//------------------------------// // Chapter Seven // Story: The Book of Sunlight // by elPossenreisser //------------------------------// “Wow, you guys,” Sunset said as she entered the Sweet Apple Acres barn. “That’s—that’s just—wow.” At this point she didn’t even have to play surprised. She had never expected the girls, her friends, to go to these lengths to throw her a birthday party. Pinkie Pie had once more pulled all the stops. An open area in the middle of the huge barn had been freed of the farm utensils and assorted debris that was usually stored there. Streamers hanging from the ceiling to the floor surrounded it and gave it a shape much like a tent. Off to one side there were two tables. One was loaded with a big cake and various bowls and plates of delicacies. On the other table there were several box-shaped objects covered under a large piece of cloth, and the table itself was cordoned off with several sawhorses and traffic cones. A sign in front of it read, “Birthday line—do not cross before midnight!” “Don’t mention it, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “Now who wants some cider?” “I just have to quickly…” Twilight mumbled and hurried over to the blocked-off table, hiding her present under the cover as well. As Sunset watched her cross the room, she tried to take it all in. The effort her friends put into this party. Before she was able to process a meaningful part of it, Applejack pushed a bottle of cider into her hand. “Here you go.” “So what are we going to do first?” Rarity asked. “Games!” Pinkie Pie yelled, and seemingly out of nowhere tossed a Twister mat on the floor. “Pinkie, today—“ Rarity started. “It’s fine,” Sunset said. “Actually I’d like some games.” “I’d say prepare to have your butt kicked,” Rainbow Dash said with a smirk, “but that’s not how you play Twister.” “You still hopin’ you can beat me, huh,” Applejack smiled. “That’s almost cute.” *** “That was fun,” Rarity said while fanning herself some air with her hands. “Exhausting, but fun.” She gracefully sat down in one of the beanbags Pinkie Pie had brought forth from the depths of the barn. The others did the same. “Yeah, good game,” Applejack agreed. “Not bad, Sunset,” Rainbow Dash said. “Did you practice? I guess I’ma have to stop going easy on you the next time we play.” “Oh, bring it on,” Sunset smirked. “I’ll continue to not hold back.” Rarity sighed. “Do you always have to be so competitive? A game is supposed to be fun.” “I’m not followin’.” “It’s only fun when you’re playing for realzies,” Rainbow Dash said. “I mean, unless you’re kinda into one of the other players, amirite?” “Rainbow, dear, don’t be crass,” Rarity said and sighed. “Just kiddin’, sheesh, Rares.” “I just haven’t given up hope that you’ll one day grow up, dear,” Rarity said. “Unrealistic as it might seem.” “Eh,” Rainbow said. “Outlook not good. I’m only sixteen after all.” The others laughed. “Sixteen?” Twilight asked. “But—“ She turned to Sunset. “How old are you? Or rather, will you be tomorrow?” “Um…” Sunset hesitated. “Actually. Twenty-three.” “What?!” “You mean you coulda bought us booze all along?” “Rainbow!” When the first bout of commotion had ceded, Twilight said, “I figured you’d be a couple of years older than I am. You were Princess Celestia’s student before me, after all.” “Yeah. Well.” “So how come you signed up for a high school if you were so much older?” Rarity asked. Sunset looked down. “Well, it was… I spent some time figuring stuff out after I crossed over to this world. But it was really the most obvious option, since the portal is right in front of the school. So I signed myself up as a student. I figured that it wouldn’t be too hard to seize control of a high school, even without my unicorn magic.” She cleared her throat. “I wasn’t in a great place back then, you could say.” “But you sure are now,” Pinkie said and gave Sunset a hug. “There’s no better place than a party with all your friends!” Sunset smiled. “You’re very right, Pinkie.” “It just still bums me out that you’re old enough to be in college. Heck, to be done with college even,” Rainbow said. “Are you all going to go to college when you’re finished with high school?” Twilight asked. “I do think so,” Rarity said. “I for instance will major in fashion design.” “And you, Applejack?” “Well, um, I dunno,” Applejack said. “Y’know, it’s kinda settled that Big Mac ‘n I are gonna take over the farm, so I don’t know if I’m gonna be leavin’ at all.” “Didn’t you tell me of that course over in Baltimare? Agricultural science?” Rainbow asked. “Yeah… I took a look at that. But I don’t know. It’s pretty far away from home. Granny’s pretty old, and I don’t really like leavin’ her alone. Or Applebloom. ‘Sides, I’m just a bumpkin, so I don’t really see myself fittin’ in with those smart ‘n fancy college folks.” “Or maybe you’re just a wuss.” Rainbow’s accusation was met with an awkward silence. After a few seconds, Rarity said, “Don’t you think that’s way out of line, Rainbow Dash?” “I don’t.” Rainbow jumped up from her beanbag and began pacing in front of the others. “AJ, you’re way smarter than you’re giving yourself credit for. Heck, I wouldn’t have passed history or English without you helping me study. You could kick all kinds of ass in college and you know it. You’re just scared of putting yourself out there.” “Rainbow Dash—!” “It’s okay, Rarity,” Applejack interrupted her. Turning to Rainbow Dash she continued, “You’re right, Dash. I guess I am scared. I belong here, on the farm. With my family. Not in some fancy college.” “You’d still totally ace it,” Rainbow said. “Ya think?” “Yeah.” She crossed her arms and stared at Applejack. “And I’ma give you hell for being such a wimp until you realize it.” Applejack chuckled. “Thanks, Dash. Appreciated.” She reached out with her fist, and Rainbow Dash bumped it. “So, um,” Twilight said. “Pinkie Pie, do you have any plans for college yet?” “I’m not going to college,” Pinkie announced. “I’m going to be a journeyman baker and sweet dessert maker.” “Beg your pardon?” “I’m going to travel across the country and work for bakers and pastry chefs from everywhere! Whinnypeg, and Manehattan, and Seaddle, and Vanhoover, and Las Pegasus—and I’m going to learn how to make all the bestest desserts and cakes and cookies and muffins and crumpets and waffles and maybe even crêpes!” As she stopped and took a deep breath