. "But anyway, what do you think?"
The violet girl was hoping the topic change was permanent. She gulps as she gazed into those turquoise irises, those same eyes she'd feel her knees weaken and her heart pound hard for.
Be a good friend now, Twilight. Her feelings are irrelevant here. She has to be supportive of her friend.
"It.. sounds like you really care for her. And, well... whatever you feel is real. If you think you really want to be able to call her your significant other, then you might really have a crush."
It twisted her gut to hear those words leave her mouth. It twisted further seeing the glimmer in Sunset's eyes, the way she looked so excited, so utterly lovestruck. She looked at Twilight, yet her heart beat for Princess Twilight.
All while Sci-Twi's own heart shattered.
It had been a week since their conversation. Twilight left her house less, responded to messages slower, couldn't even look herself in the mirror since then. Her stomach nauseated with embarrassment, heartbreak, conflict.
She felt ever so selfish for feeling this way, and even more so for sometimes shutting her phone off during text exchanges with Sunset every time she brought up the Princess. She wouldn't respond until hours had passed, when her eyes were puffy and stung, and her cheeks itched with dried tears.
It was evening, and Twilight was on her bed staring at the ceiling, her phone discarded on the side playing a YouTube video essay about physics. Each word soon mixed with the background noise of her fan.
Tomorrow, the group planned a picnic outing, and Twilight had to fight not to suddenly cancel on them last minute, especially when she had promised to bring the beverages. She couldn't let her friends down, not for her pitiful grieving.
She sits up, her glasses at the tip of her nose. She pushes them up and walks over to her wardrobe to determine an outfit for tomorrow. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror in her wardrobe door.
Red, puffy eyes, red nose, hair everywhere, glasses askew, and she could see a pimple forming on her chin. An absolute mess. She felt shame crawl up her throat and she turned away before she burst into tears again.
Oh, how stupid she was to think she ever had a chance with Sunset! Not when Princess Twilight was in the picture.
Sci-Twi remembered seeing her for the first time. Her hair was down, giving her an almost ethereal framing. She didn't need glasses so she didn't look silly, which was something Twilight struggled with daily. She was a Princess, for Pete's sake, she was clearly someone to look up to! Someone notable, someone valuable.
Princess Twilight was perfect in every way. Her counterpart was just a schoolgirl who only made stupid mistakes.
Her clothes hanging in her wardrobe suddenly blurred as fresh, warm tears filled Twilight's eyes again. This time she knuckled them hard to keep the tears away and sorted through her clothes with renewed determination. She had an idea. It might be the first impulsive idea she's acting upon, but she found little care for logic and reasoning right now.
A rarity in her behaviour, but she was committed. She pulled out a blue collared shirt with puff sleeves, a purple skirt - plain, different to her usual outfit - and the tallest boots she owned.
She took her glasses and, uncharacteristically, tossed them carelessly onto her bed, then untied her hair to let her tangled locks fall around her. Only then did she look in the mirror voluntarily.
Hope. Hope surged through her and she felt her heart race just a little. She held up the shirt and skirt against her body and couldn't help smiling. She looked... just like her. Just a few kinks to iron out, otherwise, she appeared just like the Princess.
Twilight draped her outfit of choice on her desk chair, and went to bed.
Morning sun filtered through the girl's blinds, and when she opened her heavy eyes she saw the way the sunlight fell upon her day's outfit on the chair.
Sci-Twi wasn't one for superstition, but with what she had planned for today, maybe a little indulgence hurts nobody. She leaps out of bed with renewed energy, optimism.
She brushes out her hair and doesn't tie it back. She wears her outfit and pockets her geode necklace instead of tying it around her neck. Her glasses are left, abandoned on the bedside table. She glances in the mirror and a sigh of awe leaves her.
Twilight heads downstairs to grab her picnic basket and leaves the house.
She and Rarity were the first at the designated spot. The first thing the other girl did was compliment Twilight's style change, saying it suited her.
Did it? Or did she just remind her of their alternate dimensional friend they so adored? Either way, she found herself being more comfortable in her choice, even if she could hardly see anything.
