I'm going to be a little real before we get going with this one: While I write most of my stories with the idea of them hopefully being something you guys enjoy, this one is incredibly self-indulgent. It is purely for me... as evident by the fact that the first part alone already has as twice as many words as some of my other projects (4600, for future viewers). I'm going to go ahead and post it anyway, on the off-chance someone else will like it too. Some further background: I've been listening to a lot of AnokoVA's work on YouTube (and probably damaging something in my mental from binging that kind of girlfriend experience content), and got in the mood for something angsty born from their Sunset videos. Some dialogue and situations are lifted from those videos as a result as a forewarning before you start going "I've seen this before!". I'm also borrowing CosmicButthole's "Norman" character, or at least his name.

Part Two:
>Saturday night has rolled around once again
>The bells have long since rang to free Canterlot High's populace from its' confines, and the kids are already putting their two days of freedom to work in the best way they know how:
>Picking one of them at random and completely trashing their house with the wildest party Pinkie Pie can put together in a day's notice
>Which may not sound like a lot
>If you're not familiar with the girl in question
>As it stands the music, something peppy with plenty of bass, is thumping hard enough to probably cause some damage to the foundation
>An entire spread's been sourced from who knows where in the kitchen
>And even though it's not her house, Pinkie's managed to finagle some strobing lights 
>They really give some much needed ambiance to the current dance floor (formerly some poor soul's living room) that a bunch of high schoolers are literally tearing up a rug on
>In the midst of this chaos is someone you're only vaguely familiar with darting here and there, trying to dissuade rowdy teenagers from elbow dropping each other on the couch ("It's delicate!")
>Stop the more athletic kids from racing up and down the stairs ("We just had them waxed!")
>And do anything in his power to get them to not get frisky in his parent's bedroom ("Mom is going to kill me!!")
>If you were a betting girl, you'd wager that that's the unlucky soul who got picked to play 'host'
>You observe the guy for a few more moments and then take a long drink from the solo cup in your hand
>You smack your lips, trying to figure out if the punch has been spiked yet
>Pinkie almost never does it at the same time every party
>Sometimes she does it right at the start, and it definitely shows
>Rarely she'll do it right as things are winding down
>Those late-night buzzes get weird, everyone gets all emotional
>Kind of like right now, where one kid takes his shirt off
>Swings it around like a flag
>And screams "THIS IS THE BEST YEAR OF MY LIFE"
>Before leaping off the couch and slamming his entire body weight onto the coffee table, absolutely destroying it ("Why?!")
>A roar of laughter peels through the air, followed by a cheer for this display of fortitude
>Yeah, she's definitely spiked it already
>"Yo, Sunset! Killer party, right?"
>Someone calls out to you to your left
>You glance over but immediately know you have no idea who this guy is
>Judging by the height you want to say Freshman?
>Unless something tragic happened in the womb and he got overcooked
>Still, you flash him your usual lopsided grin and raise your cup up in agreement
"Definitely one of Pinkie's best this year!"
>You pour as much cheer into that as you can, and of course, he eats it up
>"Totally! Hey, me and the guys were gonna try and get a punch pong game going, do you wanna join?"
>There it is
>Get the 'coolest girl in the school' to join their game and folks will flock to it, right?
>You think you should get credit for holding back the sigh of disappointment you want to let out
>But you'll settle for being satisfied with yourself for the achievement
>Scale back that grin into an apologetic smile, aaaand, perfect
"Sorry guys, but I'm actually looking for Pinkie Pie right now. I'll try and swing by for a few rounds, alright?"
>They're crestfallen, and one of them in the throng outright 'boos'
>Who does that?
>But the gaggle of Freshies recovers in short order
>"Don't take too long, then! Good luck with Pinkie!"
>Their lead Freshman waves as they gather up and go looking for a surface that currently isn't being danced on or in danger of getting elbow dropped through to set up their game
>Leaving you alone again
>Perfect
>If it wasn't already apparent, (You) are Sunset Shimmer
>And (You) are absolutely not sulking
>Just... grumbling
>By yourself
>Completely different
>...
>... Fuck!
>You still can't believe Dash got one over on you like that
>Someone in the halls had mentioned the seniors experiencing 'Senioritis'
>You'd never heard of it before
>And when you went to ask about it, unfortunately the only person around was Rainbow
>She sounded so serious when she was talking about it!