Pinkie pulled a plate full of cupcakes out of somewhere. “Cupcake, anyone?” “That sounds really nice,” Fluttershy said in her usual small voice. “I mean… you know… for you… you like baking… and meeting people… so…” “I totally do!” Pinkie Pie agreed. “What about you? You could come along! The one thing that’s better than one grandmaster dessert chef is two grandmaster dessert chefs!” “Um, thanks, Pinkie Pie, but I… I don’t think I…” She trailed off. “So what’re you gonna do?” Applejack asked her. “I’m going to… I want to… I’d like to be a veterinarian. But…” “But?” “I’m not sure I’m smart enough for that. You need to be very smart.” “Sugarcube, you are smart enough. If a bumpkin like me is, then so are you. Ya just need a bit of confidence.” “I guess so?” “And we can all help you with that, right, girls?” The others gave agreeing cheers. “See? If you wanna be a veterinarian, ain’t nothing gonna stop you.” Fluttershy smiled at them. “Yes, I know. With you girls, I can do anything.” “You got any place in mind?” Rainbow asked, “Um… maybe… I’ve read that Seaddle has a good veterinary medicine course.” “Seaddle, huh,” Rainbow mused. “Eighth place in their soccer division last year. They could use an awesome player like me.” “You’re going to Seaddle too?” Fluttershy asked, “Really?” “Sure, why not. It’s probably not too bad to finally have a plan, am I right?” “Wait—did you decide to go to Seaddle just now, just because…?” Rarity asked. “Just because of me?” Fluttershy finished, almost whispering. Rainbow waved it off. “Like I said, their team could use someone like me.” She looked away and scratched the back of her head. “And I dunno… I could give you a hand socializing or whatever, if you want…” Fluttershy stared at her for a second or two before she launched herself from her beanbag to hug Rainbow Dash. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash! That would be so great!” “What a wonderful idea, Rainbow Dash!” Rarity chimed in. “Gee, guys, can you cut the mushy stuff now? That’s embarrassing…” The other girls laughed. When they had calmed down again, Rarity turned around and asked, “And what about you, Sunset?” Sunset involuntarily looked sideways to Twilight who gave her a reassuring smile. With a sigh she said, “I wish I knew. According to my original plan I would have been the ruler of this dimension by now. Maybe Equestria as well. So a higher education was never really something I considered.” She gave them a feeble smile. “It’s definitely for the better, but that also means I have to think about my future now.” She cast another sideways glance at Twilight. Any plans for her future would inevitably entail Twilight as well, whatever Sunset decided to do. “Will you stay here?” Rarity asked. “That’s a big part of what I need to think about,” Sunset said. “I’m not sure I’m ready to return yet.” Or ever, she added in her thoughts. Would her feeling of guilt ever subside to a point where facing Princess Celestia would be at least theoretically possible? She felt Twilight’s hand squeezing her shoulder. “I’ll be there for you if you decide to return. And I’d be very happy to have you over in Ponyville.” “Thanks, Twi… it’s just…” “I understand. It’s your call. Whatever you decide to do, I’ll support you.” “Guyyys, you’re killing me!” Rainbow whined. “How about some horseshoes?” *** Twilight Sparkle stopped the car a few hundred yards away from the farmyard. A half-moon was providing some pale light, and there were some lights showing around the farm—a single lantern outside the farmstead, and a few faintly illuminated windows in a big building that looked like a barn. At least there were people still up. With some luck the mysterious girl that had come out of the plinth in front of Canterlot High was among them, and maybe Twilight would be able to learn something about her. “And also what in the heck people are doing at night in a barn,” she murmured to herself. Then she picked up Spike and held him up in front of her face. “Spike, I need you to stay in the car and be really really quiet, you understand? I won’t be for long.” Spike wagged his tail and licked her cheek. “Good boy!” She sat him on the passenger seat—which she had of course covered in an old blanket, no need to get yelled at by her parents over dog hair—and carefully stepped out of the car, making sure to close the door very softly. The night was chilly. Twilight slowly walked along the side of the road until she reached the gate to the farmyard. It was open, and the yard itself empty, as far as she could tell in the dim light. Now that she was closer she could hear the faint base of music. Twilight was aware of some well-established studies regarding the positive effect of music on certain livestock, so maybe that was what was going on. She only hoped there was no dog. Skimming the edge of the illuminated patch of yard Twilight sneaked around the yard and towards the barn. No sudden barks disrupted the relative quiet, and she made it to the far corner of the barn. There was definitely music playing inside, although it was most certainly not Neighzart whose works had been scientifically proven to have the strongest positive effects on livestock. Only when she reached the closest window after a few more yards of careful sneaking she realized what was really going on inside the barn—a party! Although she could only see four of the girls, the way they were dancing strongly suggested that the others were right in the blind spot behind one of the barn’s wooden beams. She easily identified Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity. “A party! Of course!” Twilight whispered to herself. Whatever was the deal of the strange visitor and that Sunset Shimmer girl—it looked like these Canterlot High girls were also friends with them. Twilight pulled out her energy meter and had a quick look at the display, but there was no reading. Apparently the visitor and her friend were only emitting energy at certain times. Suddenly the very dog she had hoped wouldn’t be there began barking over in the farm house. Twilight jumped and had to hold onto the barn’s wall. At least it seemed like those inside hadn’t noticed the dog—but that didn’t mean others in the house wouldn’t! She hastily retreated to the car. Just before she reached the car she heard a door being opened, and the barking got louder. “What is it you’re hearin’, Winona?” a young girl asked. “I can’t see anything. Is it them ‘coons again?” Twilight held her breath, praying that the girl and her dog wouldn’t come outside to investigate. She was lucky. The girl said, “There ain’t nothing here. Come, Winona! Good girl! Good watchdog!” The dog ceased its barking, and then the house’s front door was closed. With a relieved sigh she opened the car door—quiet, quiet!