//------------------------------// // Volume 2 — 1. A Song for a Song // Story: Her Knight in Sunlit Armor // by AliceLiz //------------------------------// Twilight put her violin down on her bed, stretching her fingers with a satisfied groan. Her last minute practice had gone perfectly. And yet, she could feel sweat staining her t-shirt. With an annoyed huff, she threw the smelly garment into the far corner of her bedroom, before pacing over to her dresser to snatch her deodorant from it. “You’ve got this, Twilight!” she insisted to herself. “You played the song perfectly, just like usual. Sunset is going to love it, and even if she doesn’t, it’s not like she’s gonna leave you or anything,” she laughed nervously to herself. “I set up the scented candles, I did my makeup better than usual, and I picked out a cute outfit…” she trailed off with a huff, picking out a clean t-shirt that Sunset had once complimented her on, and quickly put it on. “And, after I play the song, then…” she took a deep breath. “Your plan is going to work, Twilight. So stop being so darn nervous!” She paced back over to her bed, glancing at her phone to see a new message from Sunset. I’m heading to your place now “Okay,” Twilight muttered under her breath. “She sent that five minutes ago, so if she walks, she won’t be here for another ten minutes, most likely.” Her maths were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing downstairs. “Unless she got a ride with Celestia or Luna, of course,” she added nervously. After a moment’s hesitation, she rushed out of her bedroom and down the stairs, calling out, “I got it!” to her mother on the way. She brushed past Velvet, who had already nearly reached the door before Twilight’s shout. Opening the door, she spotted her redheaded girlfriend standing just outside. Spike rushed in from the living room, wagging his tail excitedly when he came up to Sunset. “Hi, Sunset,” Twilight greeted, biting her lip anxiously. “Hey, Twilight,” Sunset beamed. She leaned in to kiss Twilight, but was stopped at the last moment by the bespectacled girl pressing her hand against her chest. Twilight gave her a significant look, then nodded her head to where her mom was standing behind her. “Oh, hey Mrs. Velvet.” She laughed awkwardly. “Nice to see you again, Sunset,” she greeted. Twilight cleared her throat. “So, Sunset,” she said, hoping to prevent her mom from starting up a conversation. “You’re early.” Sunset quickly recovered from her near slip up. “Yeah, Luna was on her way downtown and gave me a ride,” she explained, pointing a thumb over her shoulder at the driveway, where a car Twilight vaguely recalled having seen before was starting to leave. “Oh, cool,” Twilight said, nodding her head. “Uh, c’mon in.” As soon as Sunset entered, Twilight closed the door behind her and grabbed her by the hand, dragging her towards the stairs. “We’ll be in my room!” she called out to her parents, before rushing back up the stairs with her girlfriend in tow. Sunset let out a small yelp as she was pulled along. Once they were safely back in Twilight’s bedroom, she shut the door and turned the lock. “What was that!?” she hissed. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking,” Sunset fidgeted her thumbs sheepishly. “Sweetie, we’ve been dating for a week. When are you gonna tell your parents?” she pleaded, taking Twilight’s hands in hers. “I hate having to hide this. Having to hide us.” Twilight took a calming breath, enjoying the feeling of her girlfriend’s hands in hers. “I know, I’m sorry. I’m just really nervous about it. Not to mention coming out to them. But I will, at some point, it’s just…” she looked away biting her lip. “Hey, can we talk about this later? This wasn’t really what I invited you over for.” Sunset smiled. “That’s right, you still owe me a song, don’t you?” she leaned forward, giving Twilight the peck on the lips she’d been denied earlier. Twilight blushed. “Uh, yeah. That’s r-right” She lowered her eyes, shuffling her feet awkwardly. “Sorry, I’m a little nervous about this.” “Still?” Sunset asked, giving Twilight a sympathetic look. Twilight nodded. “Anything I can do you make you more comfortable?” Sunset offered. Twilight thought about it, then shrugged. “Just, sit down on the bed. The longer we wait, the more nervous I’ll get.” Sunset nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Before Twilight could follow her to pick up her instrument, she heard a scratching at the door. “C’mon, then, Spike,” she said, opening the door briefly to let in the excitable dog. “Hello there, buddy,” Sunset cooed, pulling Spike onto her lap. She then picked up the violin and bow, left on the bed earlier by Twilight, and passed them to the anxious girl. She didn’t say anything else, but instead give her a reassuring smile. Twilight stood tall in front of her girlfriend and puppy, placed her violin under her chin, and double checked its placement. She tuned the strings, despite having done so only a few minutes ago for her practice, then took a deep breath to steady herself. She shot Sunset the closest thing to a confident smile she could manage, then closed her eyes and started playing. Twilight focused on the music. The room fell away, and her mind drifted along the familiar melody. She swayed slowly with the song, and she felt her mouth curve into a relaxed smile. Her thoughts drifted to Sunset, how impressed she’d be. How much she’d like the song. And then I’ll kiss her, and then we’ll make out on the bed, and then… And then Twilight missed a note. Her eyes shot open as her fingers stumbled over the incomplete melody. She saw Sunset tilt her head as her brows furrowed. Twilight kept going, though, despite the heat gathering in her face, or the sweat she was sure was pouring from her. She managed to pick up the melody after her brief stumble. She closed her eyes again, and slowly got her breathing back under control. She managed to get herself back into the right mindset as the song transitioned to into the second part. Her relaxed smile returned, the melody flowing with ease, just as it should. The song transitioned into a more energetic part, one she’d practiced enough to be able to play it through muscle memory alone. She risked a glance, peeking open her eyes to see her girlfriend’s reaction. Sunset’s eyes were closed. She was smiling and swaying lightly with the music. She likes it! She really likes it, despite the mistake. Tonight is going to be perfect, Twilight thought happily. She closed her eyes again, renewed with confidence that this was going well, and that her plan would work. She transitioned to the final part of the song. It was slow, simple, and easy to get right. So, when Twilight played a flat note, she was genuinely shocked. “Darn it!” she stomped her foot on the carpet, eliciting a much softer sound than she intended. She was brought out of her frustration by the sound of clapping. She looked up to see Sunset applauding enthusiastically and smiling happily at her. “That was beautiful,” she said. Twilight huffed, placing her violin and bow back into their case. “You’re just saying that. I made two mistakes. Two!” Sunset stood up, taking both of Twilight’s hands. “It was beautiful, Sweetie. Even if it wasn’t perfect.” Twilight pouted. “But I wanted it to be perfect. When you played for me, it was flawless. And I wanted to give you something just as good.” Sunset frowned. “Twilight,” she said. “I had fun. I loved it, in fact. I don’t mind that it wasn’t flawless.” Twilight slumped, sitting down on the edge of the bed, and immediately, Spike jumped onto her lap. Twilight started to pet him purely from habit. “Still, I wanted this night to be special.” Sunset sat down next to her, wrapping her arm around the gloomy girl. “Twilight, every night with you is special.” Twilight gave her a small smile. “I know, but… I wanted tonight to be… more special.” “How do you mean?” Just then, there was a knock at the door. “Twilight, honey,” Velvet called from the other side. “Your father and I are leaving on our date night!” “Okay, Mom,” Twilight called back. “We left some money on the dining table so you could order a pizza, okay?” Velvet continued. “And don’t forget to feed Spike!” “I won't, mom. You guys have fun,” Twilight called. For a moment, the two teenagers sat in silence, listening to the fading footsteps while Twilight continued to pet Spike. Sunset glanced to the door, then back at her girlfriend. “Hold on. You said you wanted this night to be special… And your parents are going to be out tonight… ” Twilight nodded. She kept her eyes focused on the puppy, bringing her other hand to scratch his