The sunlight on Sunset’s face was pleasantly warm as it filtered in from an open screen window. The season was in that particularly delightful spot where it was closer to winter than autumn, meaning one could keep their house open to the outside and let that particularly good weather in. However, the girl nestled comfortably in Sunset’s arms was much warmer, and much more comforting, than a million perfect sunny days.
Sunset stretched her legs with a strained groan, drawing in the revitalizing first breath of what was already feeling like a lazy Sunday, and trying not to be so loud as to wake her girlfriend, Ditzy. Part of her wanted to sit up and rub her itching, groggy eyes, and go make breakfast. But another part wanted to stay embraced until the end of time, savoring the gentle rise and fall of her chest, the tender faint feeling of her heartbeat in her hands, and the serene softness of her messy blond hair brushing against her skin.
In short, Sunset was torn between getting up and displaying affection or continuing to sleep in and displaying affection.
Sunset didn’t have to deliberate for very long before Ditzy stretched herself and drank in the rejuvenating first breath of her day, her breathtaking golden eyes fluttering open. The answer was clear: starting whatever today held could wait.
Sunset’s phone rattled on the nightstand beside her, and her hand whipped around to pick it up and silence the noise. Squinting, and without her contacts or glasses, she looked at the message that came in:
Twilight <33: The voice is done! Just in time, huh?
Sunset fumbled her fingers around the keyboard, letting autocorrect do the heavy lifting in forming the response.
Me: Pog!! Come over tonight and we can install it, right?
Sunset watched the three dots on the other end dance for a brief moment before another message popped up.
Twily <33: Yeah! Is 11-ish good?
Sunset squeezed her stinging eyes shut from the brightness of her phone.
Me: That’s perfect! I’ll be ending my stream and she’ll be asleep by then.
Sunset clicked the phone off and stared into the black screen for a few moments before turning it back on and typing another message.
Me: Thanks again, Twilight, really. Ditzy’s going to love it! I couldn’t have done it without you or Rarity!
She clicked the phone off and set it back where it last sat, rattling the nightstand again with a reply she wasn’t going to read right now. She had some cuddling to catch up on after all.
Almost on cue, Ditzy wiggled her body against Sunset’s in an effort to get closer than she already was and reached a hand out for one of Sunset’s, wordlessly entangling their fingers together. Sunset trailed a set of kisses starting from Ditzy’s head down to her neck, earning a quick jump and some more playful wiggling for her efforts.
“Good morning, Muffin,” Sunset cooed just above a whisper, planting another teasing peck to her partner’s neck. “Did you sleep ok?”
Sunset felt the blonde girl’s head nod up and down against her chest.
“Mm, me too,” Sunset purred, drinking in the smell of Ditzy’s odd choice of shampoo. A year or so ago, she’d opted to start using the same particularly human-friendly brand of horse shampoo that Sunset did. It didn’t smell bad; in fact, it carried a distinctly sweet smell. Regardless, it smelled like Ditzy, and that made it one of the best in the world for Sunset.
It was in relishing in this odd, but fragrant aroma that Sunset realized just how hungry she was. This wasn’t a new feeling. If anything it, just like many other things in her shared life with Ditzy, were routine.
“Hey Muffin,” Sunset let her eyes shut on their own, “are you hungry?”
More nodding against her chest.
“Yeah,” Sunset hazily replied, “me too.”
Ditzy started shifting in place, decoupled her fingers from her partner’s, and leaned over to the side of the bed, straining her arm to reach for a tablet on the nightstand: her affectionately named Speaky-Spelly.
Sunset had other ideas.
Ditzy never saw it coming; Sunset’s hands surged forward and hooked just under Muffin’s armpits and her fingers entered a frenzied dance, moving down their maniacal path to her partner’s hips.
Sharp exhales joined a huge, beaming smile on Ditzy’s face as she endured the lowly tickling sneak attack, and though Sunset fought valiantly, stalling the blonde defender for a short while, Ditzy ultimately succeeded in snatching up her objective.
“You’re the worst, Sunset.” Ditzy wore a pout, and neither of her crossed eyes looked at her girlfriend.