—and got back inside. Once sitting she took a minute to think over the things she had found out. Discouragingly little. She had established that these girls were friends—for which the affectionate welcome outside the diner had already been a strong indicator. There were no energy readings, and she still hadn’t found a pattern for them. And she had confirmed that girl Applejack’s home, which had never really been doubtful at all. So, a whole lot of effort for almost nothing. She considered for a second to stay here, in the car, and keep up the observation, but then dismissed the notion. There wasn’t a lot to be gained, and it was going to be cold and uncomfortable. Nonetheless it had been a very productive day. She knew who was involved and where everybody lived, including that Sunset Shimmer girl from whom she had picked up energy levels earlier. She was fairly certain that the statue plinth housed some sort of passage, a wormhole or something similar. All she needed now was a plan to figure out the remaining details, and then write a paper about everything. With her mind’s gears turning she drove back—and only made herself stop pondering all possible scenarios after she had almost crashed the car into the roadside ditch. *** The music faded, and the seven girls stopped dancing, some of them catching their breath. Pinkie Pie hadn’t held back on energetic music. Applejack took the opportunity and refilled a bunch of glasses with cider, passing them out to her grateful friends. Pinkie Pie knelt down in front of one of the tables and suddenly brought forth a chocolate cake with twenty-three burning candles on top of it. “Only two more minutes!” she squealed. “Sunset! Get ready for the candles!” Before Sunset knew what was happening the other girls had urged her in front of the table and stood around her in a half circle. She took a moment to appreciate the cake, which had her cutie mark drawn in colorful icing. Not that her human form had a cutie mark, but apparently Pinkie Pie had guessed correctly that the symbol she wore on many items of clothing meant a lot to her. “Guys,” she stammered, trying to get the word past the lump in her throat. “Thank you so much. I don’t know what to say.” “Don’t say anything!” Pinkie squealed. “You are not allowed to tell us what you’re gonna wish for, or else it won’t come true! Thirty-four more seconds!” The others laughed. Sunset turned around in search of Twilight who was smiling at her. “Ten!” Pinkie started the countdown. The others joined in. As they reached five everyone was shouting the numbers at the top of their lungs. “Three! Two! One!” “Happy birthday Sunset Shimmer!” A hail of streamers, confetti, and balloons erupted from above and showered the girls. Everyone cheered, and then Sunset found herself at the center of a seven girl group hug. “Blow out the candles! The candles!” Pinkie cried. The others reluctantly let go of her, and Sunset turned to the cake. “You can do it, Sunset! We super believe in you!” Sunset took a deep breath and blew. When the last candle died her friends cheered again. “Presents!” The sawhorses and the cloth on the present table had somehow disappeared, revealing half a dozen cheerfully wrapped gifts. Sunset slowly headed to the table and picked up the first box and tore off the wrap. Inside was a tin tankard with an apple on the side. “Try your cider from this, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “A world of difference, promise.” “Thank you, Applejack!” She set down the tankard and proceeded to the next gift. Carefully wrapped in pale pink paper and adorned with bunny stickers she found a pair of thick woolen mittens. “I really hope you like them.” “They’re perfect!” Sunset said. “Just what I need now that winter is coming.” When she tore open the next gift, another cloud of confetti exploded into her face. Sunset wiped her eyes and looked at the item inside the paper, perplexed. “Pinkie Pie, is that… a gun?” “It’s a party gun!” Pinkie explained. “It’s a smaller version of the party cannon. More portable. For emergencies, like for when you’re really happy and want to burst or cause a confetti explosion but are too far from the nearest party cannon!” Sunset laughed. “Well, thank you!” “Try it!” Sunset aimed the gun over her friends’ heads and pulled the trigger. A veritable stream of confetti and streamers accompanied by a surprisingly powerful bang erupted from the gun. Pinkie Pie cheered. She opened the next present which was wrapped in several intricately folded layers of silver foil. Inside was a black and purple skirt. Sunset held it in front of her hips and saw that the hemline was diagonal, and that her cutie mark had been embroidered on the front. “Wow, thank you, Rarity!” “Well, it’s not going to be suitable for the next months, I’m afraid, but when I pictured you wearing this I had to make it.” “I’ll wear it as soon as the weather allows,” Sunset promised. “Thank you so much!” Out of impulse she hugged Rarity. Two gifts remained on the table. Sunset’s curiosity let her pick Rainbow’s present first. To her surprise she found a book inside the paper. “The 45 greatest soccer matches in history? Really, Rainbow?” Applejack scolded. “It’s the greatest book you’ll ever read, I swear,” Rainbow said. “Those matches are milestones of sports history! The goals! The strategies! They even have some transcripts of the original commentating!” “Thanks, Rainbow,” Sunset quickly said before more comments could be made. “I’m sure it’ll be a good read. I need to brush up on human history anyway.” Rainbow extended her fist and Sunset bumped it—right before Rainbow turned to Applejack and blew her a raspberry. Now only Twilight’s present was left. Before she picked it up Sunset turned to take a quick look at her Equestrian friend. Twilight smiled back and bit her lip, as she often did when she was nervous. Sunset opened the package and was not surprised to find a book. The nature of the book, however, was unexpected. Not only was it Gusty