I thought about throwing my alarm clock across the room. I should have gotten a digital one at that back to school sale, but this little analog one had lasted me since I came to this world. More or less, since it was a while before I had a place to call mine. Now it’s ticking mocked me.

This wasn’t the first time since the Fall Formal that I had laid awake deep into the night. It’s hard to shut down your mind sometimes. First, in my first few weeks, it was missing my mom and sisters. Months later, it was full of plots and schemes, ways to climb the social ladder.

Now, they were filled with doubts and fear.

I had just gotten back from Equestria and my mother’s funeral. I had gone there and patched up a lot of bruised relationships, with my sisters, with Princess Celestia…

Twilight.

She was nestled next to me at the moment, having fallen asleep during our impromptu movie marathon. I had taken her glasses off and put them on the nightstand when I had noticed, smiling at her childlike smile.

Four hours later, I was still up, mind awhirl. Everything from that trip back to Equestria, every statement, every show of affection, every supposed bit of redemption flashed through my mind. That little voice in the back of my mind was laughing at me for feeling better about myself.

The voice matched what the girls had told me I sounded like when transformed by the Element of Harmony. Deep, echoing, and dripping with evil, the voice was sardonic in everything it said.

They don’t really forgive you, you know.

I squeezed my eyes shut, a single tear leaking past. Shut up.

Celestia doesn’t trust you at all. She probably told the guards to bar your entry after you left. You did tend to flaunt her authority in the past

A sob broke free from the tight control I had on my emotions.

Twilight Sparkle didn’t even consider you a friend. She only let you stay because she felt sorry for you when you told her your mom was dead. To her, it was just a royal act of compassion, all for show.

“No, it wasn’t,” I whispered, tears fighting to break free. “She isn’t like that.”

And this pretty little thing next to you will eventually realize you aren’t worthy of her time. She’ll find out all the things you’ve done, the horrible acts you committed to gain the power you had at CHS.

Anger flared within me. You’re wrong. I’m not that person anymore, and my friends all know that. Especially Twilight.

Do they, though? They were all willing to believe you were Anon-A-Miss last year. How quickly they turned on you.

That stabbed deep. They had all apologized for the incident since then, but the swath of gossip that had cropped up over jealousy from the little sisters of Applejack and Rarity had driven a temporary wedge between me and the girls. I had been cleared in the end, but that sting was still fresh enough that my self-doubt had no qualms about picking that particular scab.

The voice fell silent as I relived the accusations and the nights I spent alone, the quiet allowing the voice to ring loudly. I no longer received berating over my flight from Equestria. I had come to terms with that particular action and it no longer caused me pain. But I had plenty of other chinks in my armor to pry at.

She probably doesn’t truly care about you, Sunset. She just feels sorry for you.

My wall fell, crushing me. “No,” I whispered, fighting back tears. “I know that’s not true.”

“Sunny,” Twilight murmured sleepily.

I looked down, but she was still asleep, that same silly smile on her face as she snuggled tighter into me. She sighed contentedly and murmured my name again in her sleep.

I couldn’t help the smile and flash of warmth I felt. Even without the pendant on, we could still sense each other’s emotions when they were in sync. I felt a flash of love through that bond and knew it was real. I smiled and leaned down, kissing the crown of her head before sliding down slightly, moving her from nestled against my waist to nestled under my arm.

The voice laughed as silence returned. I felt a tear slip free as I looked down, landing on her forehead.

“I love you, Sunny,” Twilight breathed in her sleep.

And the voice vanished.

“I love you too, Sunshine.”

I threw logic to the wind, she needed to hear this. Still softly, as though I was asleep, “I love you, Sunny.”

She gasped but then relaxed. The way her arms wrapped around me were like a lost child. I was prepared to drift back to sleep when I heard Sunset whisper, thinking I wasn’t awake to hear it.

“I love you too, Sunshine.”

“I love you, Twilight Sparkle,” I stated firmly, silencing her rambling apologetic explanation by momentarily laying a finger across her lips.

The warm flush on her face mirrored mine.

“I love you, Sunset.” She kissed me lightly before pulling me into a hug. “Don’t ever forget that. And please, don’t let your demons win. You’ve already beaten them once.”