>"Oh yeah that's something all the senior classes get, the pressure makes the whole year act crazy."
>You distinctly remember noticing how a lot of your upperclassmen got... irrational during the years when you were ruling the school
>Twitchy, anxious, jumpy
>It made them incredibly easy to lean on to get what you wanted out of them
>You had tried to look up more information about Senioritis in the library before finally asking Twilight about it near the end of the day
>She just looked at you like you were trying to play a lame prank on her
>Before explaining that it wasn't a REAL disease, just a turn of phrase
>And of course Rainbow had to be nearby to hear that you had taken her so seriously, who practically choked on her laughter
>Fortunately you split up to get ready for tonight shortly after
>Though you were so frustrated you may have torn some of your favorite clothes in the midst of dressing up
>Hopefully Rarity doesn't mind the sudden repair requests...
>(Who are you kidding, she'll probably jump at the chance to make alterations, she's always got new ideas just waiting to be used)
>Either way it's got you avoiding your friends tonight
>You just know that Rainbow's gloated about being able to fool you for once to the rest of them
>And you really don't want to spend the night getting reassured or teased, depending on who finds you
>Hopefully she just forgets about the whole thing by tomorrow
>Setting yourself apart from your friend group has left you with a new problem though
>That group of freshmen is hardly the first gaggle to approach you tonight
>And you're fairly confident it won't be the last
>Ever since the Battle of The Bands the school's really embraced you
>The half-year of awkwardness left between you and the student body finally a thing of the past after you and the Rainbooms helped save the school from the Dazzlings
>People fully acknowledge you in the halls
>They invite you to hang out
>You're treated like someone they want to spend time with
>And at first that thrilled you, really
>But over time, doubt started to creep in
>You can trust your closest friends
>Even if they were sometimes insensitive they invited you into their lives at your lowest point
>Sure, it was born out of promises to Princess Twilight, but that was just to get your foot in the door
>They made time for you
>Stuck by you even when others thought they shouldn't
>Whether they realize it or not they're practically family to you now
>Even Twilight, a late addition from the recent debacle with the Friendship Games
>She slots in to that unit like she was always meant to be there
>But everyone else?
>While again, you're grateful their collective opinion on you 180'd as it did
>Part of you is terrified
>Convinced that it could do so again and leave you right back where you started
>Humans and Ponies aren't much different in that regard
>In Equestria you status as the Princess's Personal Student practically made you the tastemaker of the castle
>Even ponces like Prince Blueblood knew better than to challenge you, and he absolutely outranked you on the social totem pole
>In this new world, you kept up the same game
>It was so easy to get the students to shun anyone who earned your ire
>Even if it was just to make sure they didn't get subjected to it themselves
>Especially then
>This fear started out as a small niggle in the back of your mind
>But as time has gone on you can't help but feed it
>So whenever someone outside of your core group invites you to things
>If you can't get one of the girls to join you, you almost always decline them
>And now, here you are
>Sulking along the wall in the house of some kid who's name you never even learned
>(You're pretty sure you saw him clutching part of that coffee table and sobbing earlier)
>Trying to avoid the eye of your closest friends because you don't want to get roasted
>And trying even harder to avoid the attention of someone trying to use you for your clout before it turns sour
>Great job, Sunset
>For a moment you let the stress on your mind show in your face as you survey the room
>The dance party's still raging on
>If you lean to the side you can see into the kitchen, it looks like half the food's gone
>Means less mess to help Pinkie clean up later, at least
>Aside from that though, it's a typical high school party
>Everyone's convinced they're the main character and they're all trying to be the center of attention as a result
>Whether it by being the loudest, the funniest, or just outright making a spectacle of themselves
>Except...
>Someone across the room catches your eye
>Set apart from the throng of dancers, daredevils, and social butterflies
>Someone, like you, that's parked away from the groups and goings on
>In the dim, constantly changing lighting provided by Pinkie you can't really tell much from here
>When the light flashes yellow you can make out someone trying to make themselves smaller and a mass of hair that wouldn't be out of place on Fluttershy's head
>It's covering part of their face much like hers, but then the light cycles through the darker colors and they're difficult to make out
>But what really caught your attention was their singular exposed eye
>Making contact with your own, but also... not
>You wait for the cycle again and when the lights are bright enough to stare again
>Yeah, they're just staring at you... albeit with a bit of a glaze overtaking their vision
>Lost in thought?