the Great, but through some weird twist of fate it was also the very same edition Sunset used to have as a filly. The one Princess Celestia had read to her from, and then gifted her. “See, I’m not the only one gifting a book!” Rainbow said somewhere far far away. Sunset examined the book. It was obvious that it wasn’t new but rather at least ten years old, judging by the color of the pages. She carefully opened the first page and read the dedication: My faithful student Twilight Sparkle, for your seventh birthday I want to gift you this book which has been known to alleviate homesickness and other ailments. Your teacher, Princess Celestia. “She gave you a copy too,” Sunset whispered. Then she read the second dedication that had been penned underneath. Dear Sunset, happy birthday! May this book help you if you ever feel sad, and my you never really need it. Lots of love, Twilight. “Do you like it?” Twilight asked. “Of course I do!” Sunset exclaimed. She put the book down, turned to Twilight and pulled her into an enthusiastic hug. “Thank you so much,” she whispered, holding on to Twilight. “This means a whole lot to me, coming from you, and…” She trailed off. “I’m glad you like it,” Twilight replied softly. Sunset let go of Twilight and took her hands. “You’re gonna have to read it to me now, you know that,” she said, looking into Twilight’s eyes. Twilight giggled but didn’t break eye contact. “Of course I do. I’m looking forward to it.” They kept looking into each other’s eyes. Sunset tried to think of something to say, something about the present or the party or anything, but found that she just couldn’t focus on words, not while she was looking into Twilight’s beautiful dark purple eyes. And even less so with Twilight gently holding both her hands. She felt completely defenseless, but for the first time since she could think she didn’t feel the urge to keep her guard up. “Just kiss already!” Rainbow Dash shouted from somewhere outside their little sphere. “Ow!” Sunset felt the heat rise in her cheeks, and she could see that Twilight was blushing as well. But neither of them turned away or lowered their gaze. When Twilight gave her a lopsided sheepish smile, Sunset knew that their first kiss was only seconds away. She bit her lip and softly tugged at Twilight’s hands, trying to breathe around the sudden lump in her throat. *** “You’re gonna have to read it to me now, you know that,” Sunset said, looking into Twilight’s eyes. Twilight thought of the few times she had read to Sunset Shimmer, and how adorable she had looked while she was listening, completely immersed in the story. She’d probably look like a happy little filly when they turned to Gusty the Great. Absolutely adorable. She giggled. “Of course I do. I’m looking forward to it.” Sunset kept looking into her eyes. Twilight noticed a single stray lock of red hair dangling in front of Sunset’s forehead, but she didn’t break eye contact. It felt strange, looking into each other’s eyes this long without break and without saying anything. But there was nothing to say. There were only Sunset and herself. “Just kiss already! Ow!” Applejack chastised her, she thought absentmindedly. And then she heard the voice of the other Rainbow Dash in her head: Just go for it and smooch her. Don’t overthink it. Not surprised she realized that she really wanted to. She gave Sunset a lopsided smile, and in response Sunset tugged on her hands as if signaling her to come closer. Oh my gosh it’s really happening! Twilight slowly moved in, only now lowering her gaze to look at Sunset’s lips. Sunset half closed her eyes and also moved in. She slightly tilted her head, and Twilight just had time to realize that their noses were brushing past each other, and that she could feel Sunset’s breath on her skin before their lips met. Sunset slowly moved her lips around Twilight’s, who at first was too stunned by the sensation to do more than just take in every last bit of it. Only now she realized that at some point she had closed her eyes. She tried to mimic Sunset’s motions and was delighted when Sunset started following her rhythm. Much too soon Sunset pulled back. Twilight opened her eyes looked into Sunset’s smiling face. Was she supposed to say anything? Without thinking, she instead brought her right hand up and caressed Sunset’s cheek. Rainbow Dash broke the spell. “Wow, Flutters, you have quite the punch!” “I’m so sorry, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy squealed. “It just seemed so crass, the way you said… that…” “Good one though,” Rainbow said, rubbing her arm. “Who wants more cider?” “Happy birthday, Sunset,” Twilight whispered. “Thanks. It really is,” Sunset replied, smiling. Only now she broke eye contact. “Let’s get some cake, what do you say?” she said and pulled Twilight along on one hand. Twilight followed her, looking around at her friends. Everyone was smiling at her, but other than that they didn’t make a big deal out of their kiss. Thank goodness, Twilight thought. What’s different now? she wondered while she watched Sunset cut the cake. Glad for the short respite she took a moment to take stock of herself. She was obviously still her same old self. As for her relationship with Sunset— Were they now a couple? She wasn’t sure. But more importantly, she didn’t think it made all that much of a difference. Whatever their official status was, she was still certain of how much Sunset meant to her, and she was confident that the feeling was mutual. They’d still be spending a lot of time together. They’d read Gusty the Great together. And there would be their date next week. And there’d be more kisses. At least she hoped so. *** After the cake and present break Pinkie turned the music on again, but considering the late hour she picked some slower tracks. Or maybe she had a different idea, Sunset thought as the other girls took to the dancefloor. With a soft smile on her face she stood up and joined the others on the dancefloor. But instead of starting to sway back and forth in the rhythm she tapped Twilight on the shoulder and managed a reasonable bipedal curtsy. With a grin she asked, “May I have this dance?” Twilight looked surprised for a second, but then she nodded. Sunset took her hand and led her a few paces away; not that she needed to, but it seemed like the right thing to do. She put her hands around Twilight’s neck, and Twilight