The sound of a tower fan hummed in the living room. The air was uncomfortably warm and Twilight came home to find Sunset sitting in front of the fan with Spike. Both were panting, trying to cool off with the somewhat-cooled air coming from the device. Twilight groaned as she hung her carry-along bag near the door.
“They still haven't fixed the AC?” Twilight asked, knowing the answer just from reality.
Spike barked happily and then ran up to the young woman's legs, nuzzling them lovingly. He got an ear rub in return.
“Nnnnnope,” Sunset replied jokingly. Her voice was warped comically by the fan.
“Is it weird that it feels lonely here already?” Twilight wondered aloud as she checked Spike's food dish. Her wife had taken care of him already, as she usually did.
“You can't have empty nest syndrome unless you had kids in the first place,” Sunset commented, still warped by the fan.
“Rainbow's just like a kid sometimes,” Twilight answered. She came over to Sunset and sat next to her to enjoy the airflow.
“More like most of the time,” the redhead grinned back. “She's only been gone two days to stay at Adagio's.”
“And it's immediately noticeable.”
“No kidding,” Sunset admitted. “Good news, though. I don't know if we can be looking after her forever and Adagio is more than capable.”
Twilight might have made a return remark on the subject but her mind was stuck on the kids and empty nest part. She needed to bring up the topic of kids with Sunset, but feared doing so. Before they married, the topic of kids had come up. They decided back then to put off any decisions until they had been together for a few years. As far as she knew, the subject was still on leave.
“So,” Sunset broke her wife out of her silence. She did this by wrapping her arm around her hip and kissing her on the cheek. “Got any plans for tonight?”
“Not really,” the bookworm admitted, pushing up her glasses and then looking her spouse over.
Sunset was quiet a moment but then couldn't help remark on her wife's look. She did it with a smirk. “I guess 'not really' means your plans involve my body...naked.”
Twilight giggled and stuck out her tongue. “Maybe that's just what you want.”
The smirk remained on Sunset's face. “We could try the handcuffs.”
A look of surprise struck Twilight's face. “Those were supposed to be a surprise! How'd you find them?”
“I've learned where you like to hide things,” Sunset stated flatly. “And a surprise? What? Was I going to wake up one Saturday morning cuffed naked to the bedpost while you make me beg for your touch?”
“You have some imagination,” the young scientist acted as if it were an unusual suggestion for them. Her coy-like attitude didn't go unanswered.
“Says the girl who bought the handcuffs!” Sunset exclaimed, pretending to be insulted.
Twilight giggled again. Clearly she enjoyed the banter. “That's twice you've mentioned being naked. You know you can just strip now if you want. I won't mind.”
“I knew you wanted it!” Sunset declared in triumph. “But not in front of Spike. It'd feel weird.”
“He's an animal,” Twilight rose a brow. “An intelligent dog but...oh. I forgot.”
“Pony,” Sunset rubbed her wife's hip while stating the facts her spouse just recalled. “And the other Spike talks, so yeah.”
“So what are we doing tonight?” Twilight got them back on track.
The slightly taller girl tapped her fingers on her wife's hip as she thought about it. The sounds of the city outside were familiar to her and, though they were mostly muted from the walls, they helped her think. Wisps of air still coming from the fan kept them cool. Both of them moved to the sofa, where the fan was originally pointed. The TV was off, its black screen reflecting their image perfectly.
“Movie?” Twilight offered.
“Video game?” Sunset offered in return.
Twilight twiddled her fingers. “I'm terrible at those...except the strategy ones.”
“It's about having fun, not being good,” the redhead nudged her. “And besides, you seemed to have a blast with Rainbow playing...”
“Galaxial Expansion.”
“Ah. Yeah. That. Looked fun.”
Twilight nodded eagerly. “Quite! But Dashie only agreed to play because co-op allowed separation of duty and specialization. She took the military jobs while I took everything else.”
Sunset chuckled briefly. “She would. Not a fan of the math involved with supplying colonies, right? I saw you working all sorts of panels in-game.”
