1 // Makes Ya Feel Stressed
The following morning after their wonderful night together, Izzy was the first of the pair to awaken.
The sharp notes of birdsong roused her at first, and as she began to stir, the shine of sunlight through the window did its job of waking her the rest of the way up, despite her soft groans of protest as she shielded her eyes with a forehoof. A hazy lethargy filled her, far beyond that of ordinary morning grogginess; a full-body ache that made every movement she made a trembling struggle that sent numb tingles through her limbs, no doubt a reminder of last night's blissful activities with her friend-turned-lover. For being a first-timer, she sure had gone all out to rock her world...
Said friend-turned-lover was draped peacefully across her chest, Izzy's hoof holding her close beneath the covers. A wide smile graced Sunny's sleeping muzzle as her soft breaths added to the gentle symphony of a crisp summer morning. Izzy felt like she never wanted to leave such a perfect moment behind...but much like Sunny yesterday morning, there were things she had planned for today. Important things - not for the future of Equestria or anything (well, probably not...she hoped) but personal ones...which made them even more important! If she and Sunny were going to be an item from now on - her father had a right to know.
E-err. Well. Not technically her father, but...the closest thing she had to one, at any rate.
"Sunny-bun...it's another beautiful day in Equestria...wake up, sweetie~" Izzy singsonged softly, nuzzling down into Sunny's mane as the smaller mare began to stir atop her.
The unicorn's eyes widened as her earth-pony sweetheart caught her off guard, tipping her head back as she captured the unicorn's lips in a surprise half-upside-down kiss. It was left chaste, rather than anything provocative or intense - an adorably impulsive reminder of the love they'd shared with one another...not that either of them would be forgetting for a while, after all of the firsts they'd now shared. But any excuse to kiss was nice, all the same.
"Mmh...beautiful because you're in it, Izz..." Sunny complimented groggily, effortlessly alighting Izzy's face in a blush as the other mare's horn alit, bashfully twirling a strand of her own gorgeous sapphire mane in her magic.
"Heehee~! You really know how to make a mare feel special, Sunny-bun! You sure you're new to this?" Izzy shot back, giggling playfully.
"Well, about as new as magic is to today's Equestria..." she trailed off, a worried aside glance souring her mood as thoughts of less-understanding ponies barged in and muddled her good vibes.
Sensing her marefriend's dourly drifting mind, Izzy brightened up as she sense her opportunity. "Speakin' of once-separated Equestrians, whatcha say we pop down to Bridlewood for the day? I've got some unicycled stuff I wanna bring over and some ponies back there to talk to. Considering I'm gonna be living here with you, I might as well make the lighthouse even more of a home for myself!"
"Heh, more of a home?" Sunny inquired, cocking an eyebrow up at Izzy's smirking face.
"Well, yeah! Because wherever you are is home to me, Sunny. Duuuh~" Izzy opined as if it were the most obvious thing ever. Her carefree grin shifted into a soft smile as a single tear rolled down Sunny's cheek.
"N-now who's making who feel special, huh?" The earth mare croaked out, voice trembling with emotion as she felt what must've been her "sparkle," shining brilliantly from within like a hot-burning star. "I love you, Izzy."
"I love you too, sun to my moon~! C'mon, let's get ready to go."
It was one thing to visit the droll, lifeless village that Bridlewood had been without magic.
It was another thing entirely to see it restored to its vibrant, shimmering, sparkling self, thanks to the efforts of herself and her friends. It seemed she wasn't the only tourist - already she could see other earth ponies and pegasi slowly ambling around the place, gazing open-mouthed at each sparkling crystal and glittering leaf as the sheer beauty utterly captivated them, much like Sunny herself had been.
"Soooo. Bridlewood's looking...a lot more cheerful than last time..." Sunny noted breathlessly, smiling bashfully and waving whenever a passing unicorn cheerfully recognized her as the one who'd returned their home to its former glory.
