//------------------------------//
// Episode 7: The Circle Grows 
// Story: Sparkling Harmony EQG: Agents of SMILE: Young Love 
// by Captain_Cosmos 
//------------------------------//

Sparkle Residence
Outskirts of Canterlot City
October 5th, 2022
2030hrs

“Hey Sparkler? Could you pull up our driveway towards my lab?” Twilight asked her new girlfriend as Sparkler turned onto Twilight’s street address, Sparkler driving Twilight home after their date.

“May I ask why?” Sparkler asked in response.

“Because in the park, a few seconds before you crystalized, I noticed your necklace glowing. I uh…was wondering if you’d stick around for a few moments so I can get a detailed scan of the necklace.” Twilight asked.

Sparkler laughed as she pulled into the Sparkle driveway…past the house and up to the smaller building behind the house. “Sure Twi. I’ll let you scan the necklace.” She said.

Twilight beamed in delight. “Great. Uh, mind if we hurry inside? I’d rather get inside the lab before my siblings notice I’m home.” She said as Sparkler parked the car and they got out.

Sparkler giggled as no sooner had she closed the car door had Twilight grabbed her hand and pulled her into her lab. “Whoa. Hey there. What’s the rush Sparkle?” Sparkler asked. As she was pulled into the lab and Twilight locked the door. “What’s wrong with your siblings knowing your home?” She asked.

“S-sorry.” Twilight responded as she finished locking the door and turned on the light. “Guess I’m just not ready for my family to meet you yet. Hehehe.” Twilight chuckled nervously.

Sparkler couldn’t help but chuckle in response. “Oh?” She asked as she crossed her arms. “Wait is THAT why you always insist we work on homework or projects anywhere but here?” She asked in realization.

Twilight couldn’t stop blushing as she smiled sheepishly. “I…it’s just…” she stammered. “I don’t want them to hound you. I’ve heard meet-the-family scenarios can be pretty intense on the SO that’s meeting the family…” She explained.

“Well if it makes you feel better Twilight, I for one won’t hound her.” Said a voice that spooked Sparkler and Twilight. Twilight looked in the direction the voice came from and her eyes widened when she saw.

“CADENCE?!” She shrieked.

“Yeah.” Cadence responded. “I had a feeling you’d try to sneak in here, with your date in tow.” She admitted.

Twilight was a stammering mess at this point. “I…bu…how…” She was struggling to get a single word out through her blushing, shock, and horror.

Sparkler saw her new girlfriend about to break down and jumped to the rescue. She pulled Twilight into a comforting hug. “Twilight, breathe, just relax.” She cooed.

Somehow, Twilight heard Sparkker’s words, and took deep breaths until she had calmed down. She relaxed into Sparkker’s embrace. “O-ok…I think I’m good now.” She said.

Sparkler smiled as she let Twilight pull away from her. Twilight meanwhile turned directly to Cadence. “What are you doing in here and WHY?!” She asked, still blushing.

“I knew you’d try to sneak in here after your date. And I wanted to hear how it went.” Cadence responded. “I take it you’re Sparkling Medley?” She asked Sparkler.

“I am.” Sparkler responded as she held out her hand for Cadence to shake, which she did. “And who might you be?”

“You can call me Cadence. Twilight’s sister-in-law.” Cadence responded as she shook Sparkker’s hand.

“Ahem! I’ll be sure to tell you about the date Cadence.” Twilight said as she unlocked the door and opened it. “AFTER I finish what I wanted to do in here with Sparkler.” She added. “Now if you would please go back into the house so Sparkler and I can work in peace.” She told Cadence.

Cadence laughed as she decided to just do what Twilight wanted, walking out of the lab. “Can’t hide her forever Twilight. Sooner or later you’ll have to bring her over. Nice meeting you Sparkler.” Cadence said as she left.

“Likewise Cadence.” Sparkler responded as Twilight shut the door again and locked it.

“Ok let’s get this done and you out of here before my brother or other sister decide to come out.” Twilight said as she quickly grabbed her handheld scanner.

“Cadence has a point Twi.” Sparkler responded. “Sooner or later I’m going to meet your family.”

“I know.” Twilight said as she pointed the scanner at Sparkker’s necklace. “I’m just not ready yet.”

“What’s the worst your family could do?” Sparkler asked. “I mean it’s not like I’m anymore dangerous than say…that camp Everfree villain Sunsrt told me about.” Sparkler said.

Twilight was about to respond, before her scanner started blaring like a Christmas tree. “Whoa!” She exclaimed in shock as she glanced at the screen.

Sparkler raised an eyebrow as she moved beside Twilight and glanced at the screen on the scanner. “Wow.” She said. The screen was going nuts with seismic lines.

“This is on par with the insane readings I got from your car.” Twilight said as she plugged the scanner into her computer.

“Think there’s a connection?” Sparkler asked.

“Maybe.” Twilight said. “Where did you even get that necklace?” She asked.

“Along with my ring.” Sparkler held up her hand with the ring on it to show Twilight. “It was the only thing my parents found with me when they found me on their doorstep in 2005 as a baby.” She said.

