//------------------------------//
// The Glorious Flourishing of Summer and Love 
// Story: The Seasons of Earth and Love 
// by RainbowSparkle3 
//------------------------------//

It was a serene day outside in the middle of Summer. The Sun was shining brightly, but the heat was bearable. Students were enjoying themselves, having not a care in the world. Whether they were swimming in one of the many public pools, playing sports with their friends, having fun at the beach, or simply talking together, all of them were savoring the two short months of vacation from School, and the wondrous season that came with it.
In a small, idle park, Sunset was relaxing on a vast plain of grass, a red and blue tiled picnic blanket underneath her. She had a few baskets of food with her, and was setting them down (while swatting away the flies that came close), when she noticed Rainbow standing at the top of a nearby hill.
Sunset gawked at her girlfriend. A light breeze blew, making the Element of Loyalty's colorful long hair sway back and forth, the Sun above positioned in a way that made Rainbow look like she was literally glowing. She wore a simple light blue top and shorts, but they fit her perfectly. The athlete’s face wore a confident smile, one which Sunset was very accustomed to by now, and no matter how many times she saw it, that beautiful smile always left the red-haired girl stunned.
Rainbow's smile widened as she saw her girlfriend, and shouted, "Hey, Sunset!" Sunset responded with a smile and a wave, and Rainbow quickly ran down to where Sunset was unpacking, and sat down on the soft picnic blanket next to her. She closed her eyes and let out a content sigh while the sun’s warmth flooded her body, a wave of peaceful relaxation following suit. After a few seconds, Rainbow opened her eyes, and turned her attention to Sunset, who was unpacking the various foods and beverages from the baskets she had brought. "You need some help?" Rainbow asked, pointing to the still almost full baskets.
Sunset smiled and answered, "Sure!" With that, the two began to work in silence, basking in each other's company as they slowly but surely set down all the food and drinks on the picnic blanket.
Wiping some sweat from her eyebrow as she did so, Rainbow took out the last box of fruits from the final basket. "Alright! Now that we've got that settled, let's eat! I’m starving," the rainbow haired girl enthusiastically said, licking her lips in anticipation for the delicious lunch laid out before her.
Giggling a little at her eagerness, Sunset replied, "Alright, I am pretty hungry too." With that, Rainbow immediately attacked the large array of food, and Sunset, with a little more grace, began consumption as well.
While Sunset munched on a sandwich, Rainbow stuffed her mouth with some sushi, a ham and cheese sandwich, Caesar salad, some fruits, a couple of shortbread cookies, and a small piece of chocolate cake. Along with this, she gulped down some water, apple juice, and a couple cans of coke.
After devouring her meal, Rainbow sighed with a smile on her face, not caring much about the bits of chocolate stuck between her teeth and coating her lips. "That was great, Sunset! You know, you're a really good cook!" Sunset‘s cheeks took on a slight blush, and she responded with a hint of shyness.
"Well, other than plotting evil schemes, I didn't have a whole lot to do before Twilight reformed me, so I started baking as a hobby."
Rainbow grinned and spoke teasingly. "Well, that's one good thing that came from you being a villain." Sunset chuckled in response, before finishing her sandwich and taking another swig of water from a water bottle.
"I guess we're done with lunch then?" she asked, stretching her body after a long time of sitting down. Rainbow took a look at the remaining food, before nodding her head. "Alright then, I guess we can put all of this away." Sunset said, beginning to pack up the extra food.
"Yup," Rainbow responded tersely, helping her girlfriend. Once they were done, the couple picked up the baskets, and folded up the picnic blanket, which they put in one of the baskets. They then made their way to an unoccupied bench.
Setting the baskets she held down beside her, Rainbow said, "It's kinda hard to believe we only became a thing a couple months ago, huh?"
Sunset answered, "Yeah, by now I can't even imagine what it'd be like without you." Rainbow chuckled briefly and scratched her head while blushing a little.
"Thanks, I'd say the same thing." Now it was Sunset's turn to blush, and when she did, Rainbow leaned forward to kiss Sunset, causing her blush to redden further.
They were interrupted when suddenly, a familiar, bubbly voice spoke out. "Hi, Sunset! Hi, Rainbow!" The couple turned to see none other than Pinkie Pie, happily jumping up and down as she came closer to the two.