>Honestly, you could dismiss them as a wallflower
>Plenty of students come to Pinkie's parties just to say they did, even if they huddle up and keep to themselves the whole time
>But you feel an odd bit of curiosity
>And before you know it, your feet are moving to cross the room and meet this stranger
>Others greet you and try to hail you down, but you just give them the bare minimum polite greeting you have to as you beeline
>As you get approach, you can really identify this person, now
>He's either a very tall Freshman or just a Sophomore
>Clothing is a bit loose so it's hard to get an idea for his build, but you're going to go with lanky
>When the light briefly cycles to white you can identify his skin as a lively forest green and his hair, bounding just past his shoulders, as a solid black
>A pretty average face, though you're not entirely sure if you're the best judge of character
>It took you a few weeks to figure out which humans were the mares and which were the stallions
>And their aesthetics are still something you're figuring out
>You're aware that you're attractive, and so are your friends
>With mostly a good idea of what you all have in common that would make people think that
>Guys...
>Still working on that
>You picked Flash as your trophy boyfriend because of his popularity and the inherit status that would afford you than anything actually about him
>He could've had the personality of dirt and you wouldn't have cared
>Honestly it probably would've been better if he had, then he wouldn't have dumped you like he did
>Wait
>You're getting completely sidelined here
>And when you pump the brakes on your mental tangent you realize that this guy's stopped staring into space and is actually regarding you, a surprised expression drawn clearly across his face
>Shit, it wasn't that long, was it?
>Quickly, you let your brain run on auto-pilot for just a bit more to address the stranger
"Hey! Um... hi! Sorry."
>Stellar start
"I don't mean to be weird, but you've been looking at me for the past... minute? Not in a creepy way, but it looked like it you had something on your mind... so, I thought I'd come over and say hi before we end up staring at each other all night. I'm Sunset. What's your name?"
>Now that you've gotten your introduction out of the way, the guy seems less weirded out
>But he's still visibly...
>Guarded would probably be the word for it
>You almost wonder if he's just plain not going to respond before his lips part
>"Right, sorry. I'm... Anonymous Tip."
>He almost doesn't sound sure of that, but you don't immediately have a reason to believe he's lying about his name to you
>You can't help but take a brief glance around again
>You wouldn't say this part of the room is isolated, but there's definitely some distance between you and the closest guests
>Two more strangers challenging each other to chugging as much punch as fast as they can
>Definitely going to need to make sure they're laying on their stomachs when the night's through
>And then there's Anonymous here, observing
"You... seem a little out of place."
>This close you can see his posture shift at that, arms tightening across his chest, mouth turning downward
"Not in a bad way! Just... y'know, different from a lot of the people here."
>You move to join Anonymous against the wall, lifting one of your legs to press the sole of your boot against it
>There's a brief moment where you're worried about getting shoeprints on it, but honestly, the guy has a lot more things to worry about right now
"So, are you actually enjoying this party, or are you hiding near a back wall like I've been trying to for the past hour?"
>Anonymous shuffles over to give you room, and at your question, stares at the back wall you're both very much resting against
>Then back at you
>At some point his singular eyebrow is raised - it doesn't quite work given that you can't see the other one to tell if he's properly Dreamworks Facing you, but you get the message
>The absurdity of it forces a small laugh out of you
"Yeah, same. It's a little too loud, and everyone's trying their hardest to be interesting in a way that makes them all just blur together."
>You help yourself to a deep drink from your cup, and give it a little shake
>Running low, but you just know you'll run into Pinkie if you go to the kitchen
>Continued conversation with a stranger it is
"So, you had this look on your face. Like you were thinking really intently about something. What's up?"
>Anonymous simply shrugs at that
>"To be honest, I was wondering if it was my cousin Norman's idea to ditch me the second we got here, or if he's legit being held up somewhere."
>He gestures around the room, his brow furrowing
>"He spent all week convincing me to come out to one of these, said we'd have a good time. I think some guys from his AV Club nabbed him. That was about two hours ago."
>It's his turn to take a drink
>He must've been savoring it because his pull's a lot deeper than yours
>Honestly, you kinda feel for the guy
>If Pinkie or Rainbow prodded at you to join them at some event and they just bailed on you the first chance they got...
