Backstage, 1:47 AM

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Sunset didn’t waste any time slipping her shirt back on, following it with a slightly oversized sweater, her winter coat, and a knit scarf. Christmas was the day after tomorrow, but the weather front had decided that it wasn’t going to wait for the twenty-fifth before dumping its white payload across the state.

There was nothing wrong with snow. Ordinarily, Sunset liked it. The cold weather that accompanied it, however, didn’t mesh well with occupations where clothing was minimal, to say the least. That wasn’t the worst of it, either. As anyone who lives where snow falls regularly will know, metal saps heat like a leech as soon as the temperatures drop. Considering what Sunset spent most of her working time touching, this made things more uncomfortable than they already were.

She shrugged it off. Grumbling about working conditions hadn’t ever changed them before, and moping wasn’t going to improve her mood. She knew she should be glad she could find unreported employment at all anymore, especially around the holidays. It wasn’t that she couldn’t get a more prestigious, well-viewed job, perhaps one where she could keep her bra on, but finding one that would also let her attend school without absences and pay an apartment's rent was near impossible. Even as it was, she worked all summer and was still running her funds uncomfortably thin by the time May rolled around.

Sunset sighed as she pulled her boots on. Everything was only going to get worse when high school ended and she had to make room around a community college’s schedule, which would undoubtedly change from one semester to the next.

A knock at the door derailed Sunset’s train of thought. A head appeared around the edge, one she recognized as belonging to the manager of the club.

“Good work, Dawn, as always.”

She’d decided it probably wasn’t a good idea to use her real name here, in case she ever got somewhere later in life.

“Here’s this week’s,” he said, handing her an envelope.

“Thanks,” she replied, stuffing it into an inside pocket of her coat.

“I’m probably going out on a limb here, but I don’t suppose you’ll be available tomorrow, would you? I know it’s Christmas Eve, but Annie can’t make it and we’re going to be short staffed already.”

“Of course I’ll be here. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Oh,” he started. “Most people have… well, that’s not important.” He waved as he left. “See you tomorrow.”

Sunset stared after him for minute.

He was right, of course. Most people spent Christmas Eve—or at least the waning hours of it—with their families. Sunset didn’t have the luxury of a family on this side of the mirror, or else she wouldn’t be working to pay rent while still in high school. Hell, in her current situation she would’ve worked on Christmas too, if her manager had asked.

She exited the building, peering through the darkness and falling snowflakes, her breath producing a cloud of steam that dissipated rapidly. Visibility was low, despite the string of sodium-vapor street lamps dotting the deserted street. A particularly large clump of flakes landed on her nose, causing her to shake her head in an effort to dislodge it. She wished her coat had a hood worth a damn, or that she had remembered to bring her hat. The troublesome thing constantly fell over her eyes when it was up, making it impossible to see where she was trying to walk.

Her tracks were clear as she walked along, since the ploughs hadn’t been by and nobody was about to start shoveling while the snow still fell. Every so often she’d stumble on a crack in the sidewalk, hidden under three or four inches of snow. At the rate it was falling, there would be at least nine by tomorrow. She freed one of her hands from the inside of her coat sleeve to scratch an incessant itch that had developed on her hip, then crossed her arms and continued down another block and crossed the street on her right.

She paused, pulling out her phone and checking the time. The display indicated it was rapidly approaching two in the morning, which was fairly typical for her shift at the club. A frown crossed her face when she noticed the battery was at only four percent. The music must’ve been on the whole time she was working. She locked it and kept moving. Her apartment wasn’t far now.

It wasn’t a particularly bad part of town, but it was well away from any of the town’s hotspots. Sunset had seen a whole three cars between the club and the apartment building. Though in need of a few exterior repairs, the place seemed homely and inviting with the ridges of fluffy snow resting on the windowsills and bent gutters. On the left, a burnt-out husk of a similar building sat abandoned, blackened remains contrasting against the orange street lighting that diffused in the precipitation and cast any gathered snow in pale shades of ochre.

On the right, a mattress retail store that had seen better days sat dark. It looked nearly as dilapidated as the apartments, and if not for the car that showed up there every morning, she would’ve guessed it was out of business. They didn’t even have any security lights on in the off-hours.

None of it really bothered Sunset though. Her ears were freezing, snow had melted down into her boots, and she was pretty sure she’d found another hole in the elbow of her coat. Compared to working the ice-cold pole and the walk home, her apartment looked like a veritable palace at the moment. A warm shower, or even a lukewarm one if the water heater was busted again, was all she could think about.

She shuffled quickly up the walk and fumbled with her keys. Her fingers wouldn’t cooperate and worked about as well as a set of icicles. They slipped out of her grasp, causing her to curse loudly. After her manager’s little remark and her subsequent dive into the turbulent realms of thought, she wasn’t feeling particularly cheerful. Bending down to look, she began to sweep through the accumulated snow in search of the little metal things.