"No kidding! I've never seen this much sparkle in one place...it's overwhelming..." It seemed that not even Izzy was immune to the effects of a reinvigorated Bridlewood...at least if the way she'd been tottering around in a starry-eyed daze, investigating every glowing crystal and sparkling leaf that caught her fancy, was any indication. It might've had something to do with that unique sparkle-seeing talent of hers - without magic, it must've been not too much to deal with, but now that the magic of everything had returned, all at once...
Hurriedly guiding Izzy towards the cafe before the poor dear collapsed to the street in a daze, the two of them stepped through the doorway - and were greeted by a place so different from what they knew, it was almost comical.
Peals of laughter, the thrum of conversation, and an overpowering aura of energy rattled the establishment from wall to wall, ponies of all three kinds engaging in drinking, socializing, and other merriments as a crowd cheered, encircling the Just Prance machine that had been set up as a permanent fixture against one wall - this time magically-motivated, rather than using those overworked little armadillos. It was a stark transformation from the muted, saloon-like atmosphere of their previous visit, but with magic returned it made sense - who could stay mad after getting their magic back, for ponies' sake?
As the entry doors creaked shut behind them, some curious ponies glanced over to investigate the new arrivals - chief among them, the bartender himself. Fresh bouts of excited chatter filled the establishment as the gossip spread like a wave, all eyes turning to them...like something out of a horror movie...!
"WELCOME, HEROES!" The crowd roared, laughing uproariously among themselves at the slack-jawed expressions on the two mares' faces as each pony returned to what they were doing before.
From amongst the throng, a vast, familiar shape began jostling its way through them, leaping from the crowd and sweeping up both of them in a bone-creaking hug before either of them could even react. "Izzy! Sunny! Glad to see you two come by," Alphabittle greeted warmly, releasing them from his enthusiastic glomping before either mare could accidentally pass out, "I can't thank the two of you, and those other three friends of yours, enough. It's done more for this town than I ever have." Alphabittle said with a bitter, self-chastising edge to his voice as he glanced at the surrounding patrons.
"Aww, c'mon, you know that's not true, daddy..." Izzy whined as she softly guided Alpha's gaze to her with her forehoof, "You gave everyunicorn a way to keep going, even when times just kept gettin' more depressing. That definitely counts for something, I'd say!" she reassured cheerfully, giving him a playful salute.
"Y'know, ordinarily I'd get mad at you calling me "daddy" during business hours, but..." Alpha trailed off, glancing meaningfully around at the cheery, carefree ponies around him before continuing, "I don't really have to uphold that "tough guy" image anymore, haha! No thanks to you!" He belly-laughed as he tussled Izzy's mane. "Something told me taking you in was the right choice, kiddo. I'm glad I was right! Ahahahaha!"
Izzy wriggled her way out of the noogie her paternal figure had begun giving her, scoffing playfully as she adjusted her mane with her magic, making a show of putting everything back how it'd been before. "Dad, c'mon...not in front of Sunny..." she whined plaintively, rolling her eyes like a bratty filly.
Giving the earth-pony mare a furtive glance, his eyebrow rose as she began to get shifty-eyed and blush beneath his scrutiny. "Mmh...I don't think she minds," Alpha said smoothly, grinning smugly at his daughter. "But that's enough out of me. I'm guessing the two of you aren't just here on a friendly post-reunification visit?"
Izzy winced, "Darn, was I really that obvious?" she bemoaned, scuffing her hoof against the floor as her bracelet rattled.
"You forget you're a terrible liar, Izzy. Your tail hasn't stopped twitching since you came in here..." he observed, gesturing to Izzy's rear end - sure enough, her flowing sapphire tail flicked as he pointed at it. "So what is it, hun?"
His eyebrows knit as Izzy gestured for him to bend down, and she put her hoof next to her mouth as she whispered in his ear. Sunny watched the way his eyes widened in surprise, finding herself wondering what she was telling him - before she got her answer as his eyes narrowed dangerously when they focused on her. As Izzy pulled away from her father's ear, he cleared his throat imperiously.
"Sunny, from everything I know about you, I'm sure you're a wonderful mare. But so is Izzy - as I'm sure you know from traveling with her. It's because of how wonderful my darling daughter is that I'm not just going to let her get swept off her hooves by the first non-unicorn she's ever met. You're going to have to prove yourself to me, got it?" Alpha said sternly, his attention squarely focused on the tense, nervously-sweating Sunny as she trembled under his gaze.
