//------------------------------//
// Love Is In Bloom-Sunset Shimmer 
// Story: A Sparkling Sunset 
// by Ferhog 
//------------------------------//

	"Sunset."

Wherever the voice was coming from, Sunset couldn't see. It was too dark.

"Sunset!"

That voice was starting to bother her. Why couldn't it just go away?

"SUNSET SHIMMER!"

Sunset's eyes were forced open from the shock of the sudden noise. She stared upwards to see Salty Haze looking down at her. She did not look happy.

"Great, now that you're awake, I suggest you get up, or you're gonna miss out on breakfast."

After Salty walked out, Sunset fell facedown onto her pillow. She didn't want to get up. Then again, no one wants to get up on a school day. But these kind of things are just a fact of life, and people have to learn to deal with them.

If only life was half as pleasant as last night's dream.

Although, while the dream had been wonderful, she had trouble remembering the details. What happened in it exactly? Something to do with Twilight…

Sunset's eyes widened as the events of the previous day all came rushing back to her. The talking. The music. The dancing.

The kiss.

Her arms thrust into the air in triumphant fists while she let out an unsuccessfully restrained squeal of delight. It had actually happened! She and Twilight had actually kissed! Saying this was a dream come true was an understatement. This was something that Sunset could never even have imagined no more than a few days ago.

The memories of the previous day filled her with enough joyful energy to leap out the bed before slipping out of her pajamas and into her clothes. She ran out the door, through the hallway, and down the stairs, passing a very surprised looking Coppermane. When she reached the dining room she grabbed a bowl, filled it with Wheatabix and milk, and ran over to a table. After sitting down, she gave the Wheatabix multiple jabs with her spoon, mashing it into a state that looked similar to porridge, which she started wolfing down ferociously.

She happened to have sat next to Lens Flare, who stared at her while she ate.

"Wow, and people say I tend to eat weirdly."

No more than a second after he finished his sentence, Sunset was standing up and running towards the sink, which was followed by her washing the bowl and spoon, and putting it all back in their cupboards.

She spent the next few minutes doing her usual thing. Brushing her teeth, packing her bag, and generally making sure she was ready for school, breaking into little dances throughout the process. Before she even knew it, she was on the bus headed towards Canterlot High.

The seat on which she had sat down was placed next to Raspberry Roots, who looked at her oddly.

"Um...are you humming the tune of Love Is In Bloom?" She asked. "Last time I checked, you didn't really like that song."

Sunset turned her head and smiled. "Well, last time you checked, I wasn't this happy."

Raspberry looked at her with a raised eyebrow, clearly finding her attitude strange. Her eyes suddenly shot wide open, before she lunged forward and grabbed Sunset by the face. Sunset was too surprised to protest as her eyelids were stretched open, While Raspberry carefully inspected her eye. She then moved downwards and placed her ear against Sunset's chest, and Sunset suddenly became aware of her pounding heartbeat. And weirdest of all, Raspberry then placed her finger inside Sunset's mouth, wetting it against the inside of her cheeks. She then took the finger out and licked it, tasting the saliva.

Raspberry then looked at Sunset with narrowed eyes. "Someone's had their first kiss."

"Uhhhhh..." Sunset replied. "what...makes you say..."

"Don't lie to me, pony girl. I've seen the signs before, and you are currently covered in them. As Charles Ramses once quoteth, 'Deeeaaad giveaway."

Sunset was at a loss for words.

"So who was she?"

That last word struck Sunset the hardest. "She?"

"That saliva lacked the taste of testosterone."

"Um...do you even know what testosterone is?"

"No idea, but that's not the point. The point is that..." Her eyebrows then narrowed as a sign of thinking. "...wait a minute..." Her mouth spread into a grin. "...its that pony princess isn't it."

"Uh..."

"Ha! An Uh! The most futile kind of denial there is. You totally kissed...what's her name...Twilight Sparkle? Yeah, that's it. You totally kissed Twilight Sparkle!"

The volume that she had uttered that last part with made Sunset remember something that Twilight had mentioned before leaving yesterday.

"Um...Raspberry..."Sunset said quietly, successfully getting her attention. "You...wouldn't mind keeping quiet about that would you. Just...pretend it never happened."

Raspberry froze. "Say what?"

"Well...Twilight doesn't really want this incident to be...you know...shouted out loud on a bus."