The knee she was bent on began to feel wet as she knelt in the snow. She hurried, sweeping the snow away with wider and faster strokes, until she heard it. Her hand collided with them, sending them jingling as they bounced once, twice, and disappeared down a storm drain. She dove after them, but to no avail. They were gone.

Sunset retreated back to the door and sat down with her back to it, pulling her knees up to her chest. There wasn’t much left of her that was dry or warm anymore, now that her front was also covered in snow from her dive. She couldn’t bring herself to curse anymore; she found it much less satisfying when there wasn’t anything to direct her wrath at.

There wasn’t anything else for it; she’d have to call the landlord and get him to let her in. Normally she kept out of his way as much as possible, as he wasn’t exactly a conversationalist. He wasn’t going to be happy about being disturbed at this hour, but her options were running out. She pulled her phone out, and tapped it.

Nothing happened.

“Dammit, not now.”

She assaulted the button repeatedly, but without result. The phone’s remaining battery power apparently hadn’t lasted the rest of the walk here. Replacing the useless block of aluminium and glass back in her pocket, Sunset stood and began pacing small circles and rubbing her torso with her arms in an effort to stave off the cold. There was only one thing left to try.

She trudged around to the side of the structure, squeezing by debris of the burnt building and covering herself with soot in the process. Here, as she expected to find, was the skeleton of what had once been a fire escape. In its dilapidated state, it was probably violating about thirty-eight health and fire codes. It was things like this fire escape that made Sunset wish she’d kept up with her tetanus shots.

Reluctantly, she reached out for the lowest part of it; a rung from the ladder fixed to the scaffold was the only part even within reach. It, made of metal as it was, felt colder than ice and was almost as slippery, making it troublesome for Sunset to obtain a solid grip on the crosspiece. Nonetheless, she managed to pull herself up and was reaching for the next, when it creaked ominously and snapped. The low temperatures had frozen one of the bolts attaching the ladder to the frame and made it brittle, weakening the threaded pin in addition to the years of rust damage it had accumulated.

Sunset was dropped into a four-foot freefall before she landed unceremoniously in the snow, which softened the collision. Unfortunately, it didn’t soften the fragment of the ladder that followed after a moment later.

“Gah! Fuck, that’s going to leave a mark.”

Her left leg felt like it’d been smashed with a crowbar. After heaving the offending ladder off, she gingerly felt it. It hurt like hell, but didn’t seem to be broken. Then again, the chill in the air was beginning to infect her extremities and she wasn’t sure how much of what she was feeling was in her head. She couldn’t decide if being cold enough to start losing feeling was a good thing or not, given her situation. It probably wasn’t.

This seemed especially true when she began considering what course of action she should take from here. Every path for gaining entry to her apartment had proved fruitless. She couldn’t call her friends for help either, not with a flat battery. Maybe, if she was lucky, her manager would still be at the club. He was an understanding sort of fellow and would surely let her stay there for a night. Of course, he usually had the place locked up by three, which meant she’d have to hurry.

Using the wall for support, Sunset struggled to her feet and limped back towards the street. It didn’t take but a few steps for her to realize she wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry; she wouldn’t be able to make it back in any reasonable time, nor anywhere else for that matter. She managed to make her way back to the door before collapsing into a heap and thumping the back of her head against the dented surface. She was shivering with the intensity of an earthquake at this point and soaked through nearly everywhere.

Sunset was completely out of ideas. She was going to have to limp door to door and hope she could find an occupied business or building that would let her make a phone call if she didn’t want to contract hypothermia. Before she could muster the energy to stand, however, a small voice made its way to her ears through the dim, snowy veil of the night.

“Sunset? Sunset, is that you?”

“T-Twilight?” Sunset blinked, shedding a snowflake from her eyelashes. “W-what are you d-doing here?”

Sunset bit down, trying to stop her teeth from chattering. Twilight Sparkle, complete with her thick-frame glasses and a down-filled parka, had paused on the sidewalk with a small blinking device in her hands and backpack slung over her shoulders.

“I should be asking you that. Why are you…”

She trailed off as she approached and garnered a better look at Sunset’s condition. Without wasting another second, she unzipped the parka and draped it over the slumped girl’s shoulders.

“Oh my god! You must be frozen solid. We need to get you somewhere warm, and quickly. You’d be welcome at my place, but it’s a bit of a hike to the bus. Do you live nearby?”

Sunset nodded. “Here, b-but I lost my k-keys.”

“Here? Give me a moment.”

Twilight bent and unzipped her bag, rummaging for a few seconds before producing a large key ring with about twenty different key types on it, as well as a tiny mallet. She looked over the lock on the door briefly before going back to her keyring and selecting one. After setting it to the keyhole, she took the mallet in hand gave it a few gentle taps. Frowning, she took it out and selected a different key. This one took five taps, but eventually it managed to successfully trigger all the cylinders and unlock the door.

