I rolled over and opened my eyes, then slammed them shut again as the light stabbed it's way into my skull. I fumbled around, feeling for the gift that my parents and Aunt Sparky had gotten my for graduation: glasses made with carefully treated lenses that would keep the light bearable. Ever since turning eighteen, the sensitivity of my eyes began to follow the moon's phases, being the most sensitive on full moons.
I groaned and sat up, blinking as the lenses darkened slightly, tinting the world rose without obscuring my vision. Across the room in an identical bunk lay my sister Aurora in her elegance. I smiled at the peaceful face she had before snapping a picture with my phone of her massive bed head, the stuffed parasprite she cuddled, and the small damp spot next to her mouth where drool had collected.
That'll be worth a laugh later, I thought. Oh, I'd never show it to anyone but her, but the horrified look on her face would be a good peace offering the next time she got it in her head to try and prank me. Then I sighed, remembering what she had said last night before bed.
"Took you long enough! I thought I might have to come out and say it."
Apparently, her interest in Lighty was in how perfect he would be for me, brother or not. She enjoyed the more relaxed way he acted around her, like we always had done. It didn't help that she was a natural flirt, despite her tendencies to overdo it. I should have picked up on it myself, but self-denial is a real pain.
I sighed again before deleting the photo.
"We're even," I whispered, leaning back into my bed to swing out the other side, the super long t-shirt I slept in falling to just above my knees as I wandered to the kitchen. Mother was there, waiting for the coffeepot to deliver it's nectar.
"Morining, Mother," I chirped as I took a seat at the table, wanting to wake up a bit. A hand set a steaming cup of coffee in front of me, the ring glinting in the morning light.
I froze. That wasn't Mother's engagement ring, I realized as the older woman sat down across from me..
Sunlight's mom sat there, a smile on her strangely familiar face.
"I was hoping we could talk," she said.
"This is about Sunlight, isn't it?" Midnight grimaced and then took a careful sip of the coffee. It was still very hot so she couldn't drink much. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to talk about this. It wasn't that she was against a conversation, but talking to the boy's parent was a tad...soon. "We haven't exactly been hiding it, but we haven't talked about it either."
"No," Twilgiht responded. It was a curious thing to talk to a girl who might have been her daughter. Or rather was in another universe. "I was wondering about it since we only met recently and Lighty has never warmed up like that before. Not that I'm against it, mind you. The two of you are perfectly old enough to make your own decisions and, besides, I'm glad my Lighty has someone his own age who he is so comfortable with. There's just two things I'd like to know for clarity."
"Hm?" Midnight propted as she took a longer sip of the coffee.
"Do you love him?"
It was blunt. No way around it. Midnight knew what she felt but she didn't believe in all that romancy gunk that her sister fed off of. Perhaps it sounded lame, but she felt her next words were the most honest ones."Maybe? All I have to compare it to are the stories you...er, mother told me when I was younger. But if I had to answer now...yes. If we'll be together, given the circumstances, we'd have a lot to figure out. Not a problem, though, considering both our families."
Twilight gave an understanding nod as she leaned back in her chair. Her eyes clouded over.
"And the other question?"
"Oh," Twilight seemed to snap out of some preoccupying thought. "May I have your permission to run a gene analysis on you?"
Though the girl didn't know it yet, Twilight was conflicted over her interest in this relational development regarding her son and exploring cross-universe genetic similarities to confirm or perhaps disprove her theories. Although there was an obvious relation between the two things, the latter was honestly more about her enthusiasm on multiverse theories than anything to do with her son. She loved her family to death, but science was like a fire in her heart.
"I'm not going to be dissected are I?" Midnight gave a nervous expression. Something about this alternate version of her mom left her with a more "mad scientist" feel.
"No, no," Twilight laughed. "Just a cotton swab and an easy non-intrusive swipe of your inner mouth. Less trouble than brushing your teeth."
"How bout after I actually brush my teeth?" Midnight smirked.
Twilight nodded. "Whenever you're ready."
Sunlight stretched as he stood, nabbing a clean overshirt from the closet. Padding down the hall to the bathroom, he let out another yawn as he ran a hand through his sleep touseled hair.
The door to the bathroom opened, revealing a fiery-haired woman toweling the last of her hair dry.
"Morning, kiddo," Other Sunset said, draping the towel around her neck. "How'd you sleep?"
"Pretty good, actually," he said. "Something about this island, the waves. I've always loved it here."
Sunset nodded. "I know the feeling," she said. "When you're done in there, come find me. It'd be nice to have a talk." Her face still held a smile, but the tone of voice killed the thought it was a suggestion.
He watched as she walked away, stride and posture different from his ma.
"Scary," he whispered.