put hers around her waist. They started swaying to the music, again looking into each other’s eyes. The song was slow enough so that they didn’t have to pay a lot of attention to their steps. Sunset wondered if she should say anything. But if she was completely honest with herself, chatting wasn’t what she really wanted. What she actually wanted to do was steal another kiss from Twilight. For an instant her gaze fell on Twilight’s lips, and as she looked back she noticed that Twilight also looked down for a split second. So their kiss hadn’t been a fluke. She pulled Twilight in closer, and the other girl happily obliged. Sunset closed her eyes and again tilted her head, but this time Twilight must have mirrored the motion, and their noses bumped together. “Oh, sorry, I,” stammered Twilight. Sunset giggled, but left her eyes closed. “Here, let me. Human anatomy is tricky like that.” She withdrew her right hand and let it rest gently on Twilight’s cheek. Steadying her head, Sunset tilted hers to the right and moved in, still not looking, just letting herself be guided by her other senses. She could feel Twilight’s proximity and her warm breath right before she found her lips. She started caressing Twilight’s cheek as she playfully tugged on her lower lip. To her great joy, Twilight picked up on her motions and joined in almost immediately when she slightly parted her lips. Sunset lowered her left hand and pulled Twilight closer so that they were now pressed against each other. Twilight in turn brought her hands up and started caressing the nape of her neck. Sunset sighed. Only as somewhere in the background the song ended and their friends started talking and snickering again, she slowly found her way back to the real world. Smiling she withdrew from the kiss, making sure to brush the side of her nose against Twilight’s. Twilight opened her eyes and looked at her dreamily. “Hey,” Sunset murmured. “Hey yourself.” “Um, hate to interrupt,” Applejack said, “but we were thinking of calling it a night, lie down, maybe tell some ghost stories before we fall asleep. What do you think?” A very vivid image flashed through Sunset’s mind: she and Twilight in bed, cuddled up under her blanket as always, not a bit of space between them, and their hands and lips… She blushed violently. “Yeah, I, that…” she stammered. *** Applejack had prepared beds on the upper floor of the barn in the fresh hay. The girls made themselves comfortable under heaps of blankets in the cold barn, and in the light of a single torch Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash took turns telling a rather convoluted and chaotic ghost story. Sunset was hunched under a blanket, holding Twilight tight, as she listened to the absurd story. They laughed with the others as they pointed out flaws in the plot, but Sunset’s mind was only half there. The other half was trying to come to grips with the reality of holding Twilight in her arms. And of the kisses. She wanted to jump around and shout out her joy for all the world to hear. Instead she settled for gently stroking Twilight’s side under the blanket. Not too bad a deal. She was trying to understand what had happened, but it didn’t seem like there was anything to understand. From the first time she wrote to Twilight, telling her that she missed her, to now, to whatever they were now, it all just seemed natural. As if all this time she had been heading this way. And Twilight along with her. I wonder when she started feeling it. After all, Twilight had gone out with Flash Sentry first. Well, in fairness, that makes two of us. She rested her chin on Twilight’s shoulder. All good on that particular front. Yep, things are definitely looking up. Rainbow and Pinkie finished their story in a bout of giggles—and without making a whole lot of sense, and one by one the girls settled down and got ready to sleep. Sunset and Twilight lay down next to each other, just like they used to do when they stayed at Sunset’s. Again, Sunset wondered how much had changed. As if to prove her point, Twilight turned around, facing her, and planted a kiss on her nose. “Good night, Sunset.” Yep, that has definitely changed. A mischievous grin curled her mouth. “Say, just how tired are you, Twilight?” she whispered, and to make her point she brushed the tip of her nose against Twilight’s. Twilight suppressed a giggle. “Not overly,” she whispered back. *** After an indefinite time of increasingly passionate make-outs they finally settled down. Their friends were sleeping; Rainbow Dash was even snoring. Twilight lay with her back to Sunset, who had her arm gently draped over her. Sunset was still trying to figure out how different things felt. Apart from the make-outs, she still couldn’t say. Especially just holding Twilight like this was almost familiar by now. “Our date is still on, right?” Twilight asked, tearing her out of her reverie. “Absolutely,” Sunset replied with a smile. “Oh, good. I was worried it might be off because we’re… because now we’re…” She turned around to face Sunset again, bringing forth very welcome memories of only a few minutes back. “What exactly are we now?” You’re bringing this up now?? “I’d think that we’re girlfriends now,” Twilight continued. “But are we? I’ve never had…” “I’d like that,” Sunset cut her off. “Girlfriend.” “Girlfriend.” Twilight smiled at her. “So that’s all there’s to it? We agree that we’re girlfriends, and then we just are?” “I think so,” Sunset mused. “Have you really never…? Or a boyfriend either?” “No, I haven’t,” Twilight said. “I guess I was always too much of a shut-in.” She sounded a bit dejected, as if she considered her lack of experience a weakness of character. “Or you just haven’t found the right one yet,” Sunset purred with way more self-confidence than she felt. To make her point clear, she planted a kiss on Twilight’s cheek. “We’ll figure it out as we go. I think that’s kinda what you’re supposed to do anyway.” “We can do this, right?” Twilight asked. “We can still go on dates, and we can meet with our friends, and we can—“ “Do all kinds of things,” Sunset whispered hoarsely, grateful that the darkness hid her blush. “It’s not going to be that different, don’t you think?” Twilight asked, repeating Sunset’s exact thoughts. “Probably not,” Sunset said. “I guess we were pretty close before anyway.” I guess I liked you a lot right from the start, Sunset