Sunset would’ve commented on her skillset then and there, but decided against it after considering the very real possibility of splitting her lip if she tried to speak. Instead, she accepted Twilight’s proffered arm and stumbled across the threshold and towards the stairs.

“Up the s-stairs and s-second on the left,” she stuttered, trying not to move her mouth more than necessary.

“Gotcha. Let’s go.”

Twilight hoisted Sunset’s arm over her own shoulder, taking the weight off Sunset’s bruised leg. They hobbled up the narrow staircase together, which creaked in protest. The more mobile of the two put her free arm against the wall to help distribute Sunset’s weight as they climbed the staircase and reached the second floor. Though almost as narrow as the steps they’d just ascended, the halls here were at least solid underfoot and lit with ancient incandescent bulbs sunk into the ceiling. The walls under Twilight’s hands were rough and scratched with years of careless tenants. She could almost count the number couches that had been moved down the hall.

“Here we are. Huh.” She looked at Sunset’s door, examining the deadbolt closely. “I don’t suppose you have a spare around here? I’m not sure I have a bump key able to get all the pins in this one.”

Sunset freed herself from Twilight’s supporting embrace for a moment, dropping to her knees and taking a glance each way before warming her hands with her breath. Her fingers were still stiff and uncooperative, but she managed to slide the loose baseboard up to reveal a second key hidden in the wall, resting on a board spanning the wall’s studs.

“M-maybe you should pick it up,” Sunset commented. She didn’t want to drop it into the unreachable depths of the wall. Fishing a key out of a wall packed with fiberglass insulation would be harder than digging one out of a snowbank.

“Oh! Right, sure.” The girl pushed her glasses back into position and retrieved the key from its hiding place. She had the door unlocked and open in short order. Helping her shivering companion up, the two of them stumbled in and the door swung shut behind them.

The inside of Sunset’s apartment contrasted strongly against the aesthetic of the halls and exterior. She’d lived there long enough to bother investing a little elbow grease where it need it; walls here had been spackled, sanded, and painted recently enough; the carpet wasn’t shag and seemed clean, and even the furniture didn’t have any gaping holes or stains. She was glad she had kept the place in good repair despite never having guests. It was impossible to predict what might come up, as her current situation demonstrated.

“I’ll get you some towels and start a warm shower. Where’s your bathroom?”

“Left.” Sunset carefully slid down next to a kitchen cabinet and rested on the linoleum floor, shakely prying her boots off. Running water could be heard in the next room over, where Twilight was presumably fiddling with the shower. Said girl appeared a moment later, arms full of what must have been every towel Sunset owned.

“Gosh, we’ve got to get these wet clothes off you,” she said, taking a fuzzy towel to Sunset’s fiery mane.

“Don’t bother drying me off if I’m going to take a shower right away.” Sunset may have been as cold as an icecube, but she was still thinking relatively clearly. Twilight, on the other hand, had a touch of panic lingering in her system.

“Right! Sorry. Can you stand?”

“I’ll manage.”

Sunset shed her coat as she made her way around the corner and towards the bathroom. Her leg still ached, but she was getting more accustomed to shifting her weight to the appropriate leg now.

“I’ll just be out here if you need anything,” Twilight called after her.

“Okay.” Sunset offered her a small smile. “And thanks for doing this.”

“Anyone would’ve done the same, right?” Twilight pushed her glasses higher up the bridge of her nose.

Sunset gave a neutral shrug and closed the door gently. It’d been some time since she’d gone without her facade. It wasn’t that she lied to any of her friends, but rather that she’d gotten used to separating her lives. None of them had seen Sunset’s apartment, knew where she worked during the school year, or ever enquired about her family. She knew they’d be sympathetic to her situation if they found out and would try to lend assistance, but she didn’t really want to open that can of worms. Frankly, it was bound to create more drama that she didn’t want anything to do with.

Another shiver wracked her body, reminding her of more pressing concerns. Twilight wasn’t going anywhere for the moment, and there’d be time to talk with her later. Sunset pulled at her soaked socks, which stubbornly held to her foot like suction cups. They finally gave, letting her fling them into a corner. She drew in her arms and fought to free herself of the sponge that was her sweater next, finding this article of clothing much easier to rid herself of than the socks. Unexpectedly, the final shirt beneath the sweater decided to stick to the wool garment, leaving her chest covered in only the showy lace bra left over from her performance.

She didn’t like these kinds of undergarments. They were neither comfortable nor supportive compared to her usual brassieres that she wore to school and… well, anywhere besides her club shifts.

The shower was steaming now, prompting her to drop her slacks and reach behind her back to unhook her bra. Before her stiff fingers could do so, however, the bathroom’s door opened suddenly to reveal Twilight with an armful of towels, presumably the ones she’d taken out of that very room minutes ago.

“Sunset, I just realized that I took all the towels and you wouldn’t have anything to—”

They stared at each other for a full two seconds before Twilight squeaked, dropped the towels in a confused pile on the floor and fled the room, slamming the door behind her.