>That would suck
"... Y'know, it's pretty loud here. What do you say we step outside? I think I saw a balcony on the second floor when I was coming in. I'm, well. I'm avoiding some people, your lifeline got cut. What do you say to keeping each other company for a bit? We can complain together."
>Anonymous... hesitates
>Honestly?
>It actually catches you off guard, after an entire night of people metaphorically tugging on your shirt sleeve and asking to hang out with you
>After a moment, 'spending time with Sunset Shimmer' apparently wins out against 'standing alone in a crowded room being miserable'
>"Sure, lead the way."
>And so you do
>Fortunately by this time the athletes racing each other on the stairs have either fully tired themselves out, or plain gotten bored
>Oof, those are some nasty scuff marks
>Probably on the lower end of the issues piling up but it is tragic to see wooden floors treated so badly
>Something to deal with later, though
>For now you duck and weave past various guests
>Some try to get your attention again but you give them just the most cursory greetings before continuing on to your destination
>When you find the sliding glass doors leading out to the balcony, you're relieved
>You literally didn't even consider the idea that someone else might be out there until you got within range to look outside
>Fortunately, it's empty
>You slide the door open for Anon, who steps outside
>And then follow him
>Just for privacy's sake you swing the latch to lock it
>As it clicks into place you just... stop
>Briefly shocked by the sudden transition from loud, thumping music and countless conversations to just... crickets, and just the most minor of bass-y shudders
>This is some serious glass
"Wow.. It feels nice out here, right? Perfect temperature, and without all the noise, it's like we're the only ones in the house. Like the world shrank down to just this balcony."
>Anon's already staring ahead out to the street below
>Flooded with cars reaching all the way from one end of the street to the other
>Fortunately none of the neighbors are losing their mind over it
>Or the noise
>At your musing he turns his head to acknowledge you
>"It really has. I can actually hear my own thoughts without any Sapphire Shores lyrics trying to break in and overtake them."
>That's happened to you at least twice tonight already
>Trying to brood about how much of an ass Rainbow is, then suddenly you're thinking about seeing stars, soul vacations, and dancing alone
>You lean against the doorway as you regard Anonymous, who's finally turned away from the street to look back at you
>The moon's at just the perfect height in the sky to obscure him
>Just the barest hints of his green skin, the glint of his eye, and a band logo across his shirt that you can't read because of how jagged the typeface is
>You're suddenly reminded that you're sharing a balcony with a complete stranger
>So, you fire off the first icebreaker question you learned from Pinkie Pie that comes to mind
"So. What kind of person are you when nobody's watching?"
>At first you think it goes over like a lead balloon, as Anon stares at you quizzically
>"... Well, if I'm remembering the adage correctly, I guess I'd be the kind of person that makes no sound."
>You can't help but laugh at that
>Well played, Anonymous
>"I wouldn't say I'm too interesting whether someone's watching or not. I'm not terribly social, I struggle with small talk. If Norman hadn't gotten me out here tonight I'd probably be home, tuning my guitars for the eighth time this week."
>Wow, even Rainbow isn't that obsessed with calibrating her guitar
"I appreciate that - most people would give me some canned answer, or try and play themselves up, but you didn't hesitate to be honest. So, you're not really here for the party. I know you said your cousin dragged you here, but is there nothing you wanted to get out of tonight?"
>That gives Anonymous pause, cupping his cheek in his palm as he really gives it some thought
>"I guess... connection. I'm terrible at small talk, but that doesn't mean I don't want to fail at it with someone, you know?"
>You nod in agreement
"Me too. Honestly, I almost didn't come tonight. I had a small tiff with one of my friends, and I really considered just sulking in my bedroom about it all weekend - but with how crazy magical incidents have been getting lately, I thought 'what if something important goes down while I'm not there?'"
>You look over at Anonymous, who's pushed off from the railing of the balcony to take a few steps closer
"And now, here I am, standing on a balcony with you. Definitely feels like one of those moments you'll look back on later and think, 'that mattered', right?"
>You can tell he's a bit unsure of how to take that
>It does kind of sound like you're insulting him, when you give what you're saying more than five seconds of thought
"... Sorry. Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out how to talk with people who aren't in my immediate friend group, too."