“Oh? Is that so?” Sunset poised her hands near her face and each digit moved menacingly of its own accord. “I can always strike again, you know.”
Ditzy couldn’t conceal her grin as she clacked away on her tablet. “I think that violates wartime law.”
Sunset flashed an evil sneer, “It’s only a war crime if I get caught!” She jabbed her hands forward, only to pull them back immediately, a fake-out steeped in villainy.
“See? This is why you’re the worst.”
“Oh yeah?” Sunset said with a slight strain in her voice as she reached back to the nightstand next to her side of the bed to retrieve her glasses from a plain brown case emblazoned with her cutie mark, which she promptly put on. “You know there are other ways to fight than physical conflict.” She pushed up her glasses, and in the early morning sun the lenses cast a sinister glare on any observer.
“Like what? Are you going to hack my Speaky-Spelly?”
Sunset put one of her terrifying fingers to her lip. “No… That’s more Twilight’s speed. However, I seem to recall that the Netflix account is in my name… And that someone really enjoys Shadow Spade...” She cast a devious side-eyed glance to Ditzy.
“You wouldn’t. You’re not that evil.”
“Try me.”
Ditzy stared at the bedsheets, and Sunset swore her face grew a shade redder. “I guess you leave,” Ditzy threw the tablet onto the bed, landing on a pillow with a pomf as she lunged for Sunset, grabbing her evil hands at the wrist and pinning her to the side of the bed, her hair hanging off like an object flirting with the edge of a cliff, “me no choice!”
“Oh no…” Sunset blushed and looked away from her captor, “What ever will you do to -”
A kiss cut her insincere plea short. Then another kept her silent… And a few more wrote a treaty which they signed with their tongues swirling around one another. One final peck sealed the deal.
Sunset looked up at Ditzy and panted as their kiss ended, feeling her long, soft hair brush against her face. She didn’t need to say a thing. Ditzy was nonverbal, and while she could communicate through a tablet, she could still say a lot without speaking at all. This was their way of saying that they loved each other beyond description and wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of their lives together, day by sapphic day.
They lay like that for a few moments, almost suspended in that blissful time, staring into one another with adoration as the songs of birds and distant locusts filled the morning air.
Sunset smirked, the first to break the silence, “You wanna watch Shadow Spade while I make breakfast?” This was another part of their daily routine; that intriguing and stylistic noir television drama from decades past. Any average fan might find themselves in awe of Miss Spade’s perception, charm, and intuition, and others find themselves fascinated by her breathtaking beauty and gorgeous outfits that changed from episode to episode.
But for Sunset and Ditzy, it held a uniquely special place in their heart. This was their special interest, and hardly anyone could compete with their love and knowledge about the old serial.
Ditzy’s face lit up in response to such a welcome invitation, only to melt into a suspicious glare. If Ditzy was to answer in anything more than a nod or shake of the head, she’d need the tablet, but to type such a message would mean freeing her most beautiful captive. She narrowed her eyes and nodded apprehensively.
“Me too!” Sunset closed her eyes and let a wide grin stretch across her face, hoping it could conceal her motives.
It could not.
A few uneasy moments passed before Sunset squirmed under her girlfriend’s grip. “Uh, Ditzy, I kinda can’t do anything unless you let me go. Not like I’m really complaining down here though.” Sunset still hung onto her grin.
The pressing need to respond weighed on Ditzy, but she opted to purse her lips into a line and say nothing. She could not let Sunset win.
“I could make Nutella french toast…” Sunset sang the words as she flicked her head up quickly to push her glasses up, barely containing a sneer as she hit Ditzy’s weak spot. “All you gotta do is let me go.” She playfully struggled against her soft, but surprisingly firm restraints. “Seriously, I’m starting to get woozy from my head being like this.”
Ditzy closed her eyes and let out a sigh before unhanding her dizzy girlfriend and scrambling for the tablet in one rehearsed motion. She figured, if her hands were on the tablet, Sunset couldn’t go for a reverse pin.
She absolutely could.