Well, that was odd, Sunset thought. I mean, sure it was unexpected, but it’s nothing she hasn’t seen before in the gym sh—

Sunset looked down and gave herself a once-over. Even ignoring the provocative nature of her undergarments, the garter around her leg and singles still slipped under her panties were hard to misinterpret.

Ah, so that’s what that itch was.

She sighed and continued removing clothing till she was bare, hurriedly sliding into the steamy shower and sucking in her breath at the sudden touch of warm water sliding down the length of her body. She just stood there for a few minutes, soaking up the warmth like a dog on an electric heating blanket.

Sunset hoped Twilight hadn’t completely bailed on her. Things would be weird enough to talk over without letting things stew uncomfortably for several days. She popped open the shampoo and lathered her thawing crimson and yellow hair, wondering if she should’ve chased after Twilight. As feeling began to return to her toes, she decided there were more important things to look after at that moment.

Milky suds washed down the drain as Sunset leaned her head back under the showerhead. Her teeth weren’t chattering anymore and she could touch her pinky to her thumb again, which bode well for her chances of avoiding hypothermia. The black smears from rubbing against the charred building in the alley began disappearing along with all the grime she’d accrued at the club during her shift. Grabbing the body soap, she started cleansing her skin, stopping abruptly when she brushed over the sore area of her leg.

As she expected, a bruise was already beginning to take shape. It was going to look nasty tomorrow. She blinked and sagged against the wall, suddenly taking notice of the fogged mirror and unusually high amount of condensation on the walls.

“The fan… Shit, I forgot…”

The bathroom fan was wired to its own switch, which meant that unless whoever entered remembered to flip both switches, the room’s humidity would skyrocket in minutes with the shower on. Sunset sank to the floor and drew a measured breath, fighting off the dimness creeping around the edge of her vision. There wasn’t any particular danger in letting it taker her, and if she was being honest with herself, it was rather comfortable down on the floor.

It wouldn’t do to make Twilight wait that long, though. The last time she passed out from the humidity and heat, she’d slept for an hour. Perhaps it was just as well; she was nearly finished washing by this point anyway. Feeling for the handle, she managed to shut off the stream of water and grab one of the discarded towels on the floor where Twilight had left them before the icy air beyond the shower grazed her sensitive flesh.

“Ugh,” Sunset shivered, rubbing herself vigorously with the cotton cloth in an effort to retain some warmth through sheer friction if nothing else. Quickly wringing out her hair, she stuffed it inside a towel wrap and snagged a robe from the peg board. She knew she had slippers around somewhere, but they didn’t seem to be in the vicinity. Deodorant could wait, and she’d just shaved her legs yesterday. Some reluctant part of her wanted to stay and bother with both for the sake of delaying the inevitable awkwardness, but she buried it.

“Twilight?”

Sunset stepped into the combined kitchen-living area, smiling cautiously when she found the other girl sitting stiffly on the couch, clutching a lumpy pillow with a death grip. When Twilight caught sight of her, she instantly turned a shade or two redder and began sputtering an explanation.

“I’m so sorry! I-I thought you were in the shower by then and I sorta wasn’t thinking straight so I forgot to knock and when I saw the… the…”

Apparently Twilight was unable to continue, as she eventually stopped trying and stared at her own chest. Sometimes it amused Sunset how seriously this world’s Twilight took everything. Heck, she was stiffer than the princess and twice as careful about stepping on anyone’s toes. In other words, such an opportunity to tease was simply too good to pass up, and it wasn’t a bad strategy to relieve the social tension either. Sunset plopped down on the couch next to the other girl, giving her towel a final squeeze before freeing her hair from it.

“If you wanted a look-see that much, you could’ve just asked, y’know,” Sunset murmured into Twilight’s ear. Twilight jumped, staring at Sunset and mouth working noiselessly like a loose hinge, while her cheeks positively glowed.

“W… wha… what?”

Sunset threw her head back and laughed, the sound of which was like a hundred tiny bells. “God, you’re such an easy mark. Twilight, relax. We’re friends. I suppose you weren’t expecting to see what you did, but it doesn’t change that. At least, I hope it won’t. Will it?”

Sunset’s worry became evident in her tone toward the end of her little declaration. She pulled her knees up and hugged them as she waited for a reply from Twilight, who remained perched at the other end of couch with an unreadable expression.

“I… no, you’re right, of course. I’m sorry I panicked,” she finally answered after a moment. “Though I think an explanation might be in order, if you’re willing.”

“Right, I suppose I owe you one.”

“No!” Twilight blurted suddenly. “I mean, no, you don’t owe me anything, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried.”

Sunset visibly relaxed. “It’s no big secret. It just doesn’t come up in everyday conversation you know? Not when the rest of your friends still live with their parents and are more or less the school’s paragons of virtue.”

