Spring Break

by pabrony


Nerves

I stepped off the train at Canterlot Station with my eyes looking bloodshot and my eyelids feeling like they were going to close at any moment. I had spent most of the night before trying to satisfy Twi's hormones so that she wouldn't try riding my father when we got to my parents' place. Twi stepped off behind me somehow looking fresh as a daisy, even though she fell asleep after I did. I looked at her and saw she was looking around, checking out the sights of Canterlot.

"What do you think?" I asked her as she came to a stop to my right.

"It's... smaller than what I imagined it would be," she said.

"Well, you have to take into account that most ponies are about two feet shorter than humans, so the buildings don't need to be as high," I reminded her as we resumed walking.

"I forgot about that," she said sheepishly while trying to cover her face with her mane. "Where are we going first? Canterlot Castle or your parents' house?"

"Neither," I told her. "I need some coffee from the best donut shop in the city."

"And that is...?" she asked.

"Oh. Donut Joe's," I replied with a tired grin.

"But I thought you only drank tea when you were Celestia's pupil," she asked with a puzzled look in her eyes.

"I did, but only when we had tea together," I clarified. "Most times if I was by myself or with my family I would drink coffee. Celestia thought it fueled my rage and disrespectfulness toward her."

Twi nuzzled my neck as before replying, "Maybe it did. Caffeine has been known to feed anger in humans so it could be possible. Anyway, I looove seeing you on a caffeine high."

"Why?" I asked cautiously.

She moved closer to my ear and whispered, "Because I think it makes you look sexy."

"WHAT?!" I shouted, causing nearly a dozen other ponies to stop what they were doing and stare at the two of us as we walked down Canterlot's main street. I lit up my horn to move my mane over my face to conceal my embarrassment brought on by my hormonal marefriend.

"Nothing!" Twi sing-songed as she bounced a few steps ahead of me.

What the hay am I gonna do with her? I thought. I can't be dishing out all-night sex marathons the whole time we're here. I don't have that kind of-

"C'mon Slowpoke Sunny," Twi called with a mischievous grin, interrupting my train of thought. "I don't know where Joe's place is at."

I trotted up to her, set a hoof on her muzzle, and whispered as quietly as I could, "I know you have raging hormones right now due to the mirror's sick joke but do you think that you can control your language when we're in public? Please?"

She looked around, finally noticing all the attention she brought upon us and slowly nodded her head. "I'm sorry, Sunny. I've just never been in heat before and I'm really having trouble dealing with these hormones," she whispered.

"I understand that," I sympathized. "But you need to try focusing on other stuff besides your loins. Think about the prom or graduation or what kind of cake you would want for our we-, I mean, your birthday."

Twi's eyes went wide as saucers at part of my ramble. "Wait! Our what?! What are you planning, Sunny?"

"Um, nothing. Hey, there's Donut Joe's shop," I said nervously. "You gotta try his strawberry filled, chocolate iced donuts. They. Are. Heavenly."

"Don't change the subject," Twi chided me. "I wanna know what you were going to say!"

"I, uh, maybe we could talk about it over dinner?" I said as I continued to try avoiding the subject.

"I'll think about it," Twi asked flatly. "But you're going to explain yourself at some point before the day is out."

"Deal," I reluctantly agreed before turning my attention to Donut Joe, who was facing away from the counter. "One extra large, extra strong espresso, hold the cream and sugar, please."

"I recognize that order," he said as he turned around. "Sunset Shimmer! How in the hay have you been?"

I scratched at the floor as he made his way around the counter. "I, um, I've been... studying... abroad."

Twi began giggling and said quietly, "Yeah, in more than one way." I turned and shot her a look expressing my displeasure in her little quip, earning me an innocent-sounding "What?"

"How long has it been?" Joe asked as he gave me a hug.

"Geez, almost four years, I think," I replied with a smile.

"I can tell that you’ve definitely changed," he told me.

"Really? How?" I wondered aloud. "I mean, we just came in a couple minutes ago."

"Well for starters, you never said 'please' when you used to order your coffee," he replied. "And this is the first time I've ever seen you bring a friend in here with you."

I felt my face begin to burn at the last part of his comment, temporarily silencing me.

"Umm, yeah, that's my... uh... marefriend, SciTwi," I managed to get out a minute later.

"A marefriend? You really have changed," he said, his eyes wide in surprise. "I would've pegged you to being alone your entire life."

"Was she really that selfish when she was younger?" Twi asked in awe.

"Selfish, rude, a pain in the flank, but also one of my most loyal customers," Joe told her with a smile. "So how about you two grab yourself a seat and I'll bring your coffee and the usual donut platter in a few minutes."

"Sounds perfect," I said as I led Twi to the booth I would always sit at when I was younger.


A couple hours later, Twi and I left Donut Joe's with a baker's dozen of Twi's new favorite donuts and headed to my parents' house. As the house came into view, I felt my legs begin to lock up.

"Sunny? You okay?" Two asked me as she waved her right hoof in front of my face.

"Uh, yeah. Sure. Nothing... wrong," I stammered. "It's just, well... let's go back to Joe's to get some more donuts and then head back to Ponyville."

"Sunny..." she said in a serious tone. "What's wrong?"

I gave her a nervous smile before replying, "I never told my parents about being dismissed as Celestia's pupil. Or told them I planned to run away to another dimension."

"Okay, well use this time to explain what happened," Twi reassured me. "They've probably been worried sick for the last four years, wondering where you've been."

"Yeah... I hope so," I said quietly as we finally made our way to the door.

After a couple minutes, Twi finally broke the awkward silence that was hovering in the air between us.

"So are you going to ring the bell or am I gonna have to?" Twi asked me.

“Ummm, it doesn't look like anypony's home,” I stalled nervously.

“Ugh, just ring the bell, Sunny.”

I pulled the rope that was connected to the doorbell and immediately turned around to walk away. “Oh well, no one's home,” I said quickly.

Just before I reached the street I heard filly call out, “Shimmy? Is that you?”