//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Her Knight in Sunlit Armor // by AliceLiz //------------------------------// The doorbell rang, sending a surge of anxiety through Twilight. “I’ll get it!” she called, rushing from the living room to the front door. She opened the door to reveal Cadance and Shining. “Hi, Ladybug.” “Welcome back, Twily.” “Hi, Shining. Hi, Cadance,” Twilight greeted. “C’mon in.” She stood aside, letting the couple inside. “You are looking distinctly beautiful tonight, Twilight,” Cadance commented as the three of them moved to the dining room. “I haven’t seen that dress in a while.” “Thanks,” Twilight blushed. “I decided to try and look my best for tonight.” She’d spent the last couple of hours doing what she could to prepare for the evening. “Hey, Twily? Is someone else coming?” Shining asked, counting the places at the table. “Yep,” Twilight chirped. “My friend, Sunset, is coming. She should be here any minute, actually,” she added with a nervous chuckle. “Hey, Cadance, can I talk to you in the other room for a sec?” “Sure thing, Twilight,” Cadance replied, following after the younger girl. They made their way to the living room, and as soon as they sat on the sofa, Cadance spoke up. “What’s up, Twilight?” Twilight took a steadying breath. “I'm gonna tell mom, dad and Shiny about Sunset. And, y’know… About me.” “That’s great!” Cadance cheered quietly. “You have no idea how much I’ve been dying to talk to Shiny about you two. You’re lucky I didn’t spill the beans already.” “Right, uh, thanks, I guess,” Twilight fidgeted. “So, you don’t mind me telling them tonight? What with it being a celebration for you, and all.” Cadance waved her hand in dismissal. “Of course not, Twilight. I love sharing the spotlight with others.” Twilight smiled. “Thanks, Cadance.” She noticed her phone, which she’d left on the coffee table earlier, and decided to see if there was a message from Sunset. “I hope she’s not late. Dad said dinner would be ready soon.” “Actually, I think I can hear a car coming up the driveway,” Cadance said, grinning widely. Twilight froze for a second, and as soon as she confirmed Cadance’s claim, she shot back up and ran back to the front door. Cadance walked past her to the dining room, giving Twilight an encouraging pat on the shoulder, with a whispered, “good luck.” Twilight stood by the door, waiting for Sunset to ring the doorbell. She counted the heartbeats before the bell rang, taking one more deep breath so as not to answer too early. “Hi, Sunset!” she said, pulling her girlfriend into a hug. “Hey, Twi. How’re you doing?” Sunset asked tenderly. “Nervous, but better now that you’re here,” Twilight replied, ending the hug. She pulled Sunset inside and closed the door. Sunset gaped at Twilight, staring up and down her body. “Woah, I am really underdressed,” she said, awkwardly tugging at the hem of her jacket. Twilight waved her off. “Don’t worry, you’re not. It’s me that’s overdressed. And to be honest, I mostly did all of this to keep my mind off this evening,” she added with a crooked smile. “Well, you look beautiful,” Sunset said, taking Twilight’s hand in her own before continuing in a whisper. “As usual.” Twilight blushed. She desperately wanted to kiss Sunset right now, but decided against it, in case someone walked in from the dining room. “C’mon, the food should be ready soon,” Twilight tugged on Sunset’s hand, leading her into the adjacent dining room. When dinner was served, everyone collectively congratulated Cadance. Twilight and Sunset spent the most of the dinner telling the others all about their ‘skiing’ trip. A feat Twilight would have found impossible without having Sunset to back her up. As the dinner wore on, conversation started to lull. Shining was making small talk with Night Light about sports, while both Cadance and Sunset kept giving Twilight meaningful looks. A particularly sharp kick to her shin caused Twilight to look up at Cadance sitting opposite her. The older woman nodded her head pointedly towards the others. Twilight set down her fork and cleared her throat. “Mom, dad, Shining. I need to tell you something.” She felt Sunset’s hand searching for hers under the table, and grabbed onto it like a life preserver. Once all eyes were on her, Twilight continued. “I’m gay.” There was a beat of silence before three pairs of eyes drifted over to look at Sunset, who reacted with an awkward smile and a blush. Twilight cleared her throat pointedly. “Hey! I already have a speech planned out for this, so don’t you dare jump ahead!” All eyes snapped back to Twilight, and at the same time, she could feel Sunset’s hand squeeze hers a little tighter. “Right, so.” Twilight sighed before continuing. “I started to notice these feelings a few years ago, but I didn’t really know how to talk about them back then. Although, Cadance figured it out pretty quick when I started hanging out with Sunset,” she added with a small smile directed at her ex-babysitter. “And yes, Sunset and I are dating. We have been for a little over a week now.” “I’m glad you decided to tell us,” her mother said, reaching her hand to touch her daughter’s. “And if I’m being honest," she continued with a knowing smile. "This doesn’t come as a complete surprise.” “Well, it certainly does for me,” her dad said, chuckling. “Y’know, I’m actually a little relieved. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been a little worried about the day you’d bring home a boy.” “I for one, think that Twilight and Sunset are adorable together,” Cadance cooed, resting her head in her hands. Twilight turned to look at Shining, waiting for his input. The young man’s eyes were locked with Sunset’s. “So,” he said in a low tone, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. “Anything else you wanted to mention about that skiing trip?” There was a muffled stomping sound, and a yelp as Shining abruptly turned to face his girlfriend. Cadance was giving him a saccharine smile. “Would you like to try that again, Honey?” Shining rubbed his foot. “I, uh…” he groaned. “What I meant to say is that Sunset seems pretty cool, and I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to share this with us,” he said, a little uncertainly and looking to Cadance for approval. “That’s better,” Cadance smiled, taking a sip of her wine. "So, you’re all okay with this?” Twilight asked hopefully. The others all gave a chorus of nods and agreement, and Twilight felt her heart soar. “Well, then,” Night Light said, breaking the short silence. “Who’s up for dessert?” Twilight caught Sunset’s gaze. Her girlfriend was beaming, and she idly realized she was doing the same. She leaned in close, whispering in Sunset’s ear. “I love you, Sunset.”