“But if they don’t know the truth, they can’t help you, right?” Twilight countered, resetting her glasses from when they’d been set off-kilter during Sunset’s antics earlier. “I’m a little new to all this, but they seem like the types that would help if they knew you were so tight for cash that you have to—”

“I’m not that broke. I have options,” Sunset interrupted, though not angrily. “Dancing pays well year-round and has hours that fit. I’m not doing this because I don’t have choice, Twilight. I’m doing it because it’s the best option right now.”

“I can see that I guess,” she replied, “financially speaking anyway.”

“But…?” Sunset prompted. Twilight seemed like she had more to say on the issue.

“Well… no matter how I try to rationalize it, and even knowing you’re doing it willingly, I just… I can’t unsee what I saw, and when I go to bed every night, I’ll know what you’re doing just to keep up with the rest of us. You’re in high school, Sunset. You should be discovering yourself and working on hobbies and doing whatever else us teenagers are supposed to be doing, not shedding layers to pay the bills. Even if you’re okay with it and tell me not to worry, I’ll know.”

“Ugh.” Sunset rested her head on her knees. “This is why I didn’t bring it up, you know.”

Resolution wasn’t going to be quite so easy to find on this topic. Sunset sighed and pushed herself up, walking over to the window and raising the shades. The snow was still falling outside, though the flakes were larger and more numerous now. If she was still lying out there, she’d have at least two inches covering her.

“Huh, it’s really coming down fast out there,” Sunset commented, changing the topic for the moment. “What were you doing out in this mess anyway? This isn’t exactly the best time or place to take a walk.”

Twilight didn’t seem to mind the shift in topic direction. “It’s for our science class. We had that paper on atmosphere last month, remember? I decided to study the effects of weather conditions on light pollution, and was just doing some extracurricular study since I was curious.”

“So that’s what that device is for.”

Twilight nodded. “What did you do for yours?”

“I paraphrased the hell out of Wikipedia, like I always do.” Sunset headed toward the kitchen half of the room, yawning as she did so.

A small gasp slipped out Twilight. “That’s not a peer-reviewed source!”

“This is high school meteorology we’re talking about, Twilight. Nobody gives a shit. You could turn in six pages of lorem ipsum and Mr. Stein wouldn’t notice.”

“B-but…”

“I’m not going to try to argue with you about it because, well, it’s you. Just accept it. Tea?”

“But…” Twilight objected, before dropping her raised hand in defeat. “Yes, tea would be great.”

Sunset produced a metal teapot from one of the cabinets, filled it, and placed it on the stove’s burner. “This shouldn’t take long; the building doesn’t have much, but it does have gas hookups for stoves. We’d be here till judgement day if I still had that old electric one.”

Casting about for another topic to fill the space, Sunset’s eye lit on Twilight’s backpack. “What was with those keys, outside? Don’t get me wrong; I’m plenty grateful, but lockpicking didn’t exactly strike me as a talent you’d pick up.”

“Oh, those? I can’t pick locks. Those are bump keys.”

“Bump keys?”

“You haven’t heard of them?”

Sunset shrugged, suddenly aware of her bare feet on the linoleum. “Maybe in passing. Do you see any slippers over there?”

“Slippers? These?” Twilight tossed the footwear she’d discovered by her feet to Sunset, who caught them deftly. Unbeknownst to both girls, her movement caused the tie of her robe to come undone. She continued prepping two teacups without notice, pausing only a moment to put on her slippers.

“So? You were saying?”

“Oh, bump keys, right. I discovered the practice back at Crystal Prep, when I needed some, uh, after hours lab time. In a nutshell, you can cause the pins to jump into place with a light tap if you have a key correctly sized to fit into the lock. All you have to do file the keys like so, so that the momentum from the tap is directed at the cylinders.”

“And you have a whole ring of them because…?” Sunset inquired, taking the kettle off as it began to whistle.

“The base key has to be at least a little like the original to fit into the slot in the first place. So the more bump keys you have the… more… uh… um…” Twilight’s sentence slowly dissipated as Sunset returned with two steaming cups. Her face bloomed with a fresh blush.

“What?” Sunset asked, still oblivious.

Twilight faced away. “Um, you’re robe is kinda…”

“Ah shit, sorry,” Sunset apologized, hurriedly setting down the beverages and retying the garment. “I don’t exactly get many guests.”

“It’s fine,” Twilight replied, still avoiding the other’s gaze. “You do have the physique to do what you do, after all.”

“Thanks?” Sunset wasn’t sure how to take a complement concerning the attractiveness of her body from someone like Twilight. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

They both just stared at their cups for a minute, waiting patiently for the tea to cool. Sunset had a small blush of her own now, and was becoming increasingly aware that nothing but the robe was separating her from the couch. After dispensing that complement to Twilight, she also caught herself taking in the other girl’s supple curves for a moment, before snapping her gaze back to her cup.

That’s odd, Sunset thought. I can’t recall ever looking at the other five that way.

“Is it… uncomfortable?” Twilight wondered, breaking Sunset out of her contemplation.

“Hmm? Is what uncomfortable?”