***
He found them on tbe back veranda, watching the sun trickle through the canopy. He paused for a moment before stepping out where they could see him.
He really had hoped to get a chance to talk with Midnight before bringing it up to either set of parents. How did they find out so fast? It wasn't as if they had been overly obvious about it. They hadn't even fully held hands!
"We're not going to eat you," Other Sunset said as he walked out. "Middy might get cross at us."
The woman so resembling his mom smacked her hand against her wife's shoulder. "You're not funny," she whispered.
Sunlight sat down, some of his nerves settling. The back and forth was so familiar it almost felt like they were his parents, after a fashion.
"We're not going to give you a 'hurt our daughter and we hurt you' speech," Sunset said. "You seem like a good kid, and we trust our daughter. We just wanted to make sure you knew what you are getting into right now."
"As far as we know," Twilight said, adjusting her small framed glasses. "This may be the only point where our two realities intersect. If that turns out to be the case, then we want you prepared for that event. Secondly, and we're just finding this out ourselves, but Middy is trying to decide were she belongs, here or Equestria. From what we understand, your family has complety cut ties with the country."
"And then you ponied up," Sunset said, leaning back and crossing her legs casually. "Something your parents seemed surprised over."
"Well," he fidgeted. They were all good questions and he would have thought of them himself if he had been given more time. He watched one of the more colorful tropical birds land on a branch just off the rear perimeter of the villa. "I've never really had any magic before even though I'm an adult now. I mean, I think I did have it but I just never...exhibited it. Mom's going to want to run all kinds of tests on me."
The couple looked to each other, remembering their own experiences with their daughters. Even though the situations had been different, they understood the excitement over seeing one's child develop their magical abilties. Midnight's own unique ponied up form and the fact that her eyes still showed sensitivity to the extent they did had worried them somewhat at first.
"I don't know if it would be possible for Middy to enter my world or vise versa even if she decided to stay in a human one," he admitted, looking back to them. He felt like all he could say was what they already knew so far. "I wouldn't want her to make a decision that couldn't work, so I guess we have to figure out if either of us can leave this place and still be together. If she wants to be around me, that is. We haven't exactly said anything to each other about...you know. All I've got right now is a feeling."
Sunset smiled. "She is showing the signs, kiddo," she said."Subtle, but they're there. Just be good to her and I think things will be fine. As to tbe whole dimensional mish-mash..." She glanced at her wife.
Twilight pulled a small leatherbound book from behind her, setting it in her lap. When she opened it, there were combinations of mathematical equations and intricately drawn circles and mandalas.
"I haven't run all the equations yet," she started. "But at the very least we could whip up a pair of journals for you and Middy. It's a simple enough process. And for the leaving together, well, we'll tackle that when it's time to."
"How will the journals jump universes?" Sunlight asked, trying to wrap his mind around the abstract formulae he saw.
"Their magic links them," Sunset replied, frowning for a moment as she searched her mind for something. "The best way to compare it would be like a rubber band. It'll stretch quite a bit without deforming. And if Miss I-Have-Five-Degrees did her math right, your reality is only a few hertz off from ours, making the tension almost negligible."
Sunlight felt some awe at this. "Thank you," was all he could mumble out.
"Just don't prove us wrong, and we'll call it a gift," Twilight said, tucking her journal away.
The copies of his parents stood and moved to hug him, and he felt a dim echo of tbe thrumming feel he had experienced with Midnight. He thought for a moment that he felt the same warmth as before, but before he could be sure they pulled away.
"Now," Sunset said, a smile so like the one from his childhood on her face. "Go find that girl and hash things out between you. If we have to, we'll run interference for you."
Twilight winked at this, and with a smile Sunlight stood and walked out, pausing for a moment at the door.
"I never could have predicted any of this, you know. But I suppose improbability was written into my DNA all along."
I wandered down the hall after pulling on a pair of cargo shorts and a Rainboom t-shirt. It was faded and starting to get thin from multiple washes, but it was comfortable and fit perfectly. And I was on vacation, dammit!
I heard birds chirping and headed towards the sound, thinking that a few minutes of solitude would help me clear my head. As I neared the door, the lenses of my glasses darkened a touch more, going from rose to ruby in hue. I sighed, pushing them up my face a bit. I may as well get used to wearing these, no matter what anyone thinks.
Does Lighty mind glasses? I thought, then shook my head. Way to be independent, Middy. But the realization that I had referred to him the same way his folks did, the way Rory and I would use our nicknames so casually made me pause as his face came to mind. A smile and a little blush blossomed on my face.
As I stepped out onto the patio, I saw Sunlight standing there as well. I stood there for a moment before my brain could conjure words.
"H...hey," I said. Smooth, Middy.
