When it comes to natural beauty, this world really can be just as spectacular as Equestria,” Midnight Sky commented. She was leaning against the railing with her boyfriend, Sunlight. It was cold for sure, but their warm parkas and love for each other kept that fact mostly out of mind. That and the hot cocoa they had both gotten from the visitor’s center not ten minutes ago.
“I’m sure Equestria has its wonders but I’ve never felt like there wasn’t a special magic to the world I live in,” Sunlight said in response. He snuggled up beside her, careful not to jostle the hot drinks they had in opposing hands.
The boarded walkway had been as cold as the frosty white scenery around it, but the viewing platform they stood on had a comforting firestand in the center and benches with a few guests filling them. Little wonder at that given how the night sky had finally started coming into clarity. The sunset was just far enough past its afterglow along with the clouds for the pin points of stars to come into focus.
Stars were hardly the site’s major attraction, though. The viewing platform was suspended partially over the small river that flowed off the cliffside they faced. This was the village’s renowned frozen waterfalls that occurred every winter. Four frozen falls of varying sizes. Two small, one medium, and one large at the center. They shimmered like crystal, sparkling clear with a freeze so strong they practically radiated a haze of frost.
The girl managed to tear her gaze back from the incredible view to exchange it with another. A close and personal view of the one person she loved. They may have shared parents in one sense, but it might have been better to say they didn’t at all given the mechanics of alternate dimensions. In spite of growing up with Rainbow Dash as a close aunt, there was more of Fluttershy in his eyes. A soft kindness to his features and character that might have indicated her influence or perhaps implied Rainbow’s influence hadn’t been the rough and tumble type one might assume.
His gaze had been on the frozen falls as well. When he looked close, the crystal-like ice reflected the dark blue and purple galaxy of the sky above. His eyes traveled there before falling back to meet the eyes of his love. Like the falls, hers were like crystal to him, reflecting the same beautiful expanse of the heavens. Her name was there in the perfection of her eyes.
They shared a bond. A special something that allowed them to sense each other. It let him feel the relaxed and content feelings that were so strong in her, reinforced from his own. It drove him to comment.
“If this is how I feel being here with you then I’d call this vacation a success. I could get lost in your midnight sky forever,” he practically sighed out with the cloudy puffs of his warm breath on the frozen air.
Midnight giggled but didn’t slap him this time. “Either you’re being adorable or that was an incredibly cheesy innuendo.”
That made him blush, though it was hard to see in the lighting and chilling effects of the weather. “I meant your eyes. They’re like an entire galaxy on their own,” he clarified.
She leaned in closer, keeping her cup upright while doing so. Her head came to rest in the crook of his shoulder where she began to feel his own body warmth. She was about to pivot her gaze to continue enjoying the natural wonder when he made to further comment.
“And I’m sure I’d love to get lost in your other places as well.”
SMACK.
It was the loving slap on the arm that had quickly become common place with them. Hardly something that would hurt, especially under the thick clothing they wore. Midnight was laughing too and nearly spilled her drink she had been so mindful of thus far. “Getting bold are we, Mr. Shimmer?”
His girlfriend’s playful response only reinforced his own mood. “Actually, I agree with my ma on this. I get the feeling you’d be the one to push me down onto the rug in front of the fireplace and enact some dangerously sweet romantic makeout. Not me.”
“That was sooo you suggesting what you want me to do,” Midnight smirked.
The boy pretended to be aloof. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he averted his gaze and casually drank from his hot cocoa.
“You’re cute when you’re coy but I prefer when you’re direct,” she purred upon forcing herself into his arms again.
“That’s your job,” he deflected with a sly grin. “Besides, I happen to like it when you take the lead.”
She turned in his arms to catch his eyes. A more serious expression taking over her face. “Well, I guess I did tell you to be direct. I meant with your approaches. Do you really mean what you said?”
“Of course,” he winked. “I’m open to your preferences, though.”
Midnight regained her smile, though more moderate. “Your love is my preference and I already have that. Everything else is minute detail. I’m sure there are things that both of us would like to try.”
“We’ve gotten plenty of practice at kissing, I’d say,” Sunlight hummed as he thought about it.
“How about we take a seat, enjoy our drinks before they cool too much, and soak in the sights while going over our options.”
“Sounds like a plan. One condition.”
“Setting terms, Lighty? What’s the condition?” Midnight rose a brow.
“I really wish you wouldn’t call out my badly-veiled pretexts for requesting intimate interaction you would have initiated regardless,” he smirked.
Middy groaned. “Nice impersonation of mom,” she rolled her eyes.
The boy pretended to push up some imaginary glasses. “Yours or mine?”
“Lets just sit down, you goofball,” she gently pressed him back towards an open bench.
He gave no resistance and, once seated, grabbed her gloved hand with his. With opposing hands, they each sipped the hot cocoa and never noticed the one part of the frozen waterfall that reflected a pair of lovers among the stars.
“So do you want to chance it?” Sunlight gave his girlfriend a half-lidded look. He was laying on the rug in front of the fireplace, both of them back within the cozy confines of their family’s rented cottage. It was warm enough throughout for them to ditch their jackets and winter gear, though long-sleeves shirts remained a good idea. Especially when furthest from the romantic flames.
“What are we talking about again?” Midnight stifled a chuckle as she sat down the drinks they had brought back with them and just finished. It was no time at all to move from behind the tiny kitchen counter to the glow of the living quarters.