Twilight stopped and glanced away from her computer. “Oh…” She said. “You…”

“Are adopted. Yes.” Sparkler said. “No note, no address, nothing but little me in a basket with my name engraved on it, and the ring and necklace in my grasp.” She explained. 

Twilight bit her lip. Now unsure if she should ask her next question or not. After a moment, she made up her mind. Another time, when she trusts me more. She thought. She decided to change the subject, sensing it was a sensitive topic for Sparkler. “Well, thanks for letting me take a look at the necklace Sparkler. And…thanks for tonight. I really liked it.” She said.

“Yeah. Me too. I’m looking forward to the next one.” Sparkler said.

Twilight nodded, and blushed, she wanted to do something else…but something held her back from bringing it up.

Sparkler could tell she wanted something, she cocked her head to the side. “What’s up Twi?” She asked.

“Well…” Twilight smiled sheepishly, embarrassed. “I uh…heard it was customary for two lovers to…when one leaves for a time they…” Darn it why couldn’t she say it.

Sparkler was at first confused as to what Twilight wanted, but after a moment, she got it. “Oh. You want a goodbye kiss.” She said, smirking. Twilight nodded in response. Sparkler smiled genuinely and took Twilight’s hands on her own. “I was hoping you’d want to do that.” She said.

Twilight beamed as they both leaned in slowly, their eyes drifted closed as their lips made contact in the middle. It was amazing, like fireworks went off as the two shared their first kiss. Twilight tilted her head to the side to deepen the kiss, which elicited a happy moan from Sparkler.

After a few seconds, which felt like an eternity, Sparkler and Twilight pulled back from their kiss. Their eyes fluttered open and they both saw the other smiling. “That was…” Twilight trailed off whispering, her mind failing to come up with the right word.

“Magical?” Sparkler offered. “Yeah. It was.”

Twilight just smiled as she pulled Sparkler into a hug. “I would ask if you wanted to hang out tomorrow but I know you have to go to work.” She said.

“Yeah. But hey. We get to spend every afternoon together at school.” Sparkler responded.

“I’m glad.” Twilight said. “So…see you Monday?” She asked.

“Can pick you up for school if you need me to.” Sparkler offered.

“I’d like that.” Twilight responded. “It maximizes our together time.” She said.

“Exactly.” Sparkler responded. She pecked Twilight on the cheek one more time. “I’ll call later.” She said.

Twilight smiled as she walked over to the door and unlocked it for Sparkler. “Can’t wait.” She said.

With the door open, Sparkler hugged Twilight goodbye one more time before walking to her car, climbing in, and closing the door.

She started it up and started backing out of the driveway to go home. “Alright, we’re clear.” She said.

“Good. I have about 10 messages from Director Derrick. All related to FOWL being at the mall tonight.” Flappy said, glad to finally be unrestricted.

“Ugh. I guess I shoulda been more specific when I told you not to talk.” Sparkler responded. “Speaking of, FM Lengthy Audio Player Presence? Really?” She asked.

“Was trying to help you explain the bizarre readings Ms. Sparkle was getting from the Sparkmobile…or should I say the future MRS. Sparkle?” Flappy asked jokingly.

“No, don’t even start with that. We aren’t even an HOUR into this relationship yet.” Sparkler responded.

“Sparkler, don’t deny that you want it to happen eventually.” Flappy told her. “I saw the doodles in your journal.”

Sparkler sighed. “I’m not denying it. I’m just keeping my expectations grounded.” She said.

Flappy was about to say something, before a call started coming in. “Incoming call…from Airwave.” He announced.

“Probably wants to know what happened at the mall. Put him through.” Sparkler responded.

Flappy connected the call, and Sparkler smiled. “Evening Mr. Airwave.” She said.

“Hey Sparkler. How’s it going?” Said the male voice of her boss.

“Pretty good all things considered.” Sparkler responded.

“That’s good. I tried calling Lyra and Autumn but neither of them are answering their phones. Maybe you can tell me what I saw on the security cameras at the restaurant?” Airwave asked.

“FOWL agents tried to kidnap me.” Sparkler responded. “On my date no less.”

“Ouch. Are you OK?” Airwave asked.

“Yeah. And don’t worry Airwave, we managed to end it before the restaurant was trashed.” She assured him.

“That’s good. Not that I would’ve been mad. I understand SMILE can’t guarantee no collateral damage.” Airwave responded.

Sparkler nodded. “But you can always count on SMILE taking care of the situation.” She said. Apparently, in addition to contacting Celestia, Derrick also saw fit to contact Airwave to let HIM know that Sparkler, Autumn, and Lyra may need to be called away from work, to which Airwave was completely understanding.

“Good to hear.” Airwave responded. “So. How’d it go?” He asked, switching gears to the date.

Sparkler chuckled. “I’d say it’s gonna happen again. A lot more often.” She said.

“Nice.” Airwave said. “I wish you nothing but the best.”

“Thanks Airwave.” Sparkler responded.

“See you tomorrow?” Airwave asked.

“Yeah. Have a good night.” Sparkler said.