“Well,” Twilight began to admit, “colony defense required mathematical strategy too and she wasn't so good with figuring out the most efficient supply lines for the artillery. Our defenses crumbled and we sort of...lost.”
Sunset laughed, though not at her wife's expense. Twilight seemed to think it was funny too with the way she was smiling.
“We could try it together, though. No offense to Rainbow, but I think you'd make a better Commander,” the blue-haired bookworm suggested.
Sunset leaned over and touched her nose to her wife's, who had well become accustomed to the pony-like display of affection. “Be the protector of my princess? Sounds perfect.”
“Put the game in and I'll grab some snacks,” Twilight beamed.
Two hours later, the moon was crossing the night sky and two happily married young women were spreading humankind across the cosmos – all from within the comfort of their living room. Spike was watching the screen while laying with the girls on the sofa, his front paws resting on Sunset's lap.
“How's Canis Sector?” Twilight asked quickly as she ordered shipment of raw minerals from one colony to the next and set food supply lines.
“Secure,” Sunset reported nearly with a yawn. “They're not very good with guarding their assault transports,” she added in comment of one of their alien opponents.
“We're almost done taking the North Quadrant,” Twilight reported back.
“After that?”
“That's it,” Twilight finally put her controller down and watched their pseudo-empire do all of the work. “We'll have won the game. You're really good at this.”
“Me?” Sunset blanched. “I didn't do anything. I blew up some ships. You did all the important work.”
“And advised me on some of it,” Twilight countered.
Sunset shrugged. “We make a good team.”
At that, Twilight rubbed her side against her wife's lovingly. “That we do,” she said and kissed her briefly on the lips.
“So what now?”
“Hmm,” Sunset hummed to herself. They had gotten to this point once again. What to do?
“Besides the handcuffs,” Twilight denied the other girl before she could make the suggestion.
Sunset shook her head. “You like making it difficult for me don't you?”
“Yep,” was the young woman's simple reply. She wouldn't say the thought was out of her mind, though. Even when Sunset wasn't in a bikini, her body was very attractive. The tank top and casual shorts she was in now did well to betray her curves.
Before Twilight could go back on her own words, there was a knock on the door. Both girls looked to each other with raised brows. Who would come visiting this late? Sunset jumped up and was first to the door's peephole. It didn't take long afterwards for the door to be swiftly unlocked and opened.
“Rarity?!” Sunset still felt surprised as she beheld the well-dressed fashionista. Twilight voiced the same from behind Sunset.
Indeed, the purple-haired girl stood there in her impeccable sparkling white blouse and designer pants – made by herself no doubt. With matching white heels and bracelets, she could have lit up the street at night by how bright her outfit shined.
“May I come in?” she asked as politely as she always did, though her expression revealed an unusual mood.
Sunset nodded eagerly and stepped aside for the young woman. The years since CHS had given them all a little height. Some more than others. Rarity had another inch or two, but it was hard to be exact when she often wore shoes and heels with different heights depending on her mood. As for her other dimensions, she had filled out about as well as Sunset, minus the muscle tone perhaps.
“Is something wrong, Rarity?” Twilight quickly asked, standing up from the sofa while Sunset closed the front door.
“I am afraid so,” Rarity's voiced trembled just so.
“Maybe you should sit down,” Twilight patted the sofa and took a seat on it, anticipating a possible Rarity Fainting Spell.
Indeed, the fashionista did drape herself upon the sofa in a rather dramatic way. “You would not believe the news I have heard,” she sighed in light distress. “I knew that no matter how late the hour, I must seek counsel. It certainly could not be true. The two of you simply must know.”
Sunset sighed for a different reason, perching herself on the end armrest of the sofa. “And what exactly has your nightgown in a bunch tonight?”
“The most dreadful news!”
Twilight was also turning deadpan. She adjusted her thick-rimmed black glasses. “Which is?”
“Rainbow Dash is dating Adagio Dazzle!” Rarity exclaimed and nearly passed out.