"Alphaaa, I am NOT a little filly anymore~! I'm a grown mare, I know what I'm doing! Sunny, c'mon, tell him I know what I'm doing!" Izzy exclaimed, pouting in annoyance as she made puppy-dog eyes at her foster father.
"Izzy, it's alright! Really. If doing this “test" is what it takes to get the only family you've got to accept us, I'll do whatever I have to." she said with an ironclad conviction, not wanting to jeopardize Alpha and Izzy's relationship as she accepted his terms without argument.
"Hah! I wouldn't expect anything less from the mare who saved Equestria. You two, come with me. It's best if we discuss the terms of this deal someplace more...private." Inclining his head to indicate his surroundings, the three of them glanced around surreptitiously at the other ponies in the room...every single one of whom was staring wide-eyed with ears tilted forward. Even the Just Prance players had stopped to stare...
"The hay are you all looking at? Mind your own business!" Alphabittle groused. The shuffle of bodies answered him as the surrounding noise steadily returned, everypony hurriedly going back to what they'd been doing before.
Alphabittle's residence in the rear of the tavern was far smaller and more homely than Sunny had anticipated. The walls were carefully crafted to look like the home was carved from the inside of a tree, much like the other homes she'd seen around Bridlewood, including Izzy's. Hanging plants hung near the windows, lit by sunlight as it shone through. A shelf of various items was mounted on the wall above the couch, among them a series of picture frames.
Sunny's eyes widened as a brief gasp escaped her. 'Those are...!' A much younger Alpha and filly-age Izzy were smiling brightly at the camera, looking like they'd been playing around in the forest on a bright spring or summer day in that moment. The pictures next to it were similar in tone, but chronicled the march of time for both of them - Izzy progressively grew taller and longer-maned as Alpha's mane whitened and shortened, with a grizzled beard growing out in the most recent few photos.
"Dad...before you tell Sunny to run to the ends of Equestria and back, there's something I really need to ask you. I didn't just come here with Sunny to tell you about our relationship - we both want to know this one. Together." Sighing heavily as she held a hoof to her chest, she gave herself a moment to build up the courage to ask, "Alpha...dad...can you tell me about my birth parents?"
Alpha froze mid-stride, sighing heavily as he turned to face her, ears flagging downward, "Sigh...well. I suppose my test for Sunny can wait a bit longer. It's about time you knew. If there's one thing that's earned you my honesty by now, it's helping save Equestria." Leading the two mares over to his sitting area, the three of them quietly took a seat, both mares waiting patiently for Alpha to begin.
"Izzy...your mother was named Sweet Moonbeam. One of the sweetest, loveliest unicorn mares I've ever seen trot into my bar, she was. Y'know there was once a time I was jealous of your father? Asking myself what he had, that I didn't?" As he saw Izzy's sharply raised eyebrow and Sunny's suspicious squint, he hastily added, "I-I got over it, though. Those two were so perfect for each other that I could never live with myself if I came between love so pure. But, well, your father...wasn't a unicorn, Izzy," A pair of shocked gasps resounded through the room, but Alpha beckoned them to stay quiet.
"Didn't take me long to figure out, either, what with the way he was so darned optimistic and charming despite not having magic. Only Izzy can pull that off and actually make it convincing...and the fake horn was also pretty obvious once you really looked at it. Even so, I'd seen how good and smart a pony he was by the time I realized he was an earth pony, so the prejudices I had didn't rightly matter to me, nor did any lingering attraction to the pony who'd eventually become your mother. Plus, both of them were the most loyal customers I'd ever had, so I kept my mouth shut about it and just let the two of them have their fun. But then...that fateful night arrived. Stars know where the two of 'em scurried off to afterward, but all I know is, they left you behind in my care, my little moonshine. And I couldn't be more proud of what you've become."