>And even then, you still slip up
>A brief image of Twilight, eyes brimming over with tears as you finish screaming at her and her fleeing during the Friendship Games flashes to the forefront of your mind
>But hey lets not think about that right now
"Everyone's been stoked on us ever since the Friendship Games, they're all so friendly and welcoming... but I have no idea how to receive that and give it back. I guess I'm just waiting for the knives I'm so convinced are behind their backs. I don't want to be pretend to be cool, or mysterious, or anything but me."
>You pause to take in a deep breath, having talked away all the air in your lungs
"I want to be real with someone. And right now, I guess that's going to be you."
>Anonymous stares at you intently as you pour your heart out to him
>You aren't even sure if you're ready to be having this kind of conversation with Fluttershy
>Someone actually good at emotions who could help you navigate these feelings
>And here you are dumping it on a stranger, who instead of reassuring you, or anything like that
>... Takes another long drink from his cup
>The absurdity of it makes you shamelessly laugh out loud
"I'm sorry. This is too intense for a first conversation, isn't it? You just..."
>You think you're going to struggle to find the words, but it comes to mind pretty easily
"You're standing there, and you're actually listening, and... I don't feel judged. Anyone else out there I could've dragged out onto this balcony would probably be cringing and trying to make excuses to leave already. It's making me want to be more honest than I probably should be."
>Anonymous just shrugs
>"Norman's always said that keeping my mouth shut and letting people talk was one of my better traits. I... don't really know if he was framing that as me being a good listener or just a bad conversationalist, now that I say it out loud. So, what's really eating you?"
>If it was anyone else, you're not sure you'd be able to admit it
>But with this guy, you find yourself able to freely talk about your gaffe with Rainbow Dash
>Admitting that, hours later, you know it really wasn't that big of a deal, but you were so committed in the moment to being mad that you went and basically ruined the party for yourself all night rather than just take a few lighthearted jabs from people you know don't mean it maliciously
>All the while Anonymous listens patiently, as he rests against the sliding glass door with you, pressing his shoulder against it to get comfortable
"... I'm going to be honest, and I hope you don't mind. I don't often meet someone new and get comfortable like this so fast. You've been really cool, listening to me vent like this, and not judging me for being so petty."
>And it's true
>Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy...
>Those initial five are your family now, but it took a lot of effort and patience between each of you to get to this point
>You had a lot of rough edges that needed to get sanded down, plenty of lessons to learn about friendship and the maintenance of it that you blatantly refused to learn at Celestia's behest
>Maybe it's just the benefit of him crossing your path after having those rough patches smoothed out
>Or the way you approached him and not the other way around for once
>But... this feels natural
>Important, like a step forward in your ability to comfortably interact with other people
>Or maybe just him, specifically
>You aren't sure yet
"Outside of my best friends, I don't always feel properly seen, or understood. But I'm feeling both right now. I'm really glad you caught my eye."
>You turn your head as some erratic movement catches your attention in the corner of your eye
>In the corridor leading up to the balcony, you see a blur of pink bolting between the groups of people crowding it
>You have the distinct feeling you're on the precipice of being discovered
"I think they sent out a search party already, unfortunately. We should probably go back inside, before Pinkie Pie tears the roof down."
>Anonymous follows your gaze to see your energetic friend frantically interrogating some poor freshman
>Part of you considers introducing Anonymous to Pinkie Pie
>But you get the feeling her energy and his malaise wouldn't quite mix
>It seems like he agrees with your assessment, as he pushes off the sliding glass door to rest against the railing again.
>"You go on ahead, then. I think I'm going to enjoy the night air for a little while longer."
>You shrug and offer the stranger - 
>No
>You offer your new friend a helpless 'what can you do?' sort of smile
"Don't stay out too long, it's getting pretty chilly. And.. thanks, Anonymous. For listening. Lets talk again, sometime. I'll return the favor if you want."
>With a lazy wave with his free hand, you're dismissed, and you head back inside to save the poor people in the hallway from Pinkie Pie's questioning
>Reconnecting with her quickly leads to the seven of you all linking up
>Rainbow Dash is, of course, Rainbow Dash
>And while she does tease you, you find you don't mind as much
>Your chest feels a lot lighter than it has in the past few weeks after getting some of your insecurities out of it
>The rest of the night is spent with your best friends
>Gossiping, laughing
>You even make an appearance at that punch pong game as a group
>But the new friend you've made takes up a slot in the back of your thoughts for the rest of the night
>You hope Anonymous didn't end tonight alone