chin. Her hands were shaking, now. Her earlier confidence all but gone. “You wanted to have sex tonight,” Sunset concluded in a soft voice. Twilight nodded. She could feel tears building in her eyes. “I ruined it, didn’t I?” Sunset stroked her back comfortingly. “No, Sweetie, you didn’t ruin anything. You don’t need some perfect, romantic evening in order to lose your virginity.” “But…” Twilight trailed off, not knowing what to say. Groaning, she wiped the first traces of tears from her cheeks. Sunset leaned closer to her and put on her sultriest voice. “I mean really, if you just wanted to get off, I’d be happy to just eat you out in a bathroom stall in between classes.” Twilight laughed, giving Sunset a playful glare before punching her on the shoulder. “I’m not that kinda girl, Sunny.” “Oh, I know,” Sunset chuckled, backing off so she could rub her shoulder. “That’s why I never offered before. My point is, this doesn’t need to be a big deal. Nothing is ruined. If you still want to have sex, there's nothing stopping us. Or, if you want to try playing that song for me again, I’d be happy to listen.” Twilight groaned. “No, If I keep trying to play now, I’ll just make more and more mistakes.” “And, what about my other offer?” Sunset asked sultrily. She slid closer to Twilight again. Twilight fidgeted with Spike’s collar, not meeting Sunset’s eyes. “I… I don’t-” she cut herself off. Her fingers began moving more frantically as she felt her anxiety start to flare up. Twilight saw Sunset’s hands reach out to grab both of her own. She looked up at her, seeing a worried expression on her girlfriend’s face. “We don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with, okay?” Sunset said with an encouraging smile. “We can just hang out like we normally do. We can order a pizza and just play a board game, or something.” “You’re not d-disappointed?” Twilight stuttered through her tears. Sunset brought her hand up to wipe a stray tear from Twilight’s cheek. “Of course not. I mean, I do want to go all the way with you,” she said with a faint blush. “But I’d never want to push you into it.” Twilight buried her face in Sunset’s shoulder, hugging her tightly. Sunset returned the hug and rubbed Twilight’s back soothingly. Twilight reveled in her girlfriend’s closeness. Her touch, and her warmth. The smell of her shampoo. She loved every moment she got to be with her, and cherished even the smallest touch. And yet, she always felt anxious at the thought of taking their relationship farther. “Thanks for being so understanding,” Twilight mumbled into Sunset’s shoulder. She pulled away, wiping at her eyes. “I guess we can still have fun, even if… Even if it isn’t what I had planned.” Sunset smirked. “Hey, with the two of us together, we can’t not have fun.” Twilight chuckled, feeling her earlier anxiety and nervousness fade away. “You got me there,” she said, smiling. “So,” Sunset continued, pulling out her phone. “Do you want me to order the pizza?” Twilight nodded. “Sure, thanks.” By the time Twilight’s parents returned from their date night, the girls had finished eating and returned to Twilight’s bedroom. And Spike was fast asleep in his basket by the foot of Twilight’s bed. The girls had changed into sleepwear, though Sunset had to borrow a pair of Twilight’s pajamas for the night. The top was a little too small for her, and showed off a generous amount of midriff, thought the redhead didn’t seem to mind, and Twilight certainly didn’t either. “What’s this?” Sunset asked. Twilight pulled her eyes away from her girlfriend’s appealing figure to see her picking up a particular book off of the desk. “Uh, nothing,” Twilight said, her voice a few octaves higher than normal. “’The simple life of an equine: A beginner’s guide to a horse’s biology and behavior’?” Sunset read aloud. She looked up, quirking her eyebrow. “I was just doing some research for our trip tomorrow,” Twilight said, her face burning. Sunset opened the book. “Biology, dietary habits, herd hierarchies,” she flipped through the pages. “Breeding behaviors?” she looked up at Twilight, trying to hold in her laughter. “Really, Twi?” Twilight blushed. “I realize it won't completely translate to Equestrian ponies, but…” she trailed off, shrugging. “Well, you’re right about that,” Sunset snickered, reading one of the