Izzy blushed bashfully as she nodded her head, but a realization quickly came to her as she mulled over what her foster father had told them. "Thank you, dad. I'm really glad to know where I've come from. But...you, uh, haven't said who my birth father was, yet."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm gettin' to that. Hold your horses, sweetie. His name was Argyle Starshine."
"...WHAT?!" Izzy and Sunny screamed in tandem, staring in bewildered shock at one another. It just couldn't be, could it...?
A riotous, wide-eyed blush filled both of their faces as hazy, moan-filled, steaming memories of last night bubbled to the forefront of their thoughts, unbidden. Was that why they'd "gotten along" so well...?!
"Uhh...something I said?" Alphabittle interjected in a state of absolute confusion, clueless of the gigaton-sized atom bomb he'd just dropped into their laps.
"N-nope, just...super surprised to finally hear it, is all! T-thank you, dad. I-I'll have to write that down! Sunny, get the notebook, look busy!" Izzy said hurriedly, doing her best to regain her composure as she quietly grumbled the last part in Sunny's ear through her clenching smile. She couldn't let Alpha know that her marefriend had turned out to be a long-lost sister - there was no way he'd support the two of them being romantic if he knew that!
Still in a daze, Sunny pulled the notebook out of her saddlebag and plopped it onto the coffee table in front of her, gripping a pencil in her mouth as she sloppily wrote Argyle Starshine's name in the back pages. Not that she really needed to, considering it used to be his notebook... "Dwnh." she mouthed past the pencil in her teeth, before dropping the writing tool onto the table with a wooden clatter.
"Greeeat. Alpha, daddy, can you excuse us for a moment~? Thaaanks~" Izzy singsonged, leading Sunny towards her old fillyhood bedroom. As they passed through the threshold, she quickly closed and locked the door behind them.
Sunny was in too much residual shock to even notice the importance of the room she was in - the abundance of plushies and bright decorations only added to the background noise in her mind as she stared at the front cover of the notebook she held in her hoof. She used to feel a sense of wonder at seeing her father's mark - a sense of pride and admiration, a sense of pain and longing. But now...all she could feel was disillusionment. Hurt. Betrayal. "Dad...you had another mare...another daughter...and you didn't even tell me? What kind of pony does something like that, huh? What the buck?!" Angry tears rode in hot trails down her cheeks as righteous rage filled her chest, glaring at the star on the cover in the vain hope that it could provide the slightest reply.
"The kind of pony who loves his little filly too much to tell her the whole truth," Izzy answered on Argyle's behalf as she embraced the other mare in a hug, Sunny's frustrations serving as a stark mirror of why it'd taken her this long to get an answer from Alpha about her origins - his stubborn insistence on protecting her innocence.
A whole lot of good that had ended up doing both of them, though. Waiting this long for answers had only made hearing them hurt even more, and for somepony as outspoken, blindly optimistic, and young as Sunny...she could imagine the ache the filly firebrand must've been feeling; the deep-seated pain of loss and helplessness that had already assailed Izzy many times before. The kind of scars that never fully healed.
A chill tide of apathy washed through her, the calm acceptance of a pony who had already "lived" far too much for her age, the only thing keeping her calm in the shock of the discovery as she rationalized Argyle's actions in an attempt to calm her marefriend - her sister - down. "Because it was easier for you to live in blissful ignorance than to know what it was like to pine for the family you didn't know you were missing."
"O-of...of all the selfish--rrragh!" Sunny roared as she buried her face in a pillow from filly-Izzy's tiny bed, chest wracking with angry, confused sobs as Izzy caressed her shuddering back with her forehoof.
"It mighta been a little selfish, Sunny-bun...but he loved you, there's no doubt about that. If Maretime Bay or Bridlewood knew that he'd been sleeping around with a unicorn, and even had a foal by her...how do you think that woulda gone over? From what you've told me, he was already the town outcast...would the two of us be sittin' here talking about it if he hadn't kept his double-life a secret?" Izzy asked warmly, holding up Sunny's chin to lock eyes with her even as the younger mare attempted to retreat back into her easy-to-feel storm of sorrow and rage.