"Oh. Hey, Pinkie," said Sunset.
"Oh! I'm sorry if I interrupted you! You get back to what you were doing. I was just looking for Gummy! That little alligator always gets lost. Have you seen him?" Pinkie asked, turning her head sideways.
"Sorry, Pinks', I haven't seen him," Rainbow answered. "Sunset?" she asked, turning to face her girlfriend.
Sunset shook her head. "The only pet I've seen all day is Ray." Pinkie shrugged her shoulders.
"Oh, well, thanks anyways." With that, Pinkie continued hopping along.
"That was...random," Sunset said.
"Did you expect anything else from Pinkie?" Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sunset smiled, and replied, "Good point." She then leaned forward to kiss Rainbow again, and this time, there were no interruptions.
After what felt like eternity, the young couple separated, both wearing a smile. A comfortable silence settled over them, but Rainbow broke it after a little while. "Hey, Sunset, I've been to your house a lot, but we rarely hang out at my place." Sunset thought about that for a little while, before acknowledging it with a nod. "So, how about we do that today?" Rainbow asked. Sunset beamed upon hearing the suggestion and immediately nodded in agreement. Rainbow too smiled widely, and so they got up from the bench, taking the baskets with them.
Upon arriving, Rainbow took out a key from her pocket and unlocked the door before opening it. "Welcome to the residence of the one and only Rainbow Dash!" she shouted enthusiastically. Sunset chuckled and stepped in, smiling as she saw her girlfriend's house again.
The living room was messy, to say the least. Books were strewn all over the tables and floor, dirty clothes littered the area, a couple of video games and CD's were in stacks across the room, and there were even wrappers from numerous snacks discarded, though thankfully not on the floor, since that would cause bugs to be swarming the place.
"Wow," Sunset said, taking a look at everything. "Every time I come here, it seems messier than before." Rainbow laughed heartily at that before answering.
"That's because it is! I can't believe how tidy your house is," Rainbow said, making Sunset chuckle.
"Well, I wouldn't say tidy, but it is certainly tidier than yours," Sunset said jokingly. 
Rainbow shrugged her shoulders, then responded. "Eh, whatever you say. So, what do you wanna do?" 
Sunset thought for a little while, then an idea popped into her head. "We haven't had a good gaming session in a while. I challenge you to a fight in Power Ponies!" 
Rainbow cockily smirked at the suggestion. "Alright, you're on! But don't expect to win, I've gotten better since that last time you beat me," she said confidently.
"Suuuure," Sunset teased. You may have been better back when we first got together, but we both know who's superior now. "If you're so convinced of your victory, then let's play," she said, holding a fist out.
"Right," Rainbow responded, bumping her fist with Sunset’s.
They went up the stairs to Rainbow's room and selected the Power Ponies game. Rainbow chose Zapp and Sunset chose The Mane-iac. An intense battle ensued.
Rainbow had the advantage at first. Sunset was caught off guard by her skill, which had definitely grown since the last time. She wasn't kidding, she's gotten better. I'll have to up my game if I wanna beat her. 
Rainbow claimed the first victory, but by now Sunset was used to Rainbow's improved technique. In the second game, Zapp was forced into non-stop dodging, not even managing to land a hit. Whenever she swooped in for melee damage, The Mane-iac used her hair to block and retaliate. When Zapp used her super powers to summon lightning, The Mane-iac used her special ability to increase the durability of her hair, and completely nullified the strike.
Bored of playing defensive, Sunset went all out, utterly demolishing Rainbow. The second victory went to Sunset. Rainbow glared at her girlfriend, and said, "You won't win! I've got more tricks up my sleeve, which I'll be using to obliterate you!"
Amused at her partner’s eager spirit and stubbornness, Sunset rolled her eyes and lazily responded. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's get this started so I can beat you again." After her confident declaration, she grinned, a determined look in her eyes.
And so, the third match began. First, Zapp flew behind her opponent and sent a bolt of lightning at the Mane-iac. Surprised, The Mane-iac was unable to dodge, resulting in the attack being a direct hit, draining her of 20% of her life.
Sunset groaned slightly at the setback, but quickly pressed the buttons to unleash a counter attack. Under her command, the Mane-iac whipped her hair at Zapp, assaulting her with a devastating flurry of magical hair, draining 50% of Zapp's HP before she could finally escape.