But Sunset did not, opting instead to swing her feet away from Ditzy and off the bed, sliding off the side into a wobbly landing. With a push of her glasses, she made her way for the door before clacking from Ditzy’s tablet halted her in the doorway. Sunset turned and patiently waited for her lover to finish typing with a warm smile.
“Can we watch the one where the guy buries the victim inside a construction site and gets caught when he tries to bury the body in that one pile they dug up?” Despite the robotic, if slightly feminine, monotone, each word was somehow soaked in excitement.
“Uh, yeah! That’s one of my favorites!” Sunset struck a confident pose and pointed a finger gun, putting on her best impression of the dazzling detective, “Oh it was a perfect plan alright Mister Jones, who would look in the same place twice?”
Sunset raised that same finger near her face, “Ok, we have to watch the one with the CEO of a beauty product company after it. Deal?”
“Deal!”
Beaming, Sunset turned around and walked through the narrow hallway of her apartment. To the left was the thermostat, directly across from her was a small supply closet where they put their towels and cleaning supplies. And just beside the closet sat the door to the bathroom.
Sunset turned right and placed a hand over her mouth to cover a yawn. If she were to turn left from there, she’d find herself in the kitchen, and if she went right, a small, but cozy living room. There wasn’t much in this tiny apartment, but the cost of living was low, especially when split between its two residents, and it was all they really needed. Plus, the kitchen had a cute bar setup that Sunset loved to play mixologist with.
Blinking away the grogginess and scratching aimlessly at her backside, Sunset cracked open the fridge door and fetched a stick of butter and what was left of the dozen eggs they’d bought at the start of the week, gingerly setting each down on the counter next to the stove.
Shaking her head, trying to get some more of the morning rust off of her, she pulled a small pan and measuring cup from a cupboard beneath the counter, the same one she’d always used for making breakfast, and held it above the left front burner. As she turned the element on to ‘4,’ Sunset remembered a fruitless argument she had with Trixie about which burner was superior and let out a chuckle.
In that same moment, Ditzy set three pills on the bar with a tiny click and raised an eyebrow before clearing her throat and pointing to them.
“Hey, c’mon,” Sunset pointed the skillet at her smug girlfriend, “I didn’t forget them today, I just… got a little sidetracked that’s all.”
Ditzy tilted her head forward.
“You know I think you’re taking too much credit for reminding me yesterday, I would’ve remembered,” Sunset turned and muttered under her breath as she set the pan down on the heated element, “Eventually…”
The telltale noise of Netflix opening on the television sounded through the apartment just as Sunset began to start the slow, loving process of making four pieces of french toast, two for each.
As Sunset slipped a piece of egg-soaked bread into the buttered pan, she kept listening for the distinct theme that Shadow Spade always started with, but it hadn’t come yet. Sunset tucked a bit of her long hair behind her ear and grabbed the half-full jug of milk in the fridge, turning back to the bar to scoop her pills up and get them down quickly.
An ovular brown pill, a similarly shaped green one, alongside another half of the green one. These funny little pills were the closest thing to magic this world had, besides the obvious Equestrian magic that did exist. As Sunset plucked them from the counter and dropped them into her mouth, she remembered the time the other Twilight, the one without glasses, said they had something similar back in Equestria. Except there, it was a potion, and the effects were immediate instead of some pills and a few years.
As Sunset swallowed her little tablets, she peeked over at her girlfriend on the tacky, faded blue couch, who… was staring at her tablet. Maybe she was thinking of some snarky line, just spacing out, or maybe a thought had struck her that suddenly changed the mood. It wasn’t too uncommon for a thought or a memory to invade either of their minds and send their mood whichever way the thought dictated.
Sometimes it was an embarrassing memory, sometimes it was an insecurity sneaking its way in, sometimes it was the thought of every task they needed to do that day colliding with everything they could be doing and what they’re currently doing, overwhelming them.
Sometimes it was regret for trying to take over a school and raise a brainwashed army and invade Equestria to reclaim a crown that wasn’t yours for a princesshood you didn’t deserve and having to claw forgiveness back from everyone you’ve wronged, but never fully being able to, and especially not from yourself. Sometimes both of them thought of that.
