Sunset and Twilight’s Winter Holidate

by EileenSaysHi

Tunnel of Love

Once inside the festival, it took spectacularly little time for Twilight to find an activity booth offering a free scavenger hunt challenge to all attendees. There were 16 items on the list to find, and a reward was offered for completing the challenge. Sunset was more interested in just leisurely wandering around the festival snapping pictures, but Twilight looked like a kid in a candy store when she got her hands on the sheet of paper. Sunset bemusedly agreed to indulge her girlfriend's desire, since most of the items on the list were simply finding the different light displays; she'd spotted about half from the hillside earlier.

What Sunset hadn't counted on was Twilight operating on overdrive, hurtling from display to display as she methodically crossed out each item on the list and leaving her lover positively winded trying to keep up. It took until about the 12th item before Twilight noticed Sunset practically keeling over against a lamppost.

"Don't... mind me... Twi... I'll... catch up."

"No, Sunset, of course we can stop! I'm sorry! I just got so carried away with this whole scavenger hunt thing, It's a very amateurish set of items, naturally, but it's just such a neatly organized list, I mean I have to admire the work that went into designing and crafting this. It follows the layout of the park so smoothly, and sprinkles in just enough of the hard items to keep it from feeling too simple, and-"

"You would... find... a list... more exciting... than all these intricate... masterfully crafted... light displays... wouldn't you... you nerd..."

"Shut UP!"

Twilight grabbed Sunset's arm and pulled her over to an empty bench nearby, then ran off to a food stand across the pathway. She came back with two hot chocolates with whipped cream, a large bottled water and a cinnamon-coated elephant ear.

"The water's for you, I'll give you the hot chocolate when they cool a bit. I figured we could split this," she said, motioning to the tasty treat. "You've eaten dinner, right? I can get more if you haven't."

"Yeah, I ate some stuff in the car on the way over, I'm good." Sunset opened up the water and downed the whole thing in just a few gulps. She messily tore off a chunk of the elephant ear, managing to fling some cinnamon sugar right into her eyes. "Ack!"

"What's wrong? Oh no, did you get some in your eye?" Twilight exclaimed as Sunset dropped the pastry onto her lap and started frantically rubbing her face. Twilight scooped up the chunk and used a napkin to wipe off some of the butter that had leaked.

"I think I got most of it," Sunset said as she continued gingerly rubbing her right eye. "Really wish I hadn't finished that water so quickly though."

"I mean it couldn't have been that much, I can't imagine it would get inflamed or anything. Should I take you to first aid?"

"What? No. I'm fine, really."

"Hold on a sec." Twilight darted back over to the food stand. She quickly came back with another bottle of water. “This should help.”

“Thanks.” Sunset flushed out her eye with some of the water and downed the rest. “Alright, I think I’m okay.”

She handed Sunset the ear back when she finished. "Sorry this has been such a bad date on your end."

"What?"

"I mean I've been running you ragged, pulled you down a cliff, made you carry my roommate's luggage -- and I even managed to screw up getting you a treat! Some girlfriend I am." She hung her head in shame, only to look up when Sunset put her hand on her back.

"Twilight Sparkle, getting to be alone with you is more than enough to make this not-a-bad date," Sunset declared with a smile. "And you're a wonderful girlfriend."

"Aw." Twilight blushed furiously. They finished up their snack, then each took a hot chocolate and stood up.

"You're sure you're good?" Twilight asked.

"Positive. Shall we?"

"We can just walk this time."

"Works for me."

They set off, now at a much calmer pace, with Twilight actually taking some time to admire the light displays. Sunset, meanwhile, pulled out her phone and started snapping photos, having to hold very still to get anything that wasn't just a smear of colored streaks. The final set of scavenger hunt items took them to the "Equestria-inspired" unicorns and dragons, and Twilight giggled through some more of Sunset's griping.

"...and believe me, I thought it was bad enough when we went to Equestrialand, but at least they were just ripping off the names and not much else. Should I hire a lawyer? I mean... oh wow, I think all those drinks went right through me. I'm gonna run to the restroom."

"Okay, I'll get the last item and meet you in front of the tunnel!"

---

A few minutes later, Sunset could see Twilight waiting in front of the festival's centerpiece, a huge tunnel composed of numerous semicircular rings of bright light, with each adjacent ring being a different color. Connecting the rings were numerous rows of dimmer bulbs. The effect was spectacular, and the reflection off of the snow made it even better. Twilight was looking into the interior when Sunset gave her a tap on her shoulder.

"Ready to go inside?" she asked with a smile.

"You know it!" Twilight beamed.

They strode under the first ring and let the visual effect of being inside wash over them. It was amazing. It was getting near closing time and a weeknight, so relatively few people were in there with them. As they neared the center, Sunset heard Twilight whispering "wow" and smiled.

"Wow indeed."

"Huh? Oh, haha, you heard?"

"No, I was just saying to myself, 'wow, indeed, I do have the prettiest girlfriend in the world.'"

Twilight giggled. "Stop it."

"Stop having the prettiest girlfriend in the world? I don't know, that sounds kinda tough. I mean I suppose I could have Rarity do some makeup work on my face and design some new stuff for me so that you have the prettiest girlfriend in the world, but even then I'd probably have to knock you into the muck around Sweet Apple Acres a few times just to get you even close on the rating scale."

"Did you just find a way to mix a physical threat into your corny flirting? And have it still work anyway?"

She burst into laughter and leaned over onto Sunset, inadvertently shaking off her glasses in the process. Sunset, in turn, reached around Twilight with both hands, putting them both on her left shoulder and planting a firm kiss on Twilight's cheek.

