• Published 20th Dec 2021
  • 1,275 Views, 38 Comments

Sunset and Twilight’s Winter Holidate - EileenSaysHi



Now in separate colleges, high school sweethearts Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle reunite for a date at a winter light festival.

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Epilogue: And A Happy New Year

As it turned out, the drive back to Canterlot was quite painless, and soon they were reunited with all their old friends. Twilight had a joyous reunion with Spike and, later, made her apologies to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, who, as Sunset expected, didn't think she'd done anything worth apologizing over. Sunset spent Christmas Eve and morning with Twilight and her family; in the afternoon, they had a gift exchange with their friends at Rarity's home. It was there that Twilight finally bequeathed Sunset with her present -- a large custom-designed smart terrarium for Ray with automated temperature control systems and food/water dispensers. As a bonus, Twilight revealed she had been recording video logs during the design and building process that she could now post. Sunset loved it.

Sunset explained Twilight's situation (and her own) to her friends, and Rainbow Dash and Rarity eagerly volunteered to provide some lessons and advice. Meanwhile, Princess Twilight's gift to her counterpart was delayed, as Sunset received a message explaining that she and her friends were managing a parasprite infestation that had threatened to destabilize Manehattan.

New Year's Eve soon arrived, with Rarity seizing the opportunity to hone her new skills acquired at the Zephyr Heights School of Fashion with special outfits for the occasion. Sunset noted a strong retro vibe in the designs, rather ironic for the occasion, which Rarity attributed to mysterious dreams she'd been having where she followed an aspiring singer around Lundyon several decades in the past.

Soon everyone had arrived at Pinkie Pie's, where Pinkie was surprisingly behind on party preparations; she explained that she'd been distracted setting things up for a last-minute guest. As the others started to wonder aloud who it could be, Twilight heard a noise from the stairs and twisted around just in time to see a familiar purple figure, dressed in casual winter clothing, descending towards them.

"Princess Twilight!" Sunset shouted, having followed her partner’s gaze to the staircase.

Sunset and Twilight didn't even have time to move as Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash charged the Princess, effusively greeting her as Pinkie bounced over behind them. The two just sat and smiled as the dimensional transient tried to politely fend off the swarm of friends and make her way to the living room where everyone had been gathered. She peered over towards the sitting couple, pleading for help with her eyes, and the resident Twilight obliged by gently levitating the five back to their seats with her newly re-empowered gem necklace as the newcomer strode over.

"Sorry, everyone, and thank you Twilight," the Princess said as the others cast glares in her counterpart's direction, "but I really couldn't get a word in edgewise! You have no idea how excited I am to see all of you after such a long time! I'm sure you're all wondering what I'm doing here, especially since I didn't contact Sunset beforehand..." She glanced at the redhead, who nodded expectantly. "...but I only just got back from our mission this afternoon and was in a bit of a rush. I was so focused on remembering to bring Twilight's journal that I completely neglected to write in my own!"

Her face fell. "And now that I say that out loud, I realize I should've brought presents for all of you..."

"Darling, you being here is more than present enough!" Rarity interjected.

"Thanks, Rarity. Anyway, I showed up here, and thankfully the portal provided me with a seasonally-appropriate wardrobe so I didn't freeze, but since I didn't have a way to contact anyone -- the new journal isn't connected to Sunset's yet -- I made my way over to Pinkie's place since I remembered where it was from before! And when Pinkie told me tonight was a big holiday celebration, we decided I should just meet everyone here and celebrate with you!"

"Oh, we're so honored!" Rarity cried, leaping out of her chair and wrapping the Princess in a bear hug.

"Darn tootin'," Applejack said as she joined in. Soon the rest of the group, including Sunset and Twilight, did likewise.

"Oh, if only you’d warned me you were coming, I had a gorgeous design in mind when I was working on Twilight’s dress that just didn’t fit her but would be perfect for you…"

"Oh my gosh, you guys, this party is gonna be so amazing!" Pinkie shouted. "Buuuuuuuut I still need help finishing setting stuff up! Can a couple of you go lay out the hors d'oeuvres in the kitchen while the rest of us set up the games?"