"Oh," Sunlight exclaimed in surprise. He hadn't expected to run into her so quickly. He swung the towel he had grabbed over his shoulder. Besides the overshirt he had put on earlier, he was sporting a fresh pair of swim trunks. With the occassional exception, he always wore a pair while on the island or even the greater resort, since practically all of his favorite activities involved water.
"I was looking for you," both of them wound up saying next.
The stereo effect of their perfect timing and wording made them both pause and laugh a bit.
"How about we go to the Steps for a talk," the boy suggested and then grew a grin with an additional thought. "The others are inside or at the village, so we'd have all the privacy we need for you to scare me out of my wits."
Thankful for the transition from her unprepared greeting, Midnight took up on it easily. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something too. Just so long as you don't run away in terror," she joked back.
Starting them down the path towards the destination, Sunlight thought to comment on the glasses she seemed to often wear. "Are those special?"
I reached up and touched the side of my glasses in surprise, giving me a moment to formulate rational thought.
"Yeah," I murmured. "Remember what I said about how I got my cutie mark?"
The young man nodded, holding a swath of palm fronds out of the way as I hurried past.
"Well," I continued. "When I turned eighteen my eyes started really hurting in bright light. It came and went, but the only time they didn't was at night. We eventually figured out that the sensitivity followed the phases of the moon; normal at the new moon, highly sensitive at the full moon."
I pushed my glasses up as they slid down my face as we hopped down a small ledge, the sound of water starting to reach my ears. "Mom had the idea, Mother did the research, and Aunt Sparky did the chemistry. These were my graduation present."
I braced myself and removed them, the lenses immediately returning to clear. The daylight was blinding, the canopy barely making it tolerable. "They were attuned to me, keeping me at a comfortable light saturation," I chuckled ruefully. "Slightly better than wearing dark sunglasses all the time like I was. Half the time I forget I have them, the other half I either hate the fact I need them or think that they make me look like Mother, but in the good way."
The light was getting to be too much and we still had trail to walk, so I slid them back on, the lenses shading back to the ruby shade. I cleared my throat as the Steps came into view.
"Listen," I started hesitantly. "About last night...I'm hoping I didn't come across too strong. I've never really been close to anyone like that. I hope you don't mind...but I kind of, well, um..."
My cheeks turned bright red and I whirled away, hands to my face to hide the blush.
"Like you...a lot," I finished, as quiet as Aunt Fluttershy or Ebony.
He stood silent, and fear that I had never felt before began to spread inside my chest, heart threatening to burst free.
Sunlight felt his heart stop for a moment. Feeling it was probably true was one thing but actually hearing it was another. He bit his bottom lip in decision as his heart resumed. So he went for it. Maybe she wouldnt like it, but she liked him so surely she'd be okay with it. He stepped around her to gently grab her hands and lower them from her face.
The trickling of the water down the stepped waterfalls fell from his attention as he looked her in the eyes. The positioning of his body in relation to the sun caused the light on Midnight's face to dim and thus the glasses to clear slightly. Seeing her look back at him with hope made him smile. She might have been a bit embarrassed about admitting her feelings, but she obviously had some suspicion that he shared her thoughts.
"I like you too. A lot," he confessed straightforward. Her mouth began to open but he continued, feeling his own cheeks heat up. "I mean, what you did when we connected...I don't know how it works but I feel different around you. Comfortable but also excited. It's a good feeling. Like when I can see your eyes. They're really beautiful...like the rest of you."
I ducked my head, wishing for a moment I had left my hair down so it could hide the red burning in my face. He...he thinks I'm beautiful...
I slowly looked back up, meeting his eyes, clear blue like the sky above. I opened my mouth again to speak but again, no words came out. Instead, I smiled and released his hands, stepping forward to hug him. Feeling his arms encircle me was a great feeling, like suddenly nothing could get to me in this moment. We swayed a little as if dancing, turning in a slow circle.
"Your mom trapped me at the breakfast table," I said. "Asked me for a gene sample to analyze."
He groaned tilting his head back. "That's my mom all over. At least your folks just made sure I was aware of the quantum implications," he said, meeting my gaze again. "Even offered to make us a set of journals, like Ma used to talk to the pony Twilight Sparkle."
I smirked. "They're going to have to work with your parents to make sure they get the spatial variants right," I chuckled. "Otherwise we'll just be sending static." I slowed our turning, face turning serious.
"We don't know if we can see each other once we leave," I said, sliding my fingers through the hair at the back of his head.
"We don't know that we couldn't, " he countered, smiling softly. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
I laid my head on his shoulder. "You're a terrible liar," I joked. "You're just as worried as I am."
"Of course," he said. "Who wouldn't be?"