"What can I say? Guess there's still a bit of villainy in me after all."

"Can't believe I'm dating such a ruffian. What will my parents say?" Twilight asked as she reached down to pick up her glasses.

"Oh, like we haven't all blown up parts of our high school from time to time."

"Shut UP!"

Twilight whirled around to face Sunset, revealing to each other that they both had the same giddy grin on their faces. They stared deeply into each other's eyes, then leaned forward. Their lips met, and it was paradise.

---

"Congratulations on completing the Crystal City Winter Light Festival official scavenger hunt," Twilight read off a new piece of paper while standing at the activity booth. "This coupon hereby entitles you to 15% off any single-item purchase at the Sugarcube Coffee Spot, located in scenic downtown Crystal City."

She looked over and noticed Sunset starting to fume. Worried for the well-being of the booth attendant, Twilight thanked him and hastily pushed Sunset off to the side.

"15% off one item at some coffee shop?" Sunset shouted. "That's a worse deal than that sushi truck that led us on a wild goose chase with a treasure map at the beach last year! And I didn't nearly get dehydration from doing that!"

"I mean, what did you expect? They can't exactly verify that we didn't just stand off to the side somewhere and check off every item. And anyone can do the challenge -- they can't give everyone who participates a grand prize."

"Hrrrrrrmmmmmmmm......"

"Let's just go, they're about to close and it is pretty late already."

".......fine. I just don't want them cheating you out of anything."

"I'm okay, Sunset! Really! I've been to that shop before, they have good stuff."

"Alright, alright... uh, sure, yeah, I'm ready to head out when you are. Just let me snap one last photo..." She did so, then pulled up her Ponygram as they stepped out into the empty parking lot.

"Uploading already?"

"I haven't gotten to post anything in a while. And I told one of my classmates I was coming here earlier and he said I could never get a decent photo of the lights with my phone. He's about to learn that he owes me 10 dollars..."

"Ah."

They walked along quietly for a bit as Sunset continued uploading on their way back to campus. "I haven't noticed you post in quite a while," she commented. "No fun science experiments to show off? I used to love those videos you did in your lab."

"Oh! Uh, no, I guess I just, well, yeah, no. Haven't had much time to think about that stuff. It's not like anyone would be interested anyway."

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Twilight seized up. "Well, I mean, of course I know you'd be interested, and maybe some people from back home -- you're right, I should probably take you all into consideration more -- but I don't know if anyone at CrysTech would find it all that exciting. I mean there's loads more cool stuff happening here all the time than anything that I could really do on my own."

"Well, sure you might not be doing the most advanced exciting project on campus, but that doesn't mean no one would be interested in anything you're working on -- you've built autonomous robots! Magic-detecting scanners and collection devices! And... wait, on your own? You're not doing science stuff with any of your friends here?"

Twilight suddenly felt the urge to crawl into a hole and bury herself. "I... uh... uhm, well, I..." She sensed Sunset lay a hand on her shoulder.

"Twi..."

"I haven't made any friends here, okay!" she yelled suddenly as Sunset drew back in surprise. She sniffled as her voice lowered. "Nothing... nothing real. Nothing like Canterlot. Just a lot of casual acquaintances who... don't care that much about doing anything with me."

She looked over at Sunset, tears starting to run down her eyes. "You've all been so good at adapting, at making new friends at your schools, building lifelong bonds... but I can't. I got lucky once, three years ago. But now I'm afraid it's just gonna turn into Crystal Prep all over again..."

Sunset stepped over to the crying girl and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Twi... it's okay. I'm here. It's okay. Let's... let's get you back to the dorm, okay? We'll talk there, out of the cold." She drew back, then watched as Twilight nodded. "Okay then. Let me hold your hand. We'll walk together."

And together they walked across the snowcapped courtyard toward the dorms.

Comments

[The Voice in the Water]

Twiggles dragging Sunset around doing the scavenger hunt was cute.

The tunnel of love scene was sweet.

The ending was heartwrentching, but I'm glad she's got Sunset.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

Once inside the festival, it took spectacularly little time for Twilight to find an activity booth offering a free scavenger hunt challenge to all attendees. There were 16 items on the list to find, and a reward was offered for completing the challenge. Sunset was more interested in just leisurely wandering around the festival snapping pictures, but Twilight looked like a kid in a candy store when she got her hands on the sheet of paper. Sunset bemusedly agreed to indulge her girlfriend's desire, since most of the items on the list were simply finding the different light displays; she'd spotted about half from the hillside earlier.

Not surprised there she'd be excited about it.

“Thanks.” Sunset flushed out her eye with some of the water and downed the rest. “Alright, I think I’m okay.”

Still be best if you get that checked just in case sunset.

"...and believe me, I thought it was bad enough when we went to Equestrialand, but at least they were just ripping off the names and not much else. Should I hire a lawyer? I mean... oh wow, I think that water went right through me. I'm gonna run to the restroom."

I doubt we'll hear the end of this for awhile now. 😒

"What can I say? Guess there's still a bit of villainy in me after all."

Seems like it. 😏

" 15% off one item at some coffee shop?" Sunset shouted. "That's a worse deal than that sushi truck that led us on a wild goose chase with a treasure map at the beach last year! And I didn't nearly get dehydration from doing that !"

Yep, quite a rip off if you ask me. 😠

"Well, sure you might not be doing the most advanced exciting project on campus, but that doesn't mean no one would be interested in anything you're working on -- you've built autonomous robots! Magic-detecting scanners and collection devices! And... wait, on your own? You're not doing science stuff with any of your friends here?"

Looks like the cat is out of the bag.