Sunset pushed up her glasses and swallowed, recoiling at the minty aftertaste of the brown pill, taking an experienced guess as to what could be bothering Ditzy: episode options overwhelming
“Hey, Muffin! If you don’t wanna watch the construction one, we can always -”
“No, that’s not it.” The blond girl furrowed her brow and let out a brief, frustrated sigh while her tablet played the same neutral tone it always had.
Sunset turned back to the stove and placed the skillet on the burner, trying not to think of Trixie saying, ‘right front burner gang,’ and made her way towards Ditzy. “What’s the matter?”
The frame frozen on the television was an unforgettable one: Shadow Spade in an immaculate white sundress with a matching hat, a red ribbon running around it. Sunset had seen this particular scene a hundred times; Miss Spade was out on a picnic for one of her rare days off, only to be interrupted by her duties.
Sunset rested her head on the couch and looked up at her partner as she typed out a message. Ditzy almost looked like she was pouting, which was a good sign. Sure, there was still something bothering her, but at least it wasn’t anything that drove her to tears, not that Sunset wasn’t able to console her in either instance.
As the message played out, Ditzy couldn’t help but run one of her hands through Sunset’s long, red-and-gold hair, almost as though touching it gave a warm sense of comfort. “Why does she get to have a voice like that, and I gotta be stuck with this?” As though she wasn’t making it apparent enough, Ditzy stuck out her lips even further as she quickly typed in a “beep, boop” for emphasis.
Sunset smirked and pulled her face forward just enough to push her glasses up again. “You know… I like your tablet more than Spade when she’s singing.”
Ditzy rolled each of her eyes, and one-handedly typed another message, “You know, your lies are so sweet I hardly notice they’re false.”
“It’s true!” Sunset sat up and crawled up the couch beside her shorter girlfriend. “You know why?” she said, placing an arm around her, “Because she isn’t you. I love Shadow Spade, sure, but I fell for you.” Sunset squeezed Ditzy as she said the last word.
“And besides!” Sunset went on, looking up at the ceiling, “Once Twilight cracks your tablet’s encryption, we can give you whatever voice you want! That’ll make Ogres and Oubliettes that much more fun!”
Ditzy wriggled one of her arms free from Sunset’s embrace to clack out a longer message. “Of course your mind goes right to O&O, dork.”
“Easy,” Sunset warned, only to pause when she heard the message keep going.
“It isn’t like I’m upset or anything, just… A little jealous that’s all. How come she gets to have that wonderful voice?” Ditzy sighed and typed a little more, “And perfect fashion sense… And perfect skin… And-”
“Look,” Sunset gently placed a hand over Ditzy’s, “I think anyone who’s ever laid eyes on Shadow Spade would think she’s perfect. She’s an anomaly, not something to compare yourself to.” Sunset kissed the top of her girlfriend’s head, “But I think you’re just as perfect as anyone would think Spade is.”
“Matter of fact,” Sunset got back down on the ground and placed both of her hands around one of Ditzy’s. She was sure of her words until she looked into those bright, sparkling golden eyes. Those made her carefully constructed speech melt into little sapphic nothings, “I… I love you Ditzy Doo, and I don’t care if you can’t talk like some Platonic form of femininity, because I fell in love with you, with every aspect of you. So whatever way you communicate with me will be ideal, and whatever body you have will be flawless. I’d love you if you sounded like Opal when Sweetie Belle accidentally steps on her tail, or if you sounded better than Spade, because I accepted you completely, and love you unconditionally, so whichever it was, would be the one that matches my feelings for you.”
Ditzy strained against Sunset’s hand, wanting to free both to get a message out, but conceding that one was enough. “Simp.” She sniffed.
Sunset threw her head back in laughter, “Don’t act like this isn’t mutual.” She climbed back onto the couch and pulled Ditzy into a sideways hug.
“Whatever.” Ditzy groaned before resting her head against her girlfriend with a smile. “You’re totally the bigger simp.”