I giggled and gave him a gentle slap on the chest. "You need to work on your reassuring speeches, Sunlight Shimmer," I said, squaring off across from him. On instinct, I ponied up, tail swishing behind me. I felt resonance start to pulse behind my eyes, like when I held a spell ready when across the mirror.
"I'm not going to be like other girls," I said, ears folded back in nervousness. "And I'm not really sure what I'm going to do in life, or where."
"Well, like I said before," Lighty said quietly. "There's a lot in my life that isn't settled either. I had some ideas and paths but I haven't locked myself into any of them. Maybe we can figure that out together."
"You should also know that I might be spending a large amount of time in Equestria, " I continued. "Which adds another wrench in the works, unless you follow me on occasion."
At that, Sunlight giggled. "I couldn't imagine a better excuse to try out Equestria."
"Oh, and another thing,'" I said, hooking my fingers together at the back of his neck, locking my jade green eyes on his sky blue ones.
"Tell me I'm beautiful again," I whispered before pulling him down into a kiss, eyes closing as we connected.
Call me crazy, but the moment our lips touched, it felt like I was floating.
Sunlight knew this couldn't be good for his heart. All the stopping and restarting. And yet he felt how good it was too. Warming his heart and melting it all at once. Just like the softness of Midnight's lips against his. Her smooth arms around his neck and her body so close. His eyes failed to close even though her face was right there with his.
Even if the warm morning air and tropical humidity wasn't enough to boil him, then perhaps the blush on his face was. He managed to react, though. His own arms had gone around her earlier and the kiss only made him embrace her tighter, his hands resting down at the small of her back. When his mind engaged enough to convince him what to do, he returned the kiss in full. Perhaps she would have pulled back already from it, but he didn't want it to just be her action with no participation on his part.
So he pressed back into the kiss and didn't let her get pushed back, as his grip held her to him. They were kissing only with their lips but he could still begin to taste something upon her. Perhaps it was only his sense of smell tricking his sense of taste, but he could very well pick up on the flavor of hazelnut. It must have been something from earlier. Breakfast or some drink associated with it. It was enjoyable to him and, in fact, contributed to his sense of euphoria.
He had no sense of it in the moment, but he had once again begun to pony up. The marking reappeared on his face, a glow of a horn began to pulse, and even more. His ears transformed as well into their pony counterpart. Only some elongated hair or tail remained absent. All Sunlight felt was the paradise of their kiss and embrace for every second it lasted.
As he kissed me back, I felt all of my nerves light on fire as I tried to freeze every feeling and sensation into a single, indelible memory that wouldn't fade. I didn't want to, but slowly my body was demanding air and we broke apart. I was surprised by his appearance when I opened my eyes.
The colored marking across his face only accented his cheek bones, making the warmth of his cyan eyes shine that much more. Two pony ears twitched on his head and a dim glow pulsed from his horn before it died to the sun reflecting from it.
Smiling, I leaned forward and rested my forehead against his, reaching up to trail a finger across an ear ahile I flicked my tail so it twined around two of our legs.
"Not a bad look, all things considered," I said. With my head touching his, I could almost sense his emotions. It wasn't hard, since they mirrored mine: contentment, joy, and wonder.
He started to laugh, that giggling laugh one gets when they realize that so many fears were naught but smoke and shadows. He swept me up in a hug, twirling us around as I shrieked in surprise and infectious laughter.
"This is incredible!" He laughed as he set me back on my feet. He reached up and felt the horn and ears, smile never dimming.
I smirked. "Looks like we'll both be under your mom's microscope," I teased as I pulled my phone from my pocket and snapped a picture. I set the phone to the side and surreptitiously slid my sandals off. I smiled at his confused look as I pulled my tee off, revealing a swim top under it. I walked up to him as he stared and trailed a hand along his chest.
"No matter what happens'" I whispered. "My feelings wont change."
He started to stutter as I slid his shirt off, hearing tbe various things he kept inside the pockets rattle. I let it drop to the ground and tilted my head up invitingly.
My grin blossoming mere moments before I pushed him over into the pool behind us was his only warning. As his startled shout ended with a splash, I judged his likely point of emergence and dove in to miss it, holding onto my glasses as I did.
We both surfaced and regained rationality at the same time and he sputtered as he de-ponied.
"What was that for?" he asked.
"To get away from probable spies," I said, swimming over and placating him with a hand on his chin and a kiss on the cheek. "And I felt impish."
"You don't look impish," he said as he fully took my hand under the water and held it. "You look beautiful."
I sidled in next to him and sighed.
"It's going to be so much fun watching you try to walk on hooves for the first time," I breathed as the morning's sun warmed the waters of the deep pool we floated in.