She responded by sitting down properly on her chair and staring at the back of the chair, though her grin remained.

"Want your privacy," she whispered. "I can respect that."


***


Although that event on the bus was slightly uncomfortable for Sunset, as soon as she stepped out onto the school grounds her elation returned to her. She continued humming Love Is In Bloom while her head swayed side to side as she walked down the concrete path. It had been a really long time since she had felt this happy.

But at the back of her mind, there was something bothering her.

After she and Twilight had kissed, they went back to work in silence. When the walls were done, there was nothing more they could do, since everything else like the lights required more professional work. As soon as they had finished, it was time for Twilight to go. But before leaving, she told Sunset not to mention the kiss to anyone. And judging by the tone she was speaking at the time, she meant it.

And that was what bothered her. There were a lot of things implied if Twilight didn't want anyone else to know that they'd kissed. And some implications were definitely less pleasant than others.

But that was something to be discussed later. Right now, there was almost nothing that could bring her mood down.

And what a mood it was. She went up the stairs in more of a skipping fashion than just walking up them, and as she walked through the doorway and into the halls of Canterlot High she started to do a little dance, clicking her fingers, swaying her head, and shifting her feet to the song being hummed.

Down the hallway, all the other students and staff were starting the day in their various ways. Kids going through their lockers, teachers chatting as they walked down the hallway, the janitor clearing out a bin, all these mundane things became beautiful in the eyes of a lovestruck Sunset Shimmer.

"Morning guys!" she called over to the Diamond Dogs before doing a happy three sixty degree twirl and continuing to amble on. Spot, Rover, and Fido looked up from the pretty stone they were examining and gave Sunset a confused look, since there were little to no previous instances where she had ever directly spoken to them.

Trixie and the Illusions were gathered near Trixie's locker, also looking at something. Knowing Trixie, its was probably a plan to execute some strange magic trick in order to impress the school.

"Good morning!" Sunset greeted them as she walked by, and while Trixie and one of her cronies were still focused on whatever they were looking at, the other girl gave her a friendly wave.

Further down the hallway, she found Miss Harshwhinny walking in the opposite direction while struggling with a large pile of papers.

Suddenly, she stumbled over slightly, allowing a few sheets to fall off the pile. Luckily for her, Sunset quickly responded to the situation by skidding in front of her and catching the papers in mid air before they had a chance to hit the ground.

"I think you dropped these," Said Sunset, placing the papers back on top of the pile.

Before Harshwhinny could thank her, Sunset was already striding off again.

Ahead of Sunset was the door of one of the classrooms, wide open with noise coming from it. As she passed it she took a quick look inside to see Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie having some kind of argument. The strangest thing was that Pinkie Pie was holding on to a large blue cannon with pink wheels.

"Don't you see, Dashie!" Pinkie exclaimed to rainbow Dash. "The Equestria Girls party cannon is now canon!"

"Yes, Pinkie, I see that it’s a cannon," Dash replied. "What I'm asking is why it's in a classroom?!"

"But it’s canon now!"

"I know it’s a cannon!"

Sunset heard Pinkie let out an annoyed moan as she walked out of hearing distance.

Across the hallway she walked, Sunset gave a friendly greeting to everyone she passed, and got happier with every positive response she was given. Around the corner was a bunch of lockers, and at one of the lockers, she found one of the main people she was looking for.

Vinyl was sorting out her locker, collecting the books she required and storing those she didn't need. Slightly unaware of her surroundings due to the headphone covering her ears, she was taken by surprise when suddenly locked in tight hug from Sunset.

"Waaaaaaaah?!" Vinyl exclaimed, instinctively trying to free herself. "What the hell, dude?!"

As soon as she realized that suddenly grabbing someone likely isn't comfortable for them, Sunset released her.

"Vinyl Scratch, you are my Hero!"

Vinyl removed her headphones and raised an eyebrow behind her shades. "Say what now?"

Sunset's left hand rummaged through one of the small side pockets in her bag and brought out the CD.

"This CD worked wonders!" Sunset proclaimed, handing it back to the DJ. "It happened. Everything you talked about actually happened!"

"Everything?"

"Yeah," Sunset replied, nodding her head happily. "Dancing, kiss..." One again, she remembered what Twilight had said. "Actually...its best I don't go into details..."