Lighty blew her a kiss as she laid down next to him. He considered grabbing a blanket to throw over them but decided it would have resulted in being too warm given the fireplace crackling right next to them. In any case, he couldn’t have asked for anything more romantic. A winter cottage in the mountains with his girlfriend. At least for the moment, alone. The only light was coming from the fireplace and the dimmed down overhead light for the room, which together gave the place a comforting mood even his childhood home lacked (it was a different kind of comforting).
“Oh, just cuddling up and seeing how long we can kiss before we need a break,” he answered as her forehead came to rest upon his own.
“And the risk is being walked in on by your parents?” she guessed.
“It’s not like it’d be that big of a deal,” he encouraged. “Besides, they kiss all of the time when I’m around.”
“Loving pecks and quick ones, I’m sure,” Middy considered and pursed her lips in faux coyishness. “I’m not sure they’d be casually fine with my tongue halfway down your throat.”
“Sure it’d be yours down mine?” he grinned back.
She ditched the look in favor of that of a hungry tiger, an expression of determination he had grown to know well. She rolled him over and climbed atop so she pinned him against the rug. “Oh, we both know what you and I like. You, the hopeless romantic. And me, the girl who gets what she wants.”
His last words were gratuitous. “And what does my one and only love want?”
“You,” she breathed hotly against his lips before joining hers to them.
Since the invention of the kiss, there have only been a half dozen or so kisses that have been considered the most passionate. This one left them all behind.
It started firm but calm. Her hands cradled his head while his arms latched around the small of her back. Neither were content to keep matters static, however. Dynamism was their speed and passion their philosophy. As their tongues met, one of her hands moved smoothly around and over his chest. She wanted to lay against him fully, so it could not remain there comfortably. Meanwhile, one of his hands took a journey as well. Up her spine, sending shivers through her body in the best manner possible until it reached her neck and massaged gently.
“So then I told her: If you like cake so much then why don’t you-” Sunset’s humorous words were cut short when she stopped just inches from sliding the key card on the lock to their cottage. There was a flickering of light poking from the edge of the front window curtain. They had killed the fire before leaving, which meant the “kids” were back.
Twilight, not having been born yesterday, wordlessly put two and two together after glancing at the window Sunset’s gaze remained on. “Ah, we probably shouldn’t disturb them.”
“Disturb them?” Sunset chuckled in response. “Come on, Twily,” she gave a playful jab to her wife’s shoulder. The thick coat and gloves made the move hard to even detect. “It’s a shared cottage. We sleep in there too. Besides, for all we know, our precious boy is just snuggled up with Middy on the sofa while sipping hot cocoa and reading The Little Pony That Could.”
“Your face is serious but I refuse to believe my perfectly smart and intelligent wife honestly believes that,” Twilight rose one brow with her deadpan.
“Oh, it’s not like we’ll walk in and he’ll be groping her butt while they make out,” Sunset scoffed and swiped the key. The door gave an almost quiet beep and flashed green barely before the woman turned the knob and walked in.
Given that it was a relatively small cottage, there was a full view of the living quarters upon entering the warm little home. That included an unobstructed view to the two current occupants. Although the younger pair fumbled about upon entry of the parents, there was no mistaking the scene that had been observed upon initial entry.
“You were right,” Twilight stared holes into her spouse along with her stone cold tone. “He wasn’t groping her butt while they made out. She was groping his butt while they made out.”
Sunset failed to find any embarrassment, however. She knew her son was intimate with Midnight. They were significant others and Sunset could recall very well what she liked doing with Twilight when they were still unmarried girlfriends. Heck, what she still liked doing. So she just grinned and saluted the younger lovers as she continued towards the kitchen. “Keep up the good work, you two!”
Twilight, Sunlight and Midnight all facepalmed.
“I told you it was a risk,” Sunlight groaned.
“What are they going to do? Ground us? We’re all adults, and they obviously had considered what the likely outcome was,” Midnight countered, her hair a tad frizzed from their interactions.
Sunlight combed his fingers through his own medium-length hair and leaned backwards on the rug. “No, you don’t get it. Ma is going to kid me about this for weeks.”
“Months,” Sunset laughed aloud as she grabbed a box of mint cookies from the overhead pantry in the kitchen.
Twilight set their bags down by the sofa after locking the front door. The next thought in her head was actually about the inevitability of Sunset copying that makeout scene on her when it was lights out tonight. The idea was not at all unpleasant, but hardly something she wanted to talk about in front of her son and potential daughter-in-law.
“That’s not so bad,” Midnight gave Lighty a nuzzle before climbing up onto the sofa where Twilight had just sat down. “Though I’m wondering if perhaps...”
Twilight lightened at the girl’s pouty eyes, a tickle of laughter gracing her features in response. “You are incredibly driven, you know that?”
“Huh?” Sunlight missed the hint.
“Would you consider giving me and Lighty the cottage tonight? Exclusively?” Midnight asked. Her request for resumed privacy with Sunlight immediately picked up on by the older woman.
Twilight knew the fiery persistence in Midnight’s eyes. It was the same driven fire that was in her wife when she wanted something really badly or didn’t want to lose something she was enjoying. “I’ve got a better idea, Middy,” she tapped the girl’s nose playfully. “Tomorrow, you two can check out the hot springs Sunny and I were at. You will have all the private time you want there and I’m sure that spending time together in your bathing suits will be a welcome reminder of the time you two first met.”
Midnight looked back to her boyfriend, who put up his thumbs in agreement. She still sighed, though. Perhaps she would sleep on his bed tonight, if only to be held – and hold him in return.