“When I was a filly, I found this pretty lantern. It had a message inside, it said I had friends in Maretime Bay.”
Sunny Starscout’s face lit up. The other ponies around the fire turned to look as each in turn came to the same conclusion.
“It...It was you!” Izzy gasped.
“I made it with my Dad. We always promised each other that someday we would prove that all ponies were meant to be friends. We'll do our part. Hoof to heart.”
As the fire started to die down and the conversation had gone quiet, Izzy stood up and quietly walked away to the cliff’s edge. Pipp looked ready to fall asleep, while Hitch quietly shared the story of one of the film’s played at the cinema in Maretime Bay to a bemused Zipp. In the distance, there was the faint sound of an owl hooting and the wind whistling as it blew through crevices and gaps in the rocks.
When Izzy didn’t return immediately, Sunny started to worry. The two of them hadn’t had a moment to themselves since that first night before arriving in Zephyr Heights. Sunny had begun to wonder if it was a dream or something she’d imagined. Through the hours-long journey out of the pegasus city, Sunny had been so concerned with keeping the group together and bickering to a minimum that she’d barely even shared so much as a glance with Izzy.
Sunny slowly rose to her hooves, hoping not to draw attention as she slipped away from the remaining group huddled around the fire. She thought she saw Hitch give her a curious glance, but if he did he said nothing, returning to his story about the third installment of Harry Trotter. Stepping away, carefully traversing sharp rocks that she could easily trip on now that it was dark and vision was limited, she found Izzy sitting by the cliff.
The light of the fire barely illuminated the world from here, and Hitch’s voice was little more than a whisper in the distance. Sunny sat down next to Izzy, closer than she would’ve dared in front of the others, and looked out at the valley where Izzy was looking. She said nothing, not wanting to spoil the moment or disrupt Izzy. To Sunny’s surprise, Izzy placed her head gently on her shoulder, her long, wispy mane cascading over Sunny’s back.
“It’s really pretty, isn’t it? I’ve never seen anything like it in Bridlewood.” Izzy whispered.
“It sure is.” Sunny replied, unable to think of anything better to say. Her brain was like mush again, and words didn’t seem to properly form themselves.
“I’m just scared.” Izzy continued, “Of not seeing any of you ponies again. Of not seeing you again.” Izzy scooted closer.
Through the haziness, a moment of clarity appeared to Sunny, who found herself knowing exactly what to do. Words weren’t exactly necessary in a moment like this, they paled in comparison to action. So she reached out and put a hoof on Izzy’s, squeezing it.
“You will,” Sunny reassured her.
“Are you sure? I mean, everypony has a life they need to go back to.”
“Izzy, I…” Sunny trailed off, turning her head to look down at the forlorn pony leaning against her. Her hoof slipped away from Izzy’s, and she draped it around her back instead, pulling her against her side.
“This is the most magical thing that’s ever happened to me. And I don’t just mean the adventure or our new friends. I mean you.” Sunny gazed into Izzy’s eyes, and she in hers.
“Thank you. I guess I was just being silly.” Izzy smiled, warmth returning to her face again, that fire in her eyes restored.
“If we can do all this, restore magic and convince ponies to be friends again, I bet we can do anything.” Sunny continued.
“You’re right, Sunny.” Izzy snuggled closer, turning away from the valley and facing Sunny instead, resting across her front and draping hooves around her, muzzle pointed up toward Sunny’s.
Sunny blushed as she immediately realized what was happening, and remembered the ponies who were still behind her.
“Izzy, are you sure about this? What if they--”
“Saw? Let them.” Izzy leaned closer. Sunny could feel her breath on her neck, tickling her fur. She twitched an ear and closed her eyes.
Izzy was right. Who cared? After all, wasn’t spreading love and showing the world that anypony could be friends the whole point? So what if friendship extended into something more? Sunny inhaled, leaned down, and connected the kiss.
Their muzzles met and they pressed into each other at once. Izzy’s hoof planted on Sunny’s chest this time, drifting up to her collarbone, then her neck. Sunny’s hoof stayed around Izzy’s back while her other forehoof propped herself up and was the only thing keeping her from being on the ground right now.
Not satisfied with a simple peck on the lips anymore, Izzy’s tongue drifted out and Sunny felt it graze her lips. It was a shock at first, to be sure. Sunny hadn’t been prepared for this kind of escalation but she welcomed it readily. Her lips parted, Izzy’s tongue dove in, and suddenly they were intertwining, tongue chasing tongue, swapping spit and gasping into each other’s mouths.
Sunny squeezed around Izzy’s back and the unicorn gasped then exhaled sharply. Her hoof moved up and down, venturing from her shoulders to her lower back. As she went lower, Izzy started to squirm and move. The invitation was obvious to her, the more squirms the lower she got, but it wasn’t until her hoof found rump that it struck home what she was doing. Izzy pressed tightly up against her, coaxing Sunny’s tongue back into her own maw and Sunny could swear she heard a groan.
Izzy’s hoof had moved up behind Sunny’s head, stroking her mane at first, but as Sunny’s hooves grew more adventurous so too did Izzy’s, playing with Sunny’s ears and touching in those sensitive spots that Izzy could tell Sunny loved just behind them.
With hooves on Izzy’s rump and a shudder driving up her spine, Sunny was in heaven. She groped and squeezed and it earned a content hum from Izzy’s throat.
The kiss ended, begrudgingly so, as all things do. The need for air brought them back down to mundane reality where they could not, despite their desire to, make out forever. They parted, a strand of saliva hanging between them for a tantalizing moment before breaking. Cheeks aflame, Sunny caught her breath and looked away.
“Oh. My. Gosh.” Sunny whispered, her heart and mind racing.
“You are so good at that, Sunny.”
“I... I am? I wasn’t too much? My hooves were...and you. Oh my gosh.” Poor Sunny was overwhelmed with emotions and heavy feelings, but a hoof on her cheek calmed her.
“Exactly how I wanted it,” Izzy smirked. “You’re pretty new at all this stuff, huh?”
Sunny nodded meekly.
“That’s okay. I liked it. I haven’t been with that many ponies, either. I guess we just kinda...figure it out?” There was that warm smile again. A smile Izzy only offered to Sunny when nopony was around. A smile she didn’t bring out at any other time.
“I like the sound of that,” Sunny whispered, giving a bashful grin, “a lot. You think we should get back to the others?” They turned, and as they did Hitch’s stare practically burned a hole through them. For once, Sunny couldn’t read what he was thinking. He quickly looked away.
“That’s not good…” Sunny sighed. Izzy’s hoof on her shoulder squeezed again.
“Don’t worry about him. Maybe we should get some shut-eye, instead? I see Zipp and Pipp already did and the fire’s almost out.”
“Yeah. You’re right.” Putting Hitch out of her mind, Sunny smirked. “As long as you try not to snore this time. Or fall asleep right away.”
Izzy had found a spot nearby and was patting down some grass to make a more comfortable bed. From the corner of her eye, Sunny saw Hitch lay down, facing away. Izzy twirled around three times in place, stamping at the grass, then settled down. She patted a spot next to her she’d neatly made.
Sunny settled down, cozying up as close as she could to Izzy. They embraced like they had the time before, and just as before Izzy was asleep in mere seconds, her gentle snoring muffled by Sunny’s fur. Truthfully, Sunny didn’t mind. She stroked Izzy’s back slowly, thinking about what lay ahead. About the friendships that could be made, about magic coming back to Equestria...and about Izzy. She squeezed the mare tightly and whispered goodnight.