A good attack, as Rainbow begrudgingly had to admit. However, she had been spending a lot of time grinding through the game to beat Sunset lately. She knew her character’s move set to a tee and wasn’t about to go down without one hell of a fight.  “You’re gonna pay for that one!” Rainbow declared to Sunset, her voice overflowing with confidence. Sunset, however, was just as confident in her gaming prowess, and didn’t hesitate to respond. “Oh yeah? Bring it!”
Rainbow didn’t have to hear that twice, and quickly went to work on her controller. Flying above, Zapp's eyes went white, and she summoned a massive storm, and after a few mere seconds, she sent lightning down on...herself? Yes, the electricity struck Zapp, and it surrounded her in a blinding blue and white aura, crackling energy surrounding her body. The bright aura eventually faded, revealing a transformed Zapp! Rainbow put on a smug smirk, rapidly tilting her neck to the side, making the joints crack  "Alright, it’s on!”
Sunset grunted in response and tried to launch a desperate attack. The Mane-iac sent her hair flying at her opponent, who casually slapped it away and then instantaneously created a bolt of lightning, which took away 40% of the Mane-iac's health. Rainbow laughed. In her mind, victory was practically ensured. 
Sunset tried to think of a strategy that would lead her to victory, and ultimately decided that she would need to make use of her own transformation. Luckily, her girlfriend was always one to let her cockiness and pride take over, and so she used the small window opened by Rainbow being too busy thinking about victory to achieve the form by inputting the according combination of button prompts, to which the Mane-iac instantly responded. She wrapped her hair around herself, energy surrounding her, then, when she revealed herself, she too was transformed!
The sudden action on the screen caused Rainbow to snap out of her self-indulgence and once again focus on the task at hand.
The fighters faced each other, staring daggers. Growing impatient and wanting to use her newfound power, Sunset went on the offensive, and so the Mane-iac was the first to attack by flying towards Zapp! Rainbow was surprised at the very sudden and reckless attack. She didn’t know the Mane-iac had that ability. She hastily dodged, the maneuver’s execution being rather sloppy, leaving her defenses open.
Sunset saw the opening, and made the Mane-iac turn around to use her strengthened hair to strike Zapp, beginning to push her to the ground. Just before they reached it, The Mane-iac flew to the side, and Zapp hit the ground, the forceful impact causing a huge explosion. Zapp's health was down to 1%.
Rainbow was in quite the bind and had to think quick. Using the dust as a cover, Zapp stealthily crawled out of the crater her body had created and quickly sent a powerful blast of lightning at the Mane-iac. Sunset didn’t see the blast quick enough and she tried to dodge, but half of her character’s body was caught in the lightning, causing the Mane-iac to scream out in agony. The Mane-iac's health was now at 1% too.
Rainbow and Sunset were both exhausted from the button mashing galore and continuous quick thinking. Both wanted to end this as swiftly as possible, causing the fight about that last percentage of health to start in no time at all.
Zapp created another burst of lightning, but the Mane-iac was ready. She flew out of the way towards Zapp, and the electrical strike completely missed her. Taking this opportunity, The Mane-iac used her hair and whipped it at the shocked Zapp, who flew high up and sent another bolt of lightning down upon The Mane-iac.
Sunset’s reaction time however was instantaneous. She pressed the button responsible for evasive moves. The Mane-iac dodged, the tip of her hooves just barely escaping the lightning. While dodging, Sunset immediately went to input an attack. Rainbow’s character was still locked in the animation of her missed strike, rendering dodging impossible. Zapp fell to the ground, no longer in her super form. Text appeared on the screen “The Mane-iac wins!” With that, the battle was over.
"HA!" Sunset shouted, a wide grin on her face. "I told you I'd win!" Rainbow pouted and folded her arms.
"Yeah, well, I almost won there," Rainbow said stubbornly. Sunset laughed. Neither of the two girls had to say it, but both could not be happier with the current situation. Sure, to an outsider it might seem like they were just wasting an afternoon in front of the TV screen. To the two of them however, the activity itself didn’t really matter all that much. What did matter is that they were together, and as long as that was true, they couldn’t have been happier.
Rainbow grinned and tightly gripped her controller before declaring, "I challenge you to a rematch!"
Sunset smiled too, and replied, "You're on!" 
All was well.