passages in the book. “I’ve read up on Terra horses before, not to mention met some at Applejacks farm, and there are lots of other differences besides the magic and talking.” “Really?” Twilight perked up in excitement. “Like what? Can you give me some examples.” “Uh, sure,” Sunset placed the book back on the desk. “For one thing, Equestrian ponies have larger heads and thicker legs. We’re also way more flexible. Our diets are more like a human’s, just without the meat.” Twilight nodded, encouraging her to continue. “The social structure is more like earth’s too, so the chapters on herd hierarchy and breeding behaviors won’t really be relevant. You won’t have to worry about random stallions sniffing your butt and trying to mount you in the streets,” Sunset said with a wry grin. Twilight blanched at the thought, opening her mouth wordlessly as she tried and failed to come up with a response. “Not that I’d let them, of course, even if they tried,” Sunset continued with a smug smile. “Thanks, I think,” Twilight said, shaking her head to get the mental image out. “So what are you most excited about,” Sunset asked as she flopped onto the bed. “Magic, I suppose. But there’s just so much to be excited about,” Twilight gushed, following Sunset onto the mattress. “I’m really excited to see your old home, as well. And spending a couple of days as a quadruped is bound to be interesting. What about you?” “I’m mostly just excited to see you being excited over everything,” Sunset smiled teasingly. ”The main reason for the trip is to satisfy your curious mind, after all. Plus I really wanna see how you look as a pony.” Twilight pressed herself closer to Sunset as she started to feel the day’s fatigue catch up to her. “You’ve seen the princess, though. Won’t I just look like her?” “You won’t be one hundred percent identical,” Sunset reasoned. “For one thing, I’m sure you’ll look cuter than her.” She ruffled Twilight’s hair lovingly. Twilight snorted. “How do you figure?” she asked, grinning. “You just have this innocence and naivety about you that she doesn’t,” Sunset said with a teasing voice. “It’s cute and kinda endearing.” “So,” Twilight smirked. “What you’re saying is you like me because I’m child-like? I didn’t know you were into that kinda thing.” Sunset snorted in laughter. “It’s more that the princess is starting to remind me of my mom, with all her responsibility and leadership and stuff. Similarities to my mom aren’t exactly sexy, you know.” “Oh, darn it!” Twilight mock complained. “Why didn’t you mention that before I bought a bunch of blue, green and pink hair dye?” Sunset guffawed, bringing her fist to her mouth in an attempt to quiet herself. “Stars above, Twilight, I do not need that mental image.” “Sorry,” Twilight giggled. She snuggled closer, taking her girlfriend’s hand in her own while also resting her head on Sunset’s chest. “You’re really comfy,” she murmured happily. Sunset chuckled. “Speaking of people being comfy, another thing I’m looking forward to is being able to share a bed with a pony again.” Twilight narrowed her eyes, though her mouth kept smiling. “You are referring to me, and not some other mare, right?” Sunset looked up in thought, a teasing smile tugging at her lips. “Well, ideally it’d be you and some other mare, but we’ll just have to see how it goes, I guess.” Twilight snorted trying to keep her laughing quiet. “I suppose I couldn’t really get jealous if the other mare happened to be my doppelganger, huh?” They shared another laugh, before Twilight decided to ask a slightly more serious question. “Hey, I just had a thought.” “Hmm?” “Do ponies kiss? Like, proper makeout kissing, I mean,” Twilight asked, blushing. “Yeah, they do. Like I said, more flexible than the horses here,” Sunset replied. “We, uh, don’t need to do that if you don’t want to,” she added, sounding a little awkward. “No, It’s not that I don’t want to. It might be a little awkward for me, but you know… when in Rome and all that,” Twilight said, though even she could tell she didn’t sound sure of herself. “Oh, darn, I’m gonna need to teach you how to kiss all over again, aren’t I?” Sunset grumbled playfully. “Hey, I’ve gotten pretty decent at it by now,” Twilight pouted. “True,” Sunset agreed patiently. “But kissing as a human, and kissing as a pony are very different, despite