thought. She would have liked to spell it out and share her feelings with Twilight, but once more she found it hard. Not that there was a lot of reasonable doubt left that Twilight didn’t feel the same for her, not after tonight… but still. So instead of saying it she gently kissed Twilight’s lips to get the message across. “We’ll never get to sleep if we continue like this,” Twilight purred. “Not that I mind.” That was all the invitation Sunset needed. She pulled Twilight closer and turned on her back so that Twilight now lay on top of her. Sleep could wait. *** Having returned home from her fruitless trip to the farm, Twilight Sparkle did what she did best—she made a plan. She was so close to resolving the mystery of the energy spikes; she knew who was involved, where they lived, even where they were right now. This was the time to act and to piece together all the missing links. On a big sheet of paper she sketched the outlines of her plan, where she’d be lying in wait, and when, and which other useful tools she would put into use. Ideally she would be able to get a direct recording of the hoodie-wearing visitor and her friend, that Sunset Shimmer, as they passed through the mysterious gate in the plinth. There would also be an interview, and probably some spectrograph recordings. All that was needed was flawless preparation. *** Sunset and Twilight were the last to wake up and join the others for breakfast in the big farm kitchen. They quickly got dressed in the cold morning air, left the barn and hurried across the empty farmyard. Holding each other’s hand they entered the farmhouse. The wonderful smell of coffee and bacon welcomed them. Their friends were all seated around the big kitchen table. Except for Rainbow Dash, who was still munching on an omelet, it seemed that they were all done eating. “Mornin’!” Applejack greeted them. “Don’t worry none, we kept you some of everything.” “I still say if you keep yourselves up all night it’s your own fault,” Rainbow said between two bites, grinning as both Sunset and Twilight blushed profoundly. “Hush, you,” Rarity cut in. “Sit down. Coffee?” Without waiting for a reply she filled two cups with coffee and gestured to the two chairs. “Thank you,” Twilight murmured. Not letting go of Sunset’s hand she sat down and picked up the steaming mug. “Morning, girls,” Sunset added. “Y’all look like you hardly slept at all,” Applejack commented, smirking. “But that’s likely a good thing.” Sunset and Twilight inadvertently looked at each other and couldn’t contain a happy grin. The other girls broke into laughter. Sunset nodded, her cheeks burning. It was embarrassing to be called out like that, but at the same time it felt nice. Her friends didn’t mean to upset her; behind their banter they were, Sunset felt, genuinely happy for them. She helped herself to some pancakes and scrambled eggs while Twilight seemed content to nurse her coffee mug. That’s right, she doesn’t eat right after getting up. After breakfast they took to cleaning up the barn. Among the seven girls the work went quickly enough, and soon they had filled two big bags with assorted streamers, confetti, and popped balloons, and surprisingly small amounts of leftover snacks. The blankets were returned to the farmhouse, and before noon the barn looked like a regular barn again and not like a warzone. After that, Applejack loaded all the girls into the truck and drove them into town. *** Twilight Sparkle had chosen Donut Joe’s as her vantage point for this morning’s operation. It was close enough to Canterlot High to be able to intervene, in case anything went wrong, and it offered free Wi-Fi so she could easily access all the project documents on her cloud drive. Borrowing the drone over the weekend was probably in violation of school regulations, but Twilight was well aware that sometimes great science required bending the rules. Also, maybe even more importantly, it was warm inside Donut Joe’s. Twilight had made it a point to get up and be at her station early, much earlier in fact than she suspected the seven girls to be up again after a night of partying, and she was at her third hot chocolate. It was better to overdose a little bit on hot chocolate than to miss the opportunity. The quadcopter was in position about a hundred yards above the statue outside Canterlot High, with another two hours of battery power, rotating in irregular patterns to make sure the camera covered all possible approaches. She would have liked to have some sort of pattern recognition software to alert her when anyone got close to the statue, but she hadn’t had the time to write something up. Thus she was forced to keep her eyes on her phone’s screen at all times to make she didn’t miss anything the drone saw. Unsurprisingly, on a Sunday morning, there was hardly anybody to be seen around Canterlot High. But Twilight was certain enough that there would be activity at some point. By her calculations a small risk remained that the visitor wouldn’t pass through the statue again today. In this case though it was save enough to assume that they would stay at that Sunset Shimmer’s apartment. According to her plan, if they didn’t show up until one o’clock, Twilight’s plan was to stake out that apartment instead, and set up a new occasion to intercept them. She got lucky. Just as she was about to finish her third hot chocolate the ‘copter picked up the familiar red pickup truck that belonged to the farm girl, that Applejack. And sure enough she saw that the cabin was packed with all seven girls, including the hooded visitor—easy enough to spot for Twilight’s keen eye despite her attempts to hide her identity. “Showtime,” she whispered, and gave the ‘copter the command to lower until she was only forty yards above the statue and ready to pounce even lower. *** “It’s such a pity that you have to leave us again so soon,” Rarity said when they all climbed out of the car. “Actually,” Sunset said, seizing both of Twilight’s hands and giving her an exaggerated pout. “But I promised my friends back in Equestria that we would mmmpf!” Sunset interrupted Twilight’s self-defense with an unexpected kiss. The others laughed. “It’s alright, sugarcube, they’re all just teasin’,” Applejack said. “Yes, we understand,” Fluttershy chimed in. “We do,” Sunset reassured her. “We may wish you would stay the night, but we do understand.” To reinforce