Twilight raised her hand. "I'll go handle the food!"

"Me too," Sunset shouted.

"Me three," echoed Twilight's voice from a different direction. The two whirled around to see Princess Twilight also volunteering to join them.

"You know how to lay out human hors d'oeuvres?" Twilight asked.

"Not really, but I don't know much about human games, either," the Princess giggled. "Besides, I haven't gotten to talk to either of you yet!"

"Great!" Sunset said. "We'll get the plates and food out and I can explain where to put everything. Let's go!"

The three of them walked over to the kitchen. After they each washed their hands, Sunset opened the cabinets to take out plates and trays, while Twilight started pulling various meats, cheeses, fruits and veggies out of the fridge. The Princess stood smiling behind the kitchen table, hands folded behind her back.

"I'm glad you made it over okay, but I wish you'd gone back and sent a message," Sunset exclaimed with polite astonishment. "You haven't walked on two legs in years, and I don't think you've ever been here when it's icy. My first winter here was rough."

Both Twilights snickered. "Wait, what?" the one with glasses exclaimed. "You never told me about that!"

"I got bruises! So many bruises! I thought dealing with ice on four legs was bad, but my first year with two was a nightmare!"

"Yeah, no, I slipped a few times and fell once," the Princess cut in. "Thankfully, I landed on my flank in some soft snow. I... I don't know why I was surprised to hear you mention walking on four legs. Sometimes even I kinda forget you aren't actually from here."

Sunset put the stacked plates on the table and started laying out trays. "I've been human over a quarter of my life, now. I barely think about being a pony unless I remember something specific from those days."

Twilight looked incredulously at Sunset as she started laying the food out on the table and motioning to the Princess what goes where. "You liar! The week before college, you made me come over with you to Equestria so you could get one last hayburger before you went too far from the portal!"

"Oh come on, that was just a food thing-"

"Hey, look at me, I'm Sunset Shimmer!" Twilight said in a ridiculous voice that made the Princess guffaw. "I dragged my girlfriend to another dimension even though it's always awkward for her because she looks like an idiot on four legs and everyone thinks she's a member of Equestrian royalty wearing a terrible disguise! And I did it all for a snack!"

"Hey, you thought they were tasty too!"

"That's not the point and you know it--"

"Stop, stop!" shouted the Princess, cackling like a hyena. "I didn't mean to get us so far off track like this!" The other two stared blankly at her, then looked at each other and burst into laughter themselves.

After a minute, they calmed down, and Sunset started to help the Princess put the food on the trays as Twilight finished getting it out of the fridge and cabinets.

"That would explain all the weird gossip I heard that month about me courting potential suitors though..." the Princess mused, as Sunset snorted and Twilight face-palmed.


A wonderful evening of snacks, games and even a raffle Pinkie had devised (the prize being a ticket alongside her to PostCrush — Sunset politely declined to participate due to an "overfamiliarity" with their concerts) passed and, as the final ten minutes of the year started to get underway, Princess Twilight sat down on the couch beside Sunset and Twilight as the others distributed party hats and poured Applejack's sparkling cider.

"It's such a strange concept to me, celebrating a new year like this," the Princess said. "I mean, in Equestria all it is is a date change. It doesn't carry any of the significance of the changing of the seasons, or the Summer Sun Celebration."

"I didn't get it very much at first either," Sunset replied. "But it makes more sense once you realize the rising of the sun and moon, the solstices and the equinoxes all happen by themselves here."

"And if you told me three years ago that there was a world where magic ponies controlled the movements of celestial bodies, I'd have called all of you nuts," Twilight snarked.

Sunset rolled her eyes for the Princess to see. "She says this, and then goes on and on about multiverse theory to me."

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that!" Twilight grumbled.

The Princess laughed. "So... this will be your fifth year here, Sunset?"

"Sixth calendar year, but yeah. About five and a half years now."

"Wow... that's amazing. Choosing to live your life in another dimension, in another body even, because of the bonds you've made there... you're a testament to the strength of the magic of friendship, Sunset Shimmer."

Sunset smiled. "Well, not just friendship," she said, putting a hand on Twilight's knee.