Vinyl winced slightly. "That sounds...disturbingly explicit."

Traces of blush started appearing on Sunset's face when she realised what Vinyl was implying. "I suppose it does..."

"Moving on," Vinyl jabbered. "I'm glad it worked out for you. But next time I help you, please don't thank me in such a...sudden and affectionate way."

"Sure," Sunset glanced at a clock, seeing that lessons were fast approaching. "Gotta go. See ya Vinyl."

And with that, she jogged down the hallway as Vinyl waved farewell to her.


***


Strangely enough, Sunset didn't find any of her friends in the music room. It could be assumed that they had just gathered in smaller groups all over CHS. It wasn't the first time, but of all days that particular day was one of the worst for that to happen. As the time gap between the present and the kiss got larger, Sunset longed to see Twilight again.

Since she had been unable to find the group, Sunset went to lessons alone. At History she was joined by Rarity and Fluttershy, as they were part of the usual class. Next was Math, where she was joined by Applejack. But in both of these lessons, Twilight was nowhere to be seen.

The urge to see her grew stronger, but for different reasons.

Why did Twilight want to keep the kiss a secret? Was she embarrassed about it? Why would she be? Was it because both of them were girls?

Was she unsure about something?

Did she not feel the same way?

The more she thought about it, the more she felt something inside her. Something very close to fear.

Hopefully, she would be there at break, and they would have a chance to talk about it. Sunset found herself looking at the clock every few seconds, counting down the minutes to when she could finally go.

At long last, Mr. Donkey set them their homework and permitted them to leave. Sunset had to hold back the urge to run as she walked out the classroom and towards the cafeteria.

It seemed her efforts to hold back on running were in slight vain, as she was the first person to set foot in the cafeteria. To be fair, they didn't serve food during the first break, so it didn't normally have people in it at this time. But despite this, it was the regular meeting place of Sunset and her friends, along with a few other social groups.

Sunset sat herself down and locked her eyes on the entrance, waiting for her friends to arrive. If Twilight was anywhere, it had to be with them.

As minute after minute passed, and student after student came through the doors, she was beginning to doubt it. But as she was on the verge of leaving the cafeteria to look for Twilight somewhere else, she saw the strong, muscular figure of Applejack appear through the doorway.

Right behind her were Rarity and Rainbow Dash. And following them was Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy...and Twilight!

If Sunset had no willpower, she would be running towards Twilight and grabbing her in a passionate embrace. Luckily, Sunset had plenty of willpower, and did no such thing, allowing herself to sit casually as her friends sat down around her. To her indescribable joy, Twilight sat down right next to her.

Everyone else sitting at the table starting breaking into their own conversations, while Twilight just watched them in silence, and Sunset watched her in turn.

Eventually, she built up the nerve to confront her.

"Twilight?" she whispered, placing her hand on the princess' shoulder.

Twilight closed her eyes and let out a small sigh, as if she had been dreading a moment like this.

"Not right now, Sunset," she said in a voice with a hint of sadness.

"What do you mean?"

"It just...isn't the time."

"Then when is?"

Twilight turned her head to face Sunset, staring into her eyes with a mixture of emotions that were hard to identify.

"Meet me behind the school after the last class has ended. Then we'll...talk."


***


The outside air never seemed so chilly.

It had been about six minutes since the last class ended. As soon as they had been let out, Sunset had run out the back entrance, hoping to see Twilight there. She was nowhere to be seen.

Apparently there were some plans to eventually develop something behind the school, but for now there wasn't much to take note of. Just a large metal fence blocking the school from the rest of the city, under the shade of small trees. There was nothing else to speak of except for a small grey bench on top of the green grass. It was so simple, the fact that they had bothered to add a back entrance at all seemed weird to Sunset.

Yet in the afternoon light, it all seemed...remarkably pretty.

Sunset sat herself down on the bench and waited, while continuing to admire the scenery as well.

And while she sat there, she feared and anticipated whatever would come next.

All of a sudden, she heard the quiet sound of crunching grass. Turning her head, she found herself looking at Twilight Sparkle, slowly walking towards her with her hair swaying in the breeze.

"Hey."

Twilight's mouth stretched into a tiny smile. "Hi."

Sunset scooted over to the other end of the bench, leaving plenty of space for Twilight to sit. When Twilight reached the bench she sat herself down, leaving little space between the two, while not exactly touching.