“Y’know, stripping. Is it awkward? Or… s-sexy?”

“Neither really,” Sunset returned after a moment’s thought. “They don’t know you outside the context of the club, and you don’t know them. After the first few times, it’s pretty much like any other workout or dance routine. Besides, the manager and most of the patrons are quite professional about it all.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad I guess.”

“It’s a job, not a lifestyle. That’s what I’ve been trying to say this whole time; I guess when it comes down to it, I’m still capable of feeling all the usual stuff: love, pleasure, romance, the whole nine yards.”

“I think I’m starting to get it.” Twilight tapped her mug thoughtfully. “How long have you been working as a stripper?”

“Since before you transferred to Canterlot High. Actually, since before the princess came through the first time.”

“I’m surprised you stuck with it after she set you straight.”

“Staying in school and keeping a roof over my head seemed more important than keeping up appearances to people who weren’t supposed to find out anyway. Also, back then, I didn’t trust them nearly as much as I do now.”

“And have you had any relationships while doing this? Of a romantic nature, I mean.”

“Just the one with Flash, which only existed for all the wrong reasons from the start anyways.”

Twilight set her cup down. “You didn’t care about him?”

“Nope. Not even a little.” Sunset collected both mugs and carried them back to the kitchen. “Y’know, now that I think about it, I haven’t bedded anyone for a few years.”

“And you don’t think that’s related to your occupation at all?”

“Twilight, you’re the last person I should have to remind. Correlation doesn’t equal causation.”

“I know, I know. But still, haven’t you at least been thinking about anyone in that way?”

Sunset opened her mouth, but paused. Considering what she’d caught herself doing moments ago, she wasn’t sure how to proceed.

Of course I like Twilight. I like all of my friends in one way or another, but are any of them… more?

She tried imagining herself having this same conversation with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, or the others in Twilight’s place. All of the simulations playing out in her mind ended well, but none produced the tingling sensation she was getting along her spine right then and there.

“There’s one, uh, recent girl I’ve had my eye on, I guess.”

“Oh? Can I ask who?”

“It would probably be better if you didn’t just yet.”

Twilight cocked her glasses suspiciously.

“What?” Sunset asked, sitting back down.

“I’m having a hard time seeing you not approaching someone the instant you set your sights on them, so to speak,” Twilight explained, though not in an accusatory tone. “From the moment I met you, you were the one taking action and trying to figure out what the hell was going on.”

“The Friendship Games? Well, it was kinda my job, and I didn’t even learn anything useful about this world’s magic till it was too late anyway.”

“No, not just then,” Twilight countered, scooting closer on the couch. “From what you and the other me told me, you’ve been going after what you wanted since before you even came here.”

“Yeah, and that turned out brilliantly, didn’t it?”

“Ah, sorry. I wasn’t around for that. Still, I don’t think one bad experience is a credible reason to give up on such a rare and valuable trait.”

Sunset could feel the heat creeping into her cheeks again, despite her best efforts. “W-what trait?”

“Initiative, of course, which brings us back to my original point. Is there really someone you feel for?”

Sunset stared for a solid three seconds, before taking a breath and making up her mind. This is probably a very stupid thing to do.

“You know what? You’re right! I should just let her know exactly what I think.”

“I’m the last person that should be giving advice on the subject, but I can’t say as I see the advantage in waiting.”

“I should just walk up, grab her and kiss her right smack on the lips!”

“Well, I don’t know about—”

Twilight’s words were cut off as Sunset laid her arms over the other’s shoulders and leaned into an intense lip lock with the surprised girl. She left her eyes open while doing so, using them and every other sense at her disposal to monitor Twilight’s reaction. At first, Twilight’s eyes only reflected sheer surprise, but she made no move to dislodge herself from the embrace; it was the best Sunset could’ve hoped for, realistically. Twilight’s muscles even began to relax just before Sunset released her, seven seconds later.

“—that.”

Sunset wanted to kick herself for not planning out what to say afterwards. As it sat, they remained staring into the eyes of the other, Sunset still searching for a hint of acceptance or hostility and Twilight looking any traces of impish delight that might indicate this was one form or another of a joke. She hadn’t even begun to process her own feelings if it had been genuine.

“M-me?” Twilight asked, when no hint of humor presented itself.

“Well… yeah. You told me not to wait anymore, so this is me taking action,” Sunset replied, offering a hopeful smile and adding, “I’m sorry if I was more forward than you’re used to.”

Twilight touched her lips with two fingers and looked at them, almost as though to check if she was bleeding. When she still didn’t respond, Sunset began retreating from the couch.

“I knew it was a stupid idea; I should’ve just asked. Let me just get some clothes out of the bedroom and then you can have it. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“No!” Twilight blurted, springing up after her and laying a hand on Sunset’s shoulder, causing the robe’s neck to slip a little, revealing a shoulder. “I’m just not… very…”

She fumbled over her words for second, try to quickly construct a sentence that conveyed what she wanted to say without draining the dictionary. “I’m not very in touch with my feelings on a lot of things yet, platonic and romantic relationships included. I’m not very sure about anything at the moment actually, and I’ve never made decision of this scale without thinking it over.”