“You too. Stay smooth.” Airwave responded. With that, the connection was cut…but right after, the phone started ringing again.

“Incoming call from Derrick.” Flappy said.

“And now I get yelled at for ghosting SMILE. Put him through.” Sparkler responded.

Flappy connected the call, and Derrick’s voice came through. “Agent Medley.” He said.

“Director Derrick.” Sparkler responded. “Look, I’m sorry for ghosting SMILE tonight—“

“Oh I’m well aware of why you did it. And while you have earned a night off to go on a date. At the very least let Flappy warn you of potential threats nearby next time.” Derrick said. “We can’t have agents caught with their pants down.”

“Understood.” Sparkler responded.

“There’s another matter we need to discuss. Your cover to the Spectacular 7 is blown.” Derrick announced.

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Sorry?” She asked, confused.

“Autumn, Lyra, and Bonbon are being interrogated by the Spectacular 7, and they don’t have your Forget Me Gas.” Derrick said.

“So you want me to use it?” Sparkler asked.

“On one hand, I want to say yes. But on the other hand, if you’re going to be working with them to discover where your Crystallization power comes from, you just need to make sure you trust them completely.” Derrick advised her. “I know how important that is to you knowing where your power comes from.”

“So it’s up to me basically.” Sparkler responded.

“If you trust them to keep the secret, I’ll trust your judgment.” Derrick responded.

“I do trust them.” Sparkler responded. “But Twilight doesn’t know and I would rather KEEP it that way.”

“Again, that’s up to you. Trust is the key factor here.” Derrick responded. “Have a good night Sparkler.” He said before cutting the connection.

Sparkler took a deep breath. “Flappy, where are the spectacular 7?” She asked.

“At yours and Autumn’s apartment.” Flappy responded.

“Good.” Sparkler said. 

Not too much later, Sparkler pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building, next to Sunset’s motorcycle. She shutdown the engine and got out. She walked in and up the stairs until she landed on their floor. She walked towards the door…and actually hesitated opening it. The sooner you open the door the sooner you get this over with. She thought as she took a deep breath, and finally opened the door. “I’m home!” She called in. She walked into the apartment, and as she predicted, Autumn, Bonbon, Lyra, Sunset, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy were all in the living room area.

Pinkie was the first to notice Sparkler come and she smiled widely. “Sparkler!” She said as she bounced up onto her feet. “You’re back!”

That alerted everyone else to Sparkker’s return and all eyes were on her in less than a second. “Well if it isn’t secret agent Sparkler.” Rainbow said, smirking.

“How’s it going Sparks?” Autumn asked. “Rest of the date go alright?”

“Yes! Tell us how it went darling!” Rarity said, eager to hear what happened.

Sparkler couldn’t help but chuckle as she walked into the living room area. “So, I take it all of you know?” She asked.

“Autumn, Bonbon, and Lyra told us.” Fluttershy said. “We uh…kinda made them.”

Sparkler nodded. “Well, now that you know. There are two paths ahead, which path are you guys going to choose?” She asked.

“We already Pinkie promised yer spy friends that we’ll keep it to ourselves.” Applejack said. “Don’t you worry about a thing Sugarcube. You can trust us.”

“Applejack, this is serious.” Sparkler told her. “You girls can’t tell ANYONE. Not your sisters, not your parents, not Discord.” She eyed Fluttershy when she named her boyfriend. “And ESPECIALLY not Twilight. She is the last person I want knowing this.” She said.

“Chill our Sparkler.” Rainbow said. “For us a Pinkie Promise is literally akin to an unbreakable promise. Lest we want to suffer through Pinkie’s wrath.” She said.

“NOBODY breaks a Pinkie Promise.” Pinkie said. “It just isn’t worth it.”

Sparkler nodded. “Don’t make me have to use our memory erasing tech on you. Given the option, I’d rather trust you.” She said.

“And trust us you can Darling.” Rarity said. “We shan’t breathe a word to anyone.”

Sparkler nodded. “I’ll hold you to that.” She said.

Rarity nodded. “Back on the subject of Twilight. Just tell us one thing. Do you really love her or is it just a SMILE mission?” She asked.

Sparkler blinked, before a smile cracked on her face. “I saw that coming from a mile away. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. My feelings for Twilight are all me and no SMILE influence whatsoever. I’ll go up and get my journal full of doodles related to the subject if you need proof.” She said. Of course her friends would ask that. She said as Pinkie whispered FOREVER in her ear.

“In that case, how’d the rest of your date go darling?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah! Are you two a thing now?” Pinkie asked.

Sparkler chuckled. “Yes. We’re a thing now.” She said. “Turns out she likes me back.”

While everyone around her cheered and congratulated Sparkler, Sunset still congratulated her, but was still ticked off internally. I was actually HOPING it was just a SMILE mission. Grrr. She thought. Guess she was gonna need to move on. If only she knew how.

Later that night, Sparkler slipped into the bed in her room in the apartment, glanced out the window into the starry night, and smiled. “I can’t wait for Monday to come.” She said as she drifted off the sleep, happily dreaming about Twilight.

To be continued…