The Princess giggled. "Of course. That too. But you've come so far, Sunset. Though I did find it funny when you said you'd chosen to focus on graphic design for your studies; you’ve been into that from the beginning, as I recall."

"Huh?" Sunset stared blankly until the lightbulb suddenly went off. "Oh. Right. I, uh, don't stand by my early efforts at photo manipulation."

The Princess laughed. "All in the past, obviously." She leaned past Sunset to look at Twilight. "I'm so glad you two have each other."

Twilight smiled. "Me, too."

"Pinkie offered to let me stay here for a few days. I was hoping maybe tomorrow morning I could come over and give you your journal? Sunset, too, so we can get them linked properly."

"Sure. I'll send Pinkie a message where to send you. I don't know how smart it is to bring you over to my house, I'm not sure how my parents would react to there suddenly being two of me."

"That's fine. Bring Spike, too, I haven’t seen him since the day we first met! And..." As Rainbow Dash shouted a two-minute warning for the new year, the Princess stood up and walked over to Twilight, kneeling on the floor in front of her and clasping her hand. "I've heard about your struggles at school, and I sincerely hope that I and the School of Friendship can provide whatever help you need. But I want you to be strong, and confident in yourself. I know you said I helped make it easy for you to make friends at CHS, but I wasn't the one who kept those friendships strong and powerful. You did that yourself. You're a true friend, Twilight Sparkle, and you're an amazing human being. I'm honored to share an identity with you, and I can't wait to hear what the future brings you."

Sunset glanced over to see Twilight smiling radiantly at the Princess, water welling up in her eyes. "Thank you, thank you so much. I... y-you're amazing t-too..."

Her eyes darted back to see the Princess smiled a warm smile in return. She stood up as Pinkie shouted a thirty-second warning. "Shall we join them?" the Princess asked.

Sunset and Twilight both stood, and the three of them walked over to where the other five were gathered in the glow of the TV. As the final ten seconds hit, all of them chanted, but Twilight and Sunset weren't looking at the screen; they were staring at each other, with Sunset putting a hand on her partner's cheek as tears of joy continued to slide down Twilight’s face. And where the others were shouting the final three numbers, they were practically whispering them.

As Pinkie, the Princess, Rarity and Applejack leapt into the air shouting Happy New Year while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash shared a joyous kiss, Sunset and Twilight pulled each other into their own euphoric osculation, the fireworks on the screen not even a scratch on those that coursed through them as they shared their first wonderful moments of the year with lips intertwined.

They eventually pulled their heads back to look at each other, without letting go of their bodies, as the cheering of the others went on. Sunset, gleaming, declared, "Happy New Year, Twi."

"And we'll make it our best year yet," Twilight replied, a jubilant smile stretched across her face.

"Without a doubt." And they leaned their heads in once again.

Comments ( 10 )

Aww, so sweet!:pinkiehappy::twilightsmile: I'm definitely looking forward to whatever you have next. I read your post and I know what you were talking about with Jeopardy!. I can only imagine which one Sci-Twi will be pressuring to pay up. Oh, and btw, it might be nice if you gave a nod to 'Alex' in that story.

Incidentally, that scene where Twilight and the Princess conversed made me wonder if you had any ideas for the Rainbooms to interact with their pony counterparts? I mean, yeah, that field is growing, but not fast enough.

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I agree, those are always fun to read. Once I’m more comfortable writing the FiM characters I’d love to do some alternate-counterpart interaction stories like that.

11102153
In the meantime, I know at least one that's pretty good, regarding the Rainbooms visiting Equestria. It's called "Mission to Pony Planet".

Btw, did you ever look into that group I mentioned? I should let you know that you have to request the moderators make a folder for you.

As it turned out, the drive back to Canterlot was quite painless, and soon they were reunited with all their old friends. Twilight had a joyous reunion with Spike and, later, made her apologies to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, who, as Sunset expected, didn't think she'd done anything worth apologizing over. Sunset spent Christmas Eve and morning with Twilight and her family; in the afternoon, they had a gift exchange with their friends at Rarity's home. It was there that Twilight finally bequeathed Sunset with her present -- a large custom-designed smart terrarium for Ray with automated temperature control systems and food/water dispensers. As a bonus, Twilight revealed she had been recording video logs during the design and building process that she could now post. Sunset loved it.