the fundamental similarities.” “Right, differently shaped mouth, face, tongue, and even teeth,” Twilight counted off, absentmindedly tracing the inside of her mouth with her tongue. “Yeah, I’m gonna be thrown right back to basics there. Awkward kisses ahoy!” she cheered with a giggle. “That’s fine, we’ll just make up for it with lengthy ‘training’ sessions,” Sunset wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Twilight started to trace her thumb across the back of Sunset’s hand while her mind wandered back to their second date, when they’d had their first kiss. It had been everything Cadance had described to her and more. Specifically, more awkward. Twilight had no experience at the time and had simply stood frozen as Sunset did all the work. Now, after almost a week of practice, and some instruction from Sunset, she’d gotten a lot better. Twilight giggled. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d much rather you spent that time teaching me magic, rather than kissing.” “I’d argue that kissing is magic,” Sunset replied, her free hand going back to brushing Twilight’s hair. “Now you’re starting to sound like Cadance,” Twilight sighed. That sigh then turned into a yawn. “Tired?” Sunset asked, just before she gave a short yawn herself. “I guess we should try to get some sleep, huh?” Twilight said with a nervous smile. “Big day tomorrow.” Sunset smiled, leaning her head closer to Twilight’s. “Yep. Not everyday you go on an inter-dimensional vacation.” As bell rang, signaling the start of lunch, Twilight excitedly started down the hallway towards her lab, which had quickly become her and Sunset’s usual meetup spot at school. Today was a Friday, and normally she and Sunset would have one more class after lunch — P.E. — but Sunset had suggested they skip it, so they could get to the portal sooner. If it was any other class, Twilight would have refused, but P.E. wasn’t exactly her favorite. Twilight slowed down as she caught sight of a particular girl ahead. Indigo Zap was standing by her locker, chatting with a few other girls. She caught Twilight’s eye for a second, before focusing back on her friends. Twilight pulled the straps of her backpack closer and sped up her pace as she passed. Indigo hadn’t done anything to her since Sunset’s ultimatum, but Twilight still felt a tiny bit scared whenever she passed by her. She reached her lab, finding her a much more pleasant surprise waiting for her. “Hey, sweetie,” Sunset said, standing aside so Twilight could unlock the door. “Hi, Sunset,” Twilight replied. She would have preferred to reply with a kiss, but the school had strict rules against PDA. Luckily, Twilight had her own mostly private room where they could show all the affection they wanted. Once they were inside and Sunset had closed the door, Twilight turned and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “You know,” Twilight smiled teasingly. “Class has become a lot less interesting since I met you.” Sunset smirked, leaning in for another kiss. “I guess I must be a bad influence,” she said in a sultry whisper. “You best be careful, or I might corrupt your youthful innocence.” “Who needs innocence when you’ve got a smoking hot girlfriend?” Twilight flirted with a smirk. Sunset frowned. “Oh, dear,” she said with mock worry. “It seems it’s already started. I’m afraid the only way to reverse the process now is to limit your exposure. You’ll have to stay here, while I go to Equestria by myself,” she concluded, barely holding back her grin. Twilight stepped closer to her girlfriend, wrapping her arms around Sunset’s waist. “You aren’t going anywhere without me, missy. Especially not to magicland.” Sunset chuckled. “If you insist.” She pulled Twilight into a longer, deeper kiss. Twilight let her thoughts fade as she leaned into the kiss. Her body practically melted into the other girl, the intimate touch relaxing her entire being. After a a few long seconds, Sunset broke the kiss. “C’mon, we should get going.” Twilight nodded. She put her school bag on the desk, and Sunset hesitantly copied her actions. “Are you sure no one’s gonna mess with these while we’re gone?” Sunset asked. “I’ve left plenty of stuff here over the weekend before. No one ever touched any of it,” Twilight said. Upon seeing Sunset’s unconvinced frown, she grabbed a pen and