Her eyes kept scanning the distance for red and yellow fiery hair. No matter how blind she was, it would be so easy to spot the girl amongst the contrasting blues and greens of the park.
And when Sunset did arrive, Twilight found herself suddenly nervously adjusting her clothes and hair, her face tingling with heat. She tried to ignore the journal Sunset was carrying.
"Hey Twi, love the style change," she says as she sits beside her. Her smile was friendly, but her blue eyes searched the other girl curiously.
"Thanks," Twilight shifted under her lingering gaze.
"But.. are you sure you can manage without your glasses? You don't own contacts, do you?"
"Um," she twisted the fabric of her skirt. "N-no.. but.. I'm seeing better now! Really!"
The red-haired girl blinked questionably but dropped the topic, taking out some sandwiches from her bag.
Twilight sighs in relief when she wasn't scrutinised further. Now what? she asked herself as more of the girls arrived and unloaded their picnic baskets, chatting away happily. She's got the look, she just needs to win over Sunset's heart...
Thus, the entire time Twilight fixated a lot more on Sunset. She kept her longing purple eyes on solely her, put extra effort into engaging her in conversation only the pair could relate to, made jokes she knew would make Sunset laugh.
She didn't care much if the others noticed her odd behaviour. She was desperate. She needed Sunset to notice her. She needed her feelings to be reciprocated. She needed to tell Sunset, now.
The girl stood up suddenly.
"I-I wanna take a walk to stretch my legs. Wanna join me, Sunset?" Her voice came out awkward, too loud, and wavered a little.
Everyone paused their conversations to look at Twilight.
"Y'alright, sugarcube?" Applejack asked in that low, motherly-like tone.
"Yes! I'm fine! Join me please, Sunset!" she begins walking away oddly. Sunset glances to the rest of the group and hurries after Twilight.
They were a distance away from the group now. Silence stretched out between them, yet it heavied on both of them in a way neither could ignore for long. Twilight knew she couldn't keep quiet. She had to tell Sunset now.
"Um... Sunset?" The aforementioned girl stops walking and turns to her, holding her by her arms.
"Twilight, is everything okay? Please be honest with me."
She might not be able to see very well, but she could see the genuine worry in Sunset's sea-blue eyes. They stared deep as if she could read her own mind in that moment.
"I've noticed it in the past week. You talked less. You were more reclusive. And... and today. You're dressed different and you acted off. What's going on?"
Twilight suddenly stepped back, out of Sunset's grip. She eyed her Empathy Geode cautiously. She had to speak, lest Sunset decides to utilise her power.
"I.. just..." the longer she stalled, the more prominent the clog in her throat became. In a sudden bold move, she reached for the other girl's face. "Do I look like her, Sunset?"
"What..?"
"Do I look like the Princess? Do I look better now? Will- will you like me more if I dressed like this more often?"
Sunset was silent, stepping back a little. She stared Twilight's outfit up and down one, two, three more times before realisation finally fell upon them.
"Twi, what gave you the impression that I like you any less than Princess Twilight?"
Now that they were having this conversation, Sci-Twi suddenly felt silly. All her previous courage to confess dissipated like it was never there.
She focused on a random daisy that stood tall amongst the grass. "N-nothing, uhm... I... I was just worried, I guess."
Sunset's shoulders relaxed and she gave a smile. "You really shouldn't worry, Twi! I'm not going to choose between you and the Princess. I care for you both!"
But you like her romantically and not me, even when I want you to ever so badly! Twilight mustered a shaky smile back. "I was just being... yeah. Um, thanks Sunset."
The red-haired girl nods. "You really do look like the Princess. But you're our Twilight, and we like you just how you are! Now come on." Then she turns and walks back to the group.
Sci-Twi stood rooted to the ground.
Defeat, shame, upset filled her stomach and she felt like throwing up. She looked down at herself in her getup and felt sicker.
But above all, she felt so foolish. She couldn't believe a crush of all things had her acting this way. It was absolutely below her, as a prodigy in science.
Twilight didn't know whether to laugh or cry. So she just stared at the blurred figure of Sunset walking away. And she stared and stared until the girl was indistinguishable.