Sunset held Ditzy as tightly as she could, “Mhm, sure. Whatever you say.”
Ditzy turned her head upward and leaned in for a kiss, which was immediately reciprocated. Sunset reached into her partner’s hair and pulled her closer into the kiss, and Ditzy’s breath picked up. Breaking the kiss only for a moment, she straddled Sunset, who hooked her hands around Ditzy’s waist, and tilted her head, moving back in for a deeper kiss.
Sunset panted, trying to catch her breath after finally breaking the blissful make-out session. She blinked and shook her head, in disbelief that what had just happened really did happen. Suddenly, a thought raced back into her head.
“The french toast!”
Ditzy giggled before dismounting her girlfriend with a peck and a wink.
Sunset bit her lip and staggered to her feet, struggling to make any progress towards the stove when her girlfriend was sitting right there. Sunset took haphazard glances between the stove and Ditzy, as if deciding which one she wanted more in the moment. Nutella french toast, or a quickie and then Nutella french toast.
Two and two added themselves together.
“I think…” Sunset scrambled to the stove, quickly clicking the element off at the same time that Ditzy made a dash for the bedroom, leaving her Speaky-Spelly on the living room coffee table.
“The toast can wait!”
The sunlight on Sunset’s face was pleasantly warm as it floated in from an open screen window. Yesterday had taken a lot out of her in the best way possible. Ditzy and Sunset couldn’t stop watching their favorite show and taking intimate breaks in between episodes, though that quickly devolved into taking that same break during episodes too.
Needless to say, Sunset was spent, but it was completely worth it. Though Sunset knew that today would outdo yesterday in spade. Shadow Spade, that is.
Twilight had “snuck” into the apartment at 11 pm, just as planned, and installed the new voice on Ditzy’s tablet, just as planned, and then decided to spill cherry cola on the carpet when she got too excited showing an oddly animated, subtitled cartoon to Sunset, not as planned. She’d thought of it more of a stealthy mission… that turned into a late-night hangout.
Regardless of the operational integrity of Twilight’s infiltration, the mission was a success: Ditzy’s tablet now had the voice of the dynamic, dazzling, divine detective Shadow Spade (or, Rarity doing an almost identical impression), and without a second to spare. Today was Ditzy’s birthday, and Twilight had managed to finish the project just in time.
Sunset stretched, hearing her bones pop in all the right, satisfying places as she drew in the revitalizing first breath of the day, turning a glance to the tablet on its charging dock atop Ditzy’s nightstand. Her heartbeat picked up when she felt Ditzy wiggle into her, trying to get closer than she already was.
“Good morning, Muffin,” Sunset’s morning voice almost sounded like a purr, “I hope you slept ok.”
Nodding against her chest.
Sunset’s eyes darted back and forth to the Speaky-Spelly, which waited patiently for its owner to click it on and behold the combined genius of Rarity and Twilight, and to Ditzy’s messy mop of blonde hair.
“Twilight and I weren’t too loud last night, were we?” Sunset bit her lip trying to think of a way to get Ditzy to use her tablet. Ditzy was nonverbal, but she could say a lot without talking at all, but now, Sunset really, really wanted her to pick the thing up.
Sunset could feel Ditzy shake her head against her chest.
“I hope we weren’t too loud for the neighbors yesterday either. Not like I care either way,” Sunset mused, rubbing her hand up and down Ditzy’s smooth stomach. They both shared a giggle as Ditzy turned away to face her companion, and away from the tablet.
Sunset gulped as she stared into Ditzy’s eyes, they’d been together for years, but she’d never been able to get used to the fact that they were actually together. An idea struck across her mind like lightning. “I have a surprise for you,” she cooed.
Ditzy raised an eyebrow and bit her lip
“No! No, it isn’t that… yet.” Sunset ran a nervous hand through her hair, “But, it is something very special for your birthday.”