her point she gave Twilight another kiss. “It’s just gonna get mushier and mushier, isn’t it,” Rainbow Dash complained. “Jealous, Dash?” Applejack teased. “Nah, I don’t have time to date anyone, I’m too busy being awesome,” Rainbow Dash retorted without missing a beat. “If’n ya say so,” Applejack smirked. “Don’t listen,” Rarity said. “We’re all very happy for you. You’ll be a wonderful couple.” She leaned in and added in a conspiratorial whisper, “And we understand that you’ll need a fair bit of time for yourselves.” “Mushier and mushier,” Rainbow Dash mumbled while the others expressed their agreement. Sunset pulled Twilight into a tight hug. “We need to get this over with or else I’m never gonna let you go back,” she whispered. Twilight giggled. “It’s only going to be two days.” “I know,” Sunset whined. “It’s going to be horrible! I’ll just wrap myself into a blanked and think about how much I miss you all the time.” Upon seeing Twilight frowning, she quickly added, “Sorry, I’m not trying to guilt you into staying. Just trying to be, well, affectionate? I’m kinda new to this!” Twilight’s expression softened. “In that case your sentiment is very much appreciated. I shall do the same whenever I have any spare time.” “Write me when you do so we can be miserable together.” Twilight smiled and rubbed her nose against Sunset’s. “I will.” “What the heck is that?” Rainbow’s sudden shout tore them out of their reverie. Looking around, they saw Rainbow pointing up at something, a small flying object that was zipping around only a few yards above their heads. “A drone!” The drone came lower until it was almost at their height and, and flew a quick tight circle around the six girls and the plinth. “Crystal Prep!” Rainbow hissed and pointed at the small logo printed on the drone’s hull. “Five bucks say that’s that meddling girl again!” “That’s a bet I ain’t gonna take,” Applejack growled. ”What the heck is her problem?” “I don’t care about her problems! She’s a spy!” Rainbow faced the drone and yelled at it, “Buzz off! Or I’ll be coming for you!” The drone didn’t budge. “You asked for it,” Rainbow mumbled and picked up a rock from the ground. “I’ve always liked some casual baseball.” She took aim at the speeding drone and threw the rock. It missed by only a few inches and landed past the statue. “Consider this a warning!” *** “Abort! Abort!” Twilight mumbled and hurried to pull the drone up. Who would have thought that this crazy girl with the crazy hair would start throwing rocks at her ‘copter! She shuddered thinking of the trouble she would be in if the drone got damaged while she had it with her over the weekend for an unauthorized science project. Maybe sometimes science does need to follow the rules, she thought as the drone gained height. Another rock went wide, but then she was out of harm’s way, rising steady and approaching a hundred and fifty yards altitude. Only then her anger set in. “What in the world is she thinking?” she mumbled to herself. “People could get hurt! Equipment could get damaged! What the hell is she thinking!” She steadied the drone at a hundred and eighty yards and pointed the camera at the square in front of Canterlot High again. “Blast!” she cursed. She didn’t need another look to realize that the visitor had vanished. Five of the girls were boarding the truck again, and the sixth, that Sunset Shimmer, was waving them as the truck drove away. Then she set into motion, heading towards her apartment. Twilight had missed it again! And due to the tight embrace that Sunset Shimmer and the visitor had shared before Twilight had lowered the drone far enough had kept her from seeing the visitor’s face. At this point she wasn’t even certain they were human! What a complete and utter failure! But not next time. If these girls were willing to risk the destruction of her ‘copter and thus get her into all kinds of trouble in school, she would instead take different measures. She would crack this nut, at any cost! *** When Twilight arrived back in her palace, she was exhausted. The lack of sleep from the night before made itself noticed. She took the magic book from the portal, checked in on Spike who was lounging in the kitchen and reading a comic, and then retired for an extended nap. If she was going to have tea with the other girls and actually be conscious, she would need a few good hours of sleep. But before she actually went to sleep, she penned a short message to Sunset. Are you as exhausted as I am? I’m ready to sleep through the entire day. She didn’t have to wait long for a reply. Same. I’m already in bed, can barely keep my eyes open. Twilight smiled and was about to write another short note to wish Sunset sweet dreams when a postscript arrived in the familiar glow. Not regretting a thing though. Twilight chuckled. Nopony saw her blush. I don’t regret anything either. See you soon. She bit her lip and then added, We won’t get a lot of sleep again, will we? Sunset’s answer made her laugh. Not if I can help it. Sweet dreams! “I think I have a pretty good idea what I’ll be dreaming of,” Sunset, lying in her bed in her human apartment, whispered to herself, putting the book on her nightstand. “Good night, Sunset,” Twilight said to her empty bedroom and extinguished the last candle with a flick of her magic *** Did you get a good rest? I’m still debating if I should get up anytime soon. Twilight smiled, wistfully cuddling into her pillows. I’m meeting the girls for tea soon, so I don’t have a choice. She got up and absentmindedly hovered her brush over to start working on her mane. Just as she was about to leave the room there was a loud knock. “Twilight!” Spike called from outside. “Time to get up!” “Thank you, Spike,” she replied as she opened the door. The little dragon almost jumped in surprise. Twilight chuckled. “I was just getting up.” Hmm, tea sounds like a good idea. Thanks, now you made me lust for pancakes, Sunset wrote. “Will you be alright?” Twilight asked as they descended the stairs towards the ground floor. “Sure you don’t wanna come?” “Nah, it’s cool. I’m gonna try my claw at some gem-sprinkled muffins while you’re out.” He nodded towards the kitchen. “And after that I probably won’t be able to move for some time.” Twilight nuzzled his headfins. “Enjoy your muffins. I’ll see you later tonight.” Then she opened the door with a quick flick of her magic and