post-it note from the desk. “Here, maybe this will make you feel better.” She wrote down the words ‘Please do not steal’ in her neatest handwriting before sticking the note onto the backpack. “Better?” “Fine,” Sunset sighed. “But I still don’t see why I couldn’t just use my locker?” “Because I can’t make out with you next to the lockers, of course,” Twilight replied with a smirk. Sunset rolled her eyes. “Well played. Anyway, I'm getting hungry. Do you want to eat at my place on our way to the portal?" "Actually, Cadance invited both of us to eat lunch with her," Twilight replied, picking up her phone and re-reading Cadance's message. "Something about a special occasion." "Alright," Sunset nodded, opening the door and beckoning for Twilight to leave first. “So, what do you think this 'special occasion' is?” she said as she followed Twilight into the hallway. Twilight took Sunset’s hand in hers, smiling brightly. "Dunno. Maybe she just wants to say goodbye before we go on our trip.” Twilight knocked on the Dean’s door, hearing a muffled ‘come in’ from the other side. They entered the office, seeing Cadance sitting patiently at her desk. In front of her were a trio of small cylinders wrapped in aluminum. “Burritos?” Sunset asked as she and Twilight took their seats opposite the dean. “Mh-hmm,” Cadance hummed in affirmative. “Caballo is one of Twilight’s favorite fast food places near here. I figured I’d splurge, since we have some things to celebrate.” Twilight and Sunset shared a curious glance, though Cadance continued before they could ask. “I got a veggie burrito for you,” she said, handing one too Sunset. “And the usual fajita burrito for my Ladybug.” Twilight took the offered food. “Thanks, Cadance. So, what’s this about celebrating?” Cadance smirked as she unwrapped the top of her burrito. “Principal Celestia, Vice Principal Luna and I had a meeting with the superintendent regarding Principal Cinch. One of the many things we talked about was, of course, the recent misbehavior of one particular student here, as well as Cinch’s unwillingness to appropriately disciple said student.” She paused, glancing at Sunset. “Your mother and aunt were particularly passionate about that part.” “And?” Twilight asked, sitting on the edge of her seat. Cadance leaned over the desk, talking in a stage whisper. “I’m not technically allowed to say this yet, but… come Monday morning, our dear Principal Cinch won’t be here anymore.” Twilight’s eyes lit up. “Wait, seriously?” Cadance nodded, her smile widening. “Who’s going to replace her?” Sunset asked. Cadance instead of answering, simply held her smile while she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Twilight gasped. “You-!” she stopped herself from shouting, instead leaning in and lowering her voice. “You’re going to become CPA’s new principal?” “That’s right,” Cadance practically danced in her seat in her excitement. “But again, I’m not supposed to tell anyone this yet, so keep it secret.” Twilight and Sunset both nodded. “Does this mean that you’re going to actually punish Indigo?” Twilight asked. Cadance nodded. “I still think Sunset should have reported her to the authorities,” she shot the redhead a meaningful look. “But Celestia told me you didn’t want to do that.” Sunset shrugged, swallowing a bite of food. “It wasn’t that bad. I don’t really want her to be sent to juvie, or anything like that.” “Be that as it may,” Cadance continued, anger clear in her voice. “She attacked you on school premises, during school hours, and as such I can and will discipline her as I see fit.” “You’re not gonna expel her are you?” Sunset said, sounding worried. Cadance sighed, dissipating her anger. “As much as I’d like to, no. But I can give her plenty of detention. And I certainly don’t think she’s responsible enough to be a sports team captain anymore. Not to mention that she’s unlikely to keep her scholarship with this on her permanent record.” “Good,” Twilight said. She felt herself take a bit of schadenfreude in hearing this. Sunset, however, just kept eating, not saying a word. “Well, anyway,” Cadance said between bites of her own burrito. “That’s not the only thing I wanted to celebrate. Velvet told me you two are going on your first vacation together. A skiing trip, right?” Twilight nodded, though she felt a tinge of