Ditzy’s eyes widened, glimmering even brighter than they were last night. Excitement had taken hold of her, and all she needed to do…
Ditzy wiggled her way up the bed, sitting with her back to the bed frame as she reached over and pulled the tablet from its charging dock. As the blonde sleepily typed out a message, Sunset could hear her heartbeat in her ears. This was it. This was the moment. Twilight and her had tested it last night, and it worked perfectly, all that was left -
“What kind of,” Ditzy placed her hands over her mouth, and let out a series of trembling breaths and sniffles as the tablet played the remainder of its message, “surprise is it?”
Ditzy looked over at Sunset with tears welling in her eyes, and back to the tablet, as if in total disbelief that this was happening. A tear traced a path down her cheek as she shook her head and reached out for Sunset.
Sunset nodded and returned the gesture, pulling Ditzy into a tight embrace. She felt the warmth of her girlfriend’s hot breath against her skin, and the quick rise and falls of her chest, as she let out the happiest tears she’d cried in months. Sunset couldn’t help but sniffle herself. “Twilight and Rarity have been working on that since last year. I’m sure they’d be stoked to see your reaction! Happy birthday, Muffin.”
Ditzy pulled away from the hug and gazed up at Sunset, her eyes sparkling like polished gems. She didn’t need her tablet to convey that look in her eyes. It was more than a ‘thank you’ could ever be, and what only the most genuine ‘I love you’ could hope to achieve. It was a look that conveyed something beyond what words could: love in its perfect form.
“Plus y’know,” Sunset smirked as she let a tear fall from her eye, overwhelmed by the emotions running through both of them, “You could make Spade say some really dirty stuff.”
Sunset wore a wide grin as Ditzy giggled, but the mood slowly dissolved away, melting down into that sweet, tender feeling of loving ambrosia. Either girl leaned in for a kiss, but Ditzy’s hands were busy, typing up a few words that sounded out as soon as their lips connected. “You’re the biggest simp in the whole world, Sunset.”
Sunset snaked a hand around Ditzy and pulled her back in, staring down at her. “And don’t you ever forget it,” Sunset said with a wink. “No but seriously, do you have any idea the amount of cursed stuff you could make her say?”
Ditzy sighed and tapped away on the screen with a playfully disappointed smile, “I think I’m the one operating the Speaky-Spelly.” She quickly hammered her fingers to produce one more word, “Darling.”
Sunset cracked a wide, toothy smile. “C’mon. Let me type just one copypasta.”
Ditzy shook her head furiously and withdrew from the hug, hopping off the bed and quickly making her way out of the room, away from Sunset’s evil gremlin hands. Sunset was quick on the chase, stumbling at first and hitting her head on the door as she bounded out from the bedroom, but quickly gained ground.
As Sunset stepped out, Ditzy was waiting for her on the other side of the coffee table. Clever girl. If Sunset went one way, she’d go the other. That was a surefire strategy… for anyone that wasn’t Sunset, or maybe Trixie for that matter.
Sunset crawled on top of the short table, not slowing the pursuit for an instant. Ditzy froze, and her eyes shrank to pinpricks. This was the one thing she hadn’t calculated for. There was only one way out when you were being cornered, and that was through the attacker. Ditzy rushed forward, diving for the couch, but Sunset was in her head and dove towards her on instinct.
In the next moment, Sunset had her pinned, and the tablet was sitting freely on Ditzy’s chest. Sunset transferred the grip on her beloved’s wrists to one hand, while the other went southward to claim her prize.
Sunset positioned it on the arm of the couch behind Ditzy, both for stability and security. That is, if Ditzy squirmed too much, the tablet went over the side. The message Sunset typed was short, but endlessly meaningful.
“I love you, Ditzy.”
Sunset leaned down for a kiss, and Ditzy leaned up, locking lips for the ten-thousandth time that week, though no love diminished between any of them.
“Ok, I can’t help myself.”
“Penis.”
Sunset threw her head back in laughter once more, and Ditzy pressed the opportunity, toppling her girlfriend and pinning her in turn. Ditzy bounded away on the keys, struggling to contain a thrashing, though laughing, Sunset.
“That’s quite enough, darling. You’ve got a date downtown, with me.”
Ditzy giggled as she typed one more message, opting to let it play as she sunk down for another divine kiss.
“I love you too Sunset.”