"...Sigh. Yeah, I guess...I guess you're right, Izz. It doesn't make it hurt any less, but at least he had a reason. Although..." she felt a fresh ember of animosity kindle within her at Izzy's apparent lack of reaction, "Why the hay aren't you screaming your rage into a pillow along with me, huh?"
Izzy chuckled maturely in response, shaking her head as she tutted. "Sunny, baby, light of my night...do I seem like the kind of pony that cares what other ponies think? It doesn't matter to me, Sunny-bun. I live for the moment, not the consequences! For all anypony else knows, including Alpha out there, we're just two heroes of Equestria who love each other. Whether or not we're sisters doesn't change the fact that you're the kindest, most impassioned, and most wonderful mare I've ever met."
"It...doesn't bother you at all, what we've done together? Even though we're sisters?" Sunny asked incredulously, her prior feelings of frustration giving way to astonishment.
"Why would it? I mean, seriously, we wouldn’t be the first! I know unicorn sisters who've "helped" each other through their heats every year...what we've got is just a li'l more serious, y'know?" Izzy purred, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively, "Besides, with populations this low, what're the odds that everypony isn't bangin' a close relative to keep their tribe going? We're probably the least related couple in Equestria!"
"I-I'm kinda new to the whole relationship thing, alright? I guess I just never really thought about it...hahah~" Sunny trailed off, giggling into her hoof at the realization of how overzealous her fear had been.
"If you're worried about the sister thing getting in the way...we could always test that, right here, right now~" Izzy said slyly, moving towards the other mare's muzzle until each of them could feel their breaths on the other's snout.
"W-with Alpha in the other roo-mph?!" The beginnings of hesitant protest weren't given a chance to form as Izzy's lips softly met hers, the pair's eyes sliding shut on reflex as they lost themselves to the calming, blissful expression of their romantic love.
It was just as magical as the first kiss they'd shared together; a spark of electricity that tickled her brain and made butterflies flutter in her stomach, a blush brightening her complexion as she was swept up in the intimacy of the moment.
If there had been any doubts in Sunny's reeling thoughts before, they disappeared in a hot rush of dopamine as she was reminded why she loved the unicorn as much as she did. If she ever had any reason to doubt herself, or lose herself to panic - Izzy would be right there to give her a hundred reasons not to, even with the simplest of gestures. Where other ponies might prejudge her or brush her aside for her naïveté, Izzy would attentively listen to her every step of the way, offering a voice of reason and guidance that she'd pined for, ever since the loss of her father.
Her father...had he known, somehow, that the lantern-letter they sent would make its way into the hooves of his lost unicorn daughter, all those years ago? Known that they would meet, and that their instinctual, indescribable familiarity with one another would lead them to become fast friends...and even faster lovers? How far did this chess-playing go, if Argyle had somehow planned out all of this?
If one-hundred and fifty questions had seemed a lot to ask Izzy, that paled in comparison to the number she wanted to ask her father, especially after this revelation. And yet...she never would be able to ask them. Fate had seen to that.
For the questions she could still ask, though, she knew Izzy would be right there alongside to help her answer them. And that...was enough for her, she realized peacefully. With Izzy by her side, the two of them could accomplish anything.
With the storm of emotions within her successfully quelled by her lover's kiss, a giddy realization came to her mind - she had a sister! She wasn't the last living member of her family! A carefree giggle escaped her as she broke away from her smooch with Izzy to hop excitedly around the room, the unicorn watching from the sidelines with a knowing smirk.
After indulging her for a moment, Izzy saw a good moment to interrupt. "Hey, sooo...as much as I love seeing you jump around the room for me like a lovestruck filly, we probably shouldn't keep Alpha waiting. Wouldn't want him to get any ideas about what we're doing in here, hmm~?" she teased, giggling as Sunny stumbled to a halt with a fierce blush on her face.
Straightening out her mane and the saddlebag looped around her neck, she gave the other mare an embarrassed smile. "Heh, yeah, I guess you're right about that. Let's do this."
The door unlocked with a click and swung open, doorknob enwrapped in the unicorn's twinkling magenta aura as Izzy sidled past her marefriend to rejoin Alpha in the sitting room - but not before flicking her gorgeous sapphire tail across Sunny's muzzle as she strutted past.