What a great gift. :twilightsmile:

"Yeah, no, I slipped a few times and fell once," the Princess cut in. "Thankfully, I landed on my flank in some soft snow. I... I don't know why I was surprised to hear you mention walking on four legs. Sometimes even I kinda forget you aren't actually from here."

That's one thing I often have to remind myself from time to time with sunset, not to mention for the dazzlings too. :trollestia:

"Stop, stop!" shouted the Princess, cackling like a hyena. "I didn't mean to get us so far off track like this!" The other two stared blankly at her, then looked at each other and burst into laughter themselves.

Thank goodness it's over, I was a bit worried it was gonna get worse there for a moment. :fluttershysad:

A wonderful evening of snacks, games and even a raffle Pinkie had devised (the prize being a ticket alongside her to PostCrush — Sunset politely declined to participate due to an overfamiliarity with their concerts) passed and, as the final ten minutes of the year started to get underway, Princess Twilight sat down on the couch beside Sunset and Twilight as the others distributed party hats and poured Applejack's sparkling cider.

I think she also passed because she didn't feel like encountering them and the incident that happened with the time twirler. :ajbemused: which I still dislike. The special where it happened alongside another one. Not gonna go into further detail but will share in a DM/private message if anyone is interested.

"Sure. I'll send Pinkie a message where to send you. I don't know how smart it is to bring you over to my house, I'm not sure how my parents would react to there suddenly being two of me."

They'd also probably freak out too. 🙄

"That's fine. Bring Spike, too, I can’t believe I’ve still never met him! And..." As Rainbow Dash shouted a two-minute warning for the new year, the Princess stood up and walked over to Twilight, kneeling on the floor in front of her and clasping her hand. "I've heard about your struggles at school, and I sincerely hope that I and the School of Friendship can provide whatever help you need. But I want you to be strong, and confident in yourself. I know you said I helped make it easy for you to make friends at CHS, but I wasn't the one who kept those friendships strong and powerful. You did that yourself. You're a true friend, Twilight Sparkle, and you're an amazing human being. I'm honored to share an identity with you, and I can't wait to hear what the future brings you."

You technically have princess.

As Pinkie, the Princess, Rarity and Applejack leapt into the air shouting Happy New Year while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash shared a joyous kiss, Sunset and Twilight pulled each other into their own euphoric osculation, the fireworks on the screen not even a scratch on those that coursed through them as they shared their first wonderful moments of the year with lips intertwined.

Happy new year girls. 😊

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Aw, I liked Backstage Pass, it’s the rare Sunset-centric movie/special where the conflict doesn’t revolve around her being tormented over her past. Anyway, “overly familiar with” was supposed to be a reference to the Time Twirler experience.

EDIT: Also, whoops, I totally forgot Spike was there at the end of Friendship Games when PriTwi crosses over. Made a quick dialogue correction.

Something I want to mention. It's obvious that Rainbow Dash finally made her move on Fluttershy, and Sunset and Sci-Twi have gotten together, but what about things between a certain farmer and fashionista? I mean, that pairing was baited at a lot, not to mention that passing comment you made in your last story.

Comment posted by EileenSaysHi deleted Sep 6th, 2022

Lovely stuff. I do appreciate how you confront the adjustment issues of college head-on. There’s no happily ever after for these girls because their journey’s just begun. All of the issues they face feel painfully true to life, as do the ways they do (or don’t) deal with them. Thank goodness for the friends they can always count on.

Also, I always appreciate fluff with my OTP being wonderfully adorkable together.

Wonderful work. Thank you for another great read. (Also, any chance we could see that hayburger run? I feel like there’s a potential story there.)

Absolutely loved this from start to finish. This is obscenely adorable, and all the fluff/comfort between them is heart-melting. I have no idea how it took me this long to get around to reading this, but I'm very glad I did. Thanks for sharing this :heart:

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