Sunset noticed Twilight’s hand was physically shaking. “Sunset, I’m feeling a lot of things that I don’t understand right now, and it’s scaring the hell out of me.”

“Scaring? What could you be scared of?” A shock of realization crossed over her Sunset’s face. “It’s me, isn’t it?”

“No, Sunset, no! At least, I don’t think so. Just please don’t do anything hasty until I can figure this out.” After a moment’s hesitation, she stepped forward and added her other arm to Sunset, hugging her from the back. “If you’re worrying that you hurt me or our relationship, don’t. I do love you, Sunset, I just need to figure out how.”

Sunset clasped her hand over the one Twilight had resting on her shoulder. All the worry, doubt, and regret flowed out like a drain plug had been pulled. “Thanks, Twi. That’s exactly what I needed to hear.”

“Mhm. Speaking of bed though, we probably should be heading there soon if we want to get up at any reasonable time,” Twilight pointed out, retracting her arms.

“Right. You probably don’t have anything to sleep in; I’ll see if I have anything. What was your plan before I sidetracked and delayed you?”

“There’s a bus stop several blocks east of here that runs all the way downtown and by the edge of the suburbs. By the time you were finished with the shower it would’ve been too late for me to catch.”

“I didn’t know I was holding you up. You should’ve left after you got me in,” Sunset replied, walking into her bedroom with Twilight trailing behind.

“Don’t be absurd. You might’ve been seriously ill. It simply wouldn’t have been safe to leave you alone.”

“Still, I feel bad for making you go out of your way. Do you need to call anyone and let them know you won’t be home? Your parents?”

Sunset felt along the wall for the light switch and flicked it, flooding the room with light. There wasn’t much in the place, considering what most girls her age would have in a bedroom. A mattress was sitting on the floor without the aid of a bed’s frame, resting between a dresser with worn and scratched edges and a dented filing cabinet with a familiar book sitting on top. There wasn’t any closet to speak of.

“No. I was boarding while at Crystal Prep; Mom is always on book tours and Dad got transferred out of the city. He’s trying to find a job back here, but library demographic research is kinda niche anymore, apparently,” Twilight replied, watching Sunset fish out a set of white nightclothes with yellow trim.

“Oh, alright.” Sunset had known her other friends had families around, but she’d always just assumed Twilight did too. “Try these. I think we’re about the same size.”

“Thanks. I’ll go change, then.”

Twilight left for the bathroom with her clothes in hand, giving Sunset a chance to dig out her own purple set of sleepwear. She sat on the mattress, thinking. Twilight’s been almost as without family as I have for the last few years. If she’s been as quiet as I have about it, chances are nobody at Canterlot High knows yet, either. I wonder what she does for Christmas?

She untied her robe and discarded it and removed her slippers from her warmed feet, after which she pulled on a pair of panties with the clothes and made fists with her toes, kneading the carpet. It was her little secret to dissipating stress, a technique she’d been using an awful lot recently.

There was a knock just outside her room. “Are you decent?”

“Yeah.”

Twilight entered, now refitted for sleeping. She’d taken her hair down, letting the majority cascade down her back, except for the fleeting strands dangling on each side. Sunset tried to ignore the glimpses of flesh that occasionally became visible between the buttons when the fabric of the shirt shifted.

“Do you have a pillow I could borrow for the couch?”

“What? No. You can feel the frame through the cushions; you’ll wake up with your spine in a knot. You take the bed, I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“I’m not going to kick you out of your bed, especially if the couch is as bad as you say. It would mean you having to sleep on it.”

“I’ll be fine. Besides, what other options are there?”

“Well, what size is the bed? It looks big enough for two, if you’re comfortable with it.” Twilight twirled one of locks of her hair, avoiding looking in Sunset’s direction.

“It’s a queen,” Sunset replied. “I suppose that’s the obvious solution. We’re both adults, right?”

“O-of course I meet the age of consent, but that’s not at all what I was implying by proposing us sleeping in the bed!” Twilight spurted. “I was just being practical, but I mean, I guess if—”

“Woah, calm down! That’s not what I meant at all. I was was referring to adults as in the ‘reasonable, mature people’ sense.”

“Oh. Oh! I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed.”

“It’s not your fault. That was pretty poor wording on my part. Are you still comfortable with… this?” Sunset asked, gesturing vaguely to the sleeping situation as a whole. “What else were you about to say?”

“Nothing!” she peeped. “Let’s just get some sleep, okay?”

“Sure. Hit the lights, would you?”

Twilight did so, then navigated over to the bed by the diffused city light leaking through the window in the main room and through the doorway. She removed her glasses and they both climbed in on each side, slipping under the sheets, quilt, and comforter. Sunset sat deathly still, afraid any movement she made would keep up the other girl. Twilight didn’t seem to be moving either, so Sunset assumed she must’ve found sleep easily. After a few minutes of this, however, the guest broke the silence.