A silent exchange was passed between Twilight and Sunset's eyes. Rarity looked back up to them and saw their reaction – or rather their lack of reaction.
The only thing that broke the silence was when the married couple started laughing.
“What?” Rarity asked in a tiny voice, shocked all over again.
“Oh, Rarity,” Twilight managed between laughs.
Sunset did a little better, though her chuckling continued. “You came all the way over here to tell us that?”
“What has gotten into you girls?” Rarity was appalled. “This is no laughing matter! Rainbow Dash could be ensnared in some devious siren trap!”
“If Dash is ensnared in anything,” Sunset grinned, “it'll be Adagio's bedsheets.”
That got an extra snicker out of Twilight.
Rarity scrunched her face in disgust. “The two of you were serious leaders once. I suppose Rainbow's bad habits rubbed off on you. I should not have wasted my time. Perhaps Applejack will be more willing to help.”
Twilight caught Rarity as she was trying to leave the sofa, pulling her back and forcing herself into a more reserved mood. “Wait, Rarity. It's not what you think. Rainbow is safe and there's no reason to intervene.”
Sunset nodded quickly and then glanced to the kitchen, suddenly in the mood for something to snack on. “We met Adagio when we were with Rainbow on vacation. Hello Tropics. Adagio works there. And trust me when I tell you she's harmless.”
Rarity was giving Sunset a suspicious glare, so Twilight added more. “Adagio lost her powers along with the other Dazzlings. She's come around...in a way. She needed a friend, so we set her up with Rainbow. They hit it off.”
“With a little help,” Sunset had to mutter that part.
“Hit it off?”Rarity blanched and then gave a “kuh-buh-pfft-kuh” of dismissal. “That is an understatement, darling. I heard she is staying over there for quite some time. Does anyone besides Rainbow Dash go so fast?”
Getting that Rarity was talking about advancing a relationship, Sunset cut in. “Just because she's staying with Adagio doesn't mean they're doing anything intimate together. They could be playing Scrabble for all we know. Me and Twilight are just glad Adagio's got a friend and Rainbow's temporarily out of the house.”
“Twilight and I,” the young scientist quietly corrected without being noticed.
The fashionista was slow to be accepting but she relaxed just a tiny bit and pressed on with residual concern. “But Adagio Dazzle?”
“She's...uh...filled out,” Sunset tried not to look too humorous while saying it, so as to prevent Rarity from complaining again about their joking mood.
“Of course,” Rarity deadpanned, her eyebrows as flat as her tone. “This is Rainbow Dash we are talking about, after all.”
Twilight fidgeted in her spot between Sunset and Rarity. It forced her to a suggestion - if only to make Rarity's visit not so useless. “How about we play a game together? It's not often we have you over, Rarity.”
The purple-haired beauty leaned back on the sofa in thought. That she was giving it consideration was good given the original framing of her visit.
“We also have movies,” Sunset added.
Rarity continued mulling it over.
“And cucumber sandwiches?” Twilight offered, playing on their friend's weakness.
Rarity's eyes lit up along with her smile. She gave an enthusiastic if perhaps a somewhat squeaky “how divine!”
The ensuing night was comprised of cucumber sandwiches, some kind of high-class cracker things Rarity made, a tiny bit of wine (from the only bottle the Shimmers happened to have), and keeping cool beneath the breeze of the fan while watching an action/drama movie they compromised on for the sake of all of their tastes.
Rarity inevitably acknowledged the heat of the room, the blowing fan, and the lack of air conditioning. However, she sympathized with the couple and stayed the entire duration just to spend some time with them. It was an opportunity that did not come often and she would be caught in an ugly brown dress before she gave up her generous spirit.
At one point in the film, the main heroine was draped across her bed, bemoaning the loss of her love. It was laid on thick rather badly, making Sunset roll her eyes and Twilight wonder why they had bought the movie in the first place. Meanwhile, Rarity couldn't help but comment while petting Spike, who was curled up next to her.
“What a drama queen.”