discomfort at having to lie to Cadance. “We’re leaving pretty much right after school, and then we come back Sunday afternoon.” “Hmm,” Cadance smiled wistfully. “I really should drag Shining to go skiing with me sometime. It sounds like a lot of fun.” “Yep, we’re pretty excited,” Sunset said, sharing a look with Twilight. “Yeah,” Twilight added, squirming a little in her seat. “Make sure to take plenty of pictures for me okay?” Cadance asked. Twilight paled. Her mouth opened to reply, but nothing came out. “Actually,” Sunset shot in. “We’re gonna leave our phones behind. Y’know, live in the moment. Focus on each other and the trip itself. That kind of thing.” Cadance pouted. “What if you need to contact someone?” “Don’t worry, we’ll be able to call mom if we need to,” Sunset replied. Cadance put her head in her hand disappointedly. “So no pictures?” Sunset chuckled. “I’m afraid not.” “Okay, fine,” Cadance relented with a dramatic sigh, focusing back on her food. Twilight squeezed Sunset’s hand under the table, mouthing a ‘thank you’ at her. ‘Anytime,’ Sunset mouthed back. “Thanks for the food Cadance,” she said, taking another bite. “Mmh, this burrito is really good.” “I never tried the veggie one,” Twilight mused. “Here, try it,” Sunset said, holding the burrito out for her girlfriend. Twilight hesitantly leaned forward to take a small bite. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Cadance giving them a look Twilight was quite familiar with. It was one that was usually accompanied by the words ‘that's soooo cute!’ Twilight, now sporting a faint blush, nodded in approval, “Yeah, that's really good.” They finished their food in silence, and Twilight and Sunset stood up to leave. “I’ll see you on Monday, Cadance,” Twilight said. Cadance stood up from her desk and moved to grab Twilight in a hug. “Have a great time, Twily.” After she let Twilight go, she turned her attention to Sunset. “You take good care of my ladybug, okay?” she said in a warning tone. Sunset nodded. “Of course.” Cadance nodded. “Good, now shoo. I need to talk to Twilight for a minute.” Sunset quirked an eyebrow. “Alright, I’ll just wait outside, then.” Cadance waited until the redhead was gone before she returned her attention to Twilight. “Now, I know you’re a responsible girl,” she whispered, “but I also know that you’re going to be alone with your girlfriend for a whole weekend.” Twilight blushed. Oh, no. Where is she going with this? she thought. “Here,” Cadance continued, pushing something small and plastic into Twilight’s hand. Twilight kept her eyes locked on Cadance’s, not daring to look at the mystery object. Instead, she thumbed the square packaging in her hand, tracing a small donut shape within. Twilight, now sporting a furious blush, was about to protest, but Cadance cut her off before she started. “I don’t need to know whether or not you’ll need these, I just want to know that you’re safe. Now go have fun with your girlfriend,” she added with a wink. Twilight was still trying to get her mouth to work when Cadance turned her around and started gently pushing her to the door. “Everything okay, Twilight?” Sunset asked once Twilight was outside the office. Twilight glanced between Sunset and Cadance. “Uhm. Yeah, let’s go.” She pulled her girlfriend by the arm as she rushed down the hallway, escaping the giggling Dean. “What was that all about?” Sunset asked once they had rounded a corner, and Twilight calmed down a bit. Twilight looked around. There were only a few students in the hallway, and all were well out of earshot. Even then, she leaned close to Sunset, showing her what Cadance had given her. Sunset raised an eyebrow at Twilight. “Why did Cadance give you condoms? She knows we’re a couple, right? Twilight nodded. “You see,” she started blushing furiously. “After you told me you used to be a pony,” Twilight whispered. “I was a little… confused about how I felt, so I talked to Cadance. I didn’t tell her you were a pony!” she added, seeing Sunset’s surprise. “I kept everything vague, and I kinda, maybe, sorta… gave her the impression that you were trans…” Twilight trailed off, letting the implication set in. Sunset glanced back down at the condoms, then back up at Twilight before bursting into laughter. “I’ll just throw these away,” Twilight muttered, her blush returning.