The heady mix of candyfloss, lavender, and mare assaulted her senses, making her stumble as she attempted to follow her larger unicorn lover. It brought to mind the wonderful things they'd experienced last night - things she had to stop thinking about if she didn't want to end up spreading her own scent through Alpha's home wherever she walked!
"Besides, there'll be plenty of time to try out any ideas you're getting after we're done with my dad's test, hmmhmm~" Izzy chuckled demurely, enjoying the way her marefriend's eyes dilated in aroused interest from her well-practiced teasing.
"G-guh...wha...buh…I wasn't...” Attempted rebuttals fell clumsily out of her mouth as she fumbled for a counterattack, before giving up with a defeated sigh as she shook her head. Attempting to put her devious marefriend’s flirtatiousness out of her mind, she followed Izzy’s swaying rear into the sitting room.
As she entered, she cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes as she glared at Alphabittle with determination. His gaze locked onto her expectantly, his expression unreadable.
"Alright, Alphabittle...I'm ready for your test."
I thought of this headcanon the other day, and heavily second-guessed including it in Questions once I realized what implications it'd have on an IzzyScout story, the kind of implications that many of you didn't sign up for...but then I said "screw it" because it's my story and I make the rules. The M-rated chapter was a good endpoint for Questions, and the opportunity for a dramatic opener to the sequel was also too good to pass up. 
I just couldn't resist mashing the two ideas together like some Frankenstein of G5 headcanons...I guess it's fitting that it's October in that case! 
~RD 🦈
Pre- and proof-reading by spikls, n3k1sk1llz, and Dustchu!
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This is another wonderfully well done story, and deserves way more than its being given currently.
Great job RD!
After Alphabittle's surprise for the two of them and they started talking about it, I stopped reading. I agree with your author's note... I did not sign up for that.
Read the first story. Had high hopes for this one.
Was cute. But just ...no.
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It's alright. I understand. It's not a topic for everyone - even though an equine society wouldn't really have a taboo against incest, us humans still do. Glad you enjoyed the first story, at least - it's the main reason I spun this sequel off when it began to explore controversial topics.
Very nice and well done.
I for one welcome the
incestoustwist that Sunny and Izzy are sisters. Story is great so far... eager to see more.I consider this non-canon to the first story and nothing will change my mind.
Great. incest makes everything better.
Fucking adorable and cute. Very cute. And hey, incest is wincest, so I enjoyed the story quite a bit. Good job ArDee! Tho it’s honestly a bit hard to see for me that Sunny‘s Dad didn’t tell her that. I just don’t see why he’d do that. He just doesn’t seem like that guy. Everything else was nice. I am excited to see more of this! I N C E S T - S U P R E M A C Y !
Is sunny still an alicorn? Wouldn't that make this princest?
11018408
I inferred, based on the transparency of the wings and horn, that they were a temporary power-up rather than a permanent transformation.
11018402
Thanks! Argyle is certainly a topic that will be investigated later in the story - i've got a full three-act adventure prepped and planned out for this one. It's likely to be my longest tale yet.
awesome!
This is really good and I'm excited to see where you're gonna take it
11018731
Okay, now im really excited
This is.. interesting..
I really like this story and the way you write Sunny's and Izzy's personalities, the worldbuilding in general seems really alive and just fits G5.
That plot twist sure was unexpected and I have no idea how to feel about it, but if i try not to question if i like it and instead just accept that this is the way it is for this story, then Sunny's and Izzy's reactions actually seem quite in-character and I'm definitely interested to see where this story is going
Oh, and:
Don't you mean Alpha?
11077825
whoops! you're right haha. their names both start with A so I guess my brain got confused there.
thanks for suspending your disbelief and going along with my impulsive plot twist, by the way. glad I could at least write it believably! ;P
saw that coming
welcome to the mindbuck
I know it’s just a little tail flick, but I can’t help imagining a sapphire tail just slapping sunny’s face and she just spits out a little hair or two and give a little smirk XD