"So..." Twilight mumbled. "How was your day?"

Sunset closed her eyes and let the feelings inside her run loose, as all the thoughts that had been building up that day took over her mind.

"Look Twilight, I don't want any of this 'How was your day?' nonsense. You know why I want to talk to you."

At that moment, any signs of casualness on Twilight's face slipped into some type of sadness.

"About last night?" she asked.

Sunset scooted closer towards her. "Of course about last night. We can't just ignore what happened. We kissed."

Twilight's eyes squinted shut and she looked down at the ground, as if trying to repress the memory.

"Twilight," Sunset said, her voice dripping with emotion. "I want to know how you feel about it. About me."

She continued to stare at the ground, and as Sunset looked closer, there were traces of tears in her eyes.

"I...don't...know..." Twilight mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Sunset asked, the fear from earlier growing inside her again.

"Last night was...wonderful." Twilight lifted her head from staring at the ground and looked straight into Sunset's eyes. "I've never felt 	anything so...strong..."

From these words, a great load of fear that Sunset had been feeling evaporated into relief. Twilight definitely had feelings for her, yet there was something else going on…

"But..." Sunset could hear Twilight's voice start to crack, as the tears in her eyes became more and more visible. "Its not right. I'm a princess of Equestria. I can't be doing things that are so...  against... everything my society knows. If a princess of Equestria was in a relationship with a mare, there would be...complete chaos. The nobles, the lords, the aristocrats, the entire Canterlot society. They would never accept a homosexual princess. And what Canterlot does, the rest of Equestria will follow."

Twilight's hand was lifted off the bench and placed on Sunset's cheek. Sunset lost her focus on the situation for a second as she basked in the softness of that lavender palm.

"But at the same time...I can't stop the thoughts. The thoughts about you. Ever since that kiss...I've wanted nothing more than to see you again, to talk to you again, to touch you again."

Upon finishing that last word, Twilight's other hand was placed on Sunset's other cheek.

"But as a princess...I just can't do that."

As both of them sat there, with Twilight's hands around Sunset's face, the tears running down Twilight's own cheeks, Sunset thought about everything Twilight had said.

All the fear that Sunset had been feeling suddenly felt meaningless. She then understood that if anyone had a reason to be afraid, it was Twilight. It didn't matter if she wanted to be with Sunset or not. Back in Equestria, she was a princess. The highest among the high society. The one that had to be respected. The Equestria that Sunset knew always had trouble with acceptance. The common townspeople may be quite accepting of homosexuals, but from what Sunset remembered there was always racism and elitism all over Equestria, and it was most prominent in high society. Among the ponies with the most money and power.

If it was revealed to people like those that Twilight was homosexual or bisexual, the respect for the princesses might get shattered. And if that happened, the same could happen to the monarchy in its entirety.

But in spite of all this, Sunset wasn't afraid anymore. And if she wasn't afraid, Twilight didn't have to be either.

"No one has to know."

Twilight's tearful eyes became locked with Sunset's. As Sunset looked into those magenta orbs, she saw uncertainty. But at the same time, she saw hope.

"I just...the risk..." She sniffed.

Sunset took Twilight's hands off her cheeks and held them in her own hands. She stared at Twilight with a look of assertiveness.

It was the time for honesty. It was the time to get to the point.

"Do you want this, Twilight?"

Twilight stared back at her, eyes filled with uncertainty, fear, and confusion. But at the same time, the hope was still there.

"But what if someone finds out? What if we get discovered?"

Sunset squeezed Twilight's hands, tight, yet softly.

"That wasn't the question. The question was, do you want this, Twilight?"

Their gazes remained locked as a moment of silence passed between them.

"More than anything," Twilight whispered.

Continuing to stare into Twilight's eyes, Sunset saw something else besides all the emotions that she had seen previously. Something besides fear, confusion, and hope. Something similar to what she had seen in Twilight the previous night.

And at the same time, Sunset felt something inside her that reminded her of the previous night.

"Okay," Sunset whispered back.

As they pulled each other in for their second kiss, Sunset began to feel everything she had seen in Twilight's eyes. The thought of the prejudiced society that waited for them back in Equestria filled her with uncertainty and fear. But at the same time, the knowledge that Twilight was well and truly hers filled her with more hope and happiness than she had ever felt before.