left. “Have fun!” Just imagine how wonderful a stack of hot, fluffy pancakes would be right now, she teased Sunset. Instead of a proper reply, Sunset just drew her a stylized round face that stuck out its tongue. A few ponies turned and looked as Twilight stopped in the center of the market square, shaking with fits of uncontrolled laughter. She couldn’t help but tease Sunset some more. At least now I know what I’m getting tonight. Thanks! Twilight was the first to arrive. Mrs. Cake told her that Pinkie Pie was in the last stages of baking a batch of cupcakes, and would be out soon. Twilight sat down at their regular table, but didn’t order anything without her friends. Fine, you did it, I’m going to Donut Joe’s. Happy now? The door opened, and four of her friends came in together, happily greeting her. Twilight quickly wrote, Very happy. And you’ll be too when you get your pancakes. The girls just came in, so I may be late to reply. “Urgent news from the human world again?” Rarity asked, raising her eyebrow. “My, whatever were they doing before you first got there?” Behind her harmless teasing question there was more; Rarity’s eyes were shining with barely-held curiosity. “Just some idle chitchat to pass the time,” Twilight replied innocently. At the same time she wondered just how Rarity knew. She had told them of the date, but that was only due the following weekend. If she hadn’t really expected things to progress so quickly, how could Rarity know? “Yeah, it’s almost as if the two of you didn’t just spend a couple days together,” Rainbow remarked with a smug grin. “Can’t wait till your date, huh?” Mrs. Cake interrupted them and took their tea orders. “It’s called restraint, Dash,” Applejack said when she was done. “Some ponies have it.” Twilight felt her ears heat up. She cursed herself for not having this under control, because there was no doubt Rarity and probably some of the others— “Twilight, dear,” Rarity purred with a voice as soft as velvet. “Did anything happen last night?” “Well… the girls organized a surprise party for Sunset’s birthday at Sweet Apple Acres,” Twilight said, staring at the table. “So, um, that happened.” But even mustering every last bit of willpower she possessed couldn’t keep her happy grin in check. “Do go on.” Suddenly Sunset wrote, I just had to eat an entire stack of pancakes all by myself since I couldn’t share them with you. Really good, just not the same <3 “Oh-oh, I think I quickly need to…” Twilight trailed off as she replied, An unmitigated tragedy! “You can stall all you want,” Rarity said. “I’m going to get to the core of the matter, darling.” “It’s not that I’m stalling, I just…” Again she was interrupted, this time by Pinkie Pie who burst forth from the kitchen, carrying a tray with a teapot and six cups on her back and another one with a huge heap of cupcakes. She inexplicably didn’t spill a single drop of tea as she bounced to the table and flung her cargo onto the table—but that was Pinkie Pie, Twilight thought as she was pulled into one of the patented group hugs. “Hiii girls! What did I miss?” “Nothing, Pinkie Pie,” Rarity said, still with that velvety voice. “Twilight was just about to tell us what transpired last night at Sunset Shimmer’s birthday party.” “Ooooh!” Pinkie Pie cooed. “A party! Did human-me organize it? Did she have a party cannon? Were the games good? Oh, I bet they were super duper awesome.” “I bet they were,” Rarity purred. “Yes, well, we—“ Her smile never faltering, Rarity tried a different angle. “How did Sunset Shimmer like your present?” This was the question that could but bring Twilight down in an instant. She blushed violently as she thought back at that particular moment. The sensation of Sunset’s lips on hers, her beautiful teal eyes… “That much, hmm?” Rarity grinned like a Timberwolf ready to pounce on a hapless foal. “Pray tell, please elaborate.” Twilight hung her head. She knew the battle was lost. She had put up as much of a fight as she could, but she had to admit defeat. She didn’t look up as she mumbled, “We kissed.” Rarity squealed in delight. “That’s really nice,” Fluttershy cooed. “Awesome! Party smooches!” Pinkie cried. “Restraint, huh,” Rainbow said. “You’re just jealous, Dash.” “Dear, please don’t leave me hanging like this,” Rarity begged. “I need at least some more details. How did it come to pass?” “I gave her the present,” Twilight said. “When she thanked me, she hugged me. And then it… it just happened. I didn’t plan it, it just… it felt right. I guess I just went with Rainbow’s advice.” Rarity brought her hoof to her forehead, and for a moment Twilight feared she’d summon her fainting couch. “How romantic,” she sighed. “Rainbow ‘Danger’ Dash knows how it’s done,” Rainbow said, leaning back in her chair. “And now everything is new and exciting, isn’t it?” Rarity asked. At this, Twilight started. Was it? Were things new? Different? Between staying up most of the night and her long daytime nap she hardly had had time to think about what everything that had happened meant for her and Sunset, and for their relationship. They had agreed to be girlfriends, but at the end of the day that was just a label. What was more important was how they felt. How she felt towards Sunset. And that didn’t seem too different from, say, two days back. “I don’t really know,” Twilight replied after a while. “Not everything, I’d say. The way I feel about her or how I’m looking forward to seeing her doesn’t seem particularly new. Of course I don’t really have any exact data points to compare this with, but by my estimate the difference is less than eight per cent.” Rarity’s face fell. “That’s a very… precise way of looking at things, I guess?” Twilight maintained her calm and scientific façade for another few seconds before she burst into a fit of giggles. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to make this into a scientific project,” she said. “I’m just teasing. “More to the point, it doesn’t feel all that different, although a few things will be different, no doubt. Like the more, um, physical aspects…” She blushed again. “Sorry, do you mind if I have a quick look at what Sunset wrote?” She opened the book again. I’m not sure I can get up again with all those pancakes I just ate. Just give it some time to digest, Twilight replied. Or you could just come over and rescue me! Because, subtle hints aside, I miss you <3