“Sunset?” Twilight whispered. “You still awake?”

“Yeah.” Sunset flipped over, to find Twilight had already done so without her noticing. “Can’t sleep?”

“I’ve been thinking about your, uh… proposal, and sleeping is impossible whenever my brain’s chugging on a problem. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure. Shoot.”

“How long have I been a… candidate, I guess? How long have you been interested in me?”

Sunset was very conscious of how close they were. “I can’t say I’ve had finding a partner on my mind much at all, until you brought it up. Once you did though, it made me re-evaluate most of my relationships, and realize the one I had with you was different from the start.”

“What about the other me? The one from your world?”

Sunset propped herself up on an elbow. “What about her? She’s not you. Don’t feel like you need to measure yourself against her; that’s not a healthy path to tread.”

“Right… but sometimes I can’t help but feel you—well, you and everyone else at Canterlot High—has an edge up on me. The first time I came there, it was like everyone knew me. That was just my name, though. Your friends knew even more about my personality and… well, it was a little creepy at first.”

“I’m sorry if I’ve assumed something I shouldn’t have.”

“It’s not like that. I don’t really mind anymore, especially now that I’ve gotten to know them pretty well too. Sometimes it’s just intimidating to talk to people who know more about me than I do about them, and I wasn’t sure if you were interested in me for something you like about her.”

“Her? She’s a great person, don’t get me wrong, but she’s too much of a mentor for me to see her like that. She pulled me out of a dark place, and that makes her like an angel.”

“Angel?”

“Too bright to look at.” Sunset lay back down. “Besides, these worlds aren’t as parallel as you seem to think. On the other side, she was practically raised by Celestia, which would imply that you would’ve gone to Canterlot High if things were truly parallel.”

“Really? That has some interesting implications.”

“Look, the point is you’re you and no one else is, okay?”

“Okay.” Twilight snuggled closer to her pillow. “Heh, that made me feel kinda fuzzy on the inside.”

“Now you know how I feel.”

“That’s sweet, Sunny.”

“Did that put that overclocking mind of yours at ease?”

“I think I can grab some shut eye now, yeah.”

“Night, then.”

“G’night.”

Sunset cracked an eye open, shutting it immediately afterwards. She loved reveling in that narrow slice of awareness suspended between sleep and wakefulness, and since she didn’t have work till later on that night, she could afford to linger there for once. Giving her pillow a squeeze, she settled back into the haze of sleep.

Something moved.

She opened her eye again, trying to make out what was causing her unusually firm pillow to squirm. It was unusually large for a pillow and she didn’t remember having any of that particular shade of violet. She released it and sat up, rubbing the dreamy cobwebs out of her eyes.

“What the…?”

Sunset had never sprang out of bed so quickly as she did upon discovering another person in her bed with her at that moment. She stumbled back and fell, legs still entrapped by the sheets. After a moment of staring at Twilight, the previous night began to catch up with her brain.

“Fucking hell. You startled me, Twilight.”

Twilight sat up as well and leaned back against the wall, pulling the covers with her. “I startled you? You’re not the one that woke up to having her girls grabbed.”

“What? I never…” Sunset looked down at her hand and flexed it. “Oh, is that what that was?”

A pillow spun across the room, bouncing harmlessly off her head. Twilight laughed.

“Yes, that’s what ‘that’ was.”

“Sorry, I’m usually holding a pillow while I’m sleeping.”

“It’s fine. You were pretty gentle.”

Sunset just shook her head. “You shouldn’t be flirting till you’ve made up your mind.”

“Did I mention that I woke up to that seventy minutes ago? I’ve had plenty of time to just think things over,” Twilight returned, feeling around for her glasses and putting them back on.

Sunset froze, still halfway bent over to pick up the pillow. She finally straightened, clutching it over her chest. The pressure let her feel her own heart beating inside her ribcage.

“And?”

“Despite last night’s… awkward moments, it was really nice to be completely honest and open. I haven’t had anyone I could do that with since I left Dean Cadence back at Crystal Prep.”

“Why do I get the feeling there’s a ‘but’ coming?”

Twilight looked down at the bed. “Do you remember what you said about the princess from the other side? How she was too bright to look at for you, because of what she did for you?”

“Yeah?”

“You are to me as she is to you, Sunset. She pulled you out of the abyss, and you pulled me out.”

Sunset knelt back down on the bed, replacing the pillow. “You took my hand of your own will, Twilight. You weren’t evil. They had to blast me into the concrete to pound some sense into me.”

“If you weren’t there, I wouldn’t have had a hand to grab.”

“I guess I’m confused, then,” Sunset said, running a hand through her hair. “I was getting the impression you were reciprocating somewhat, unless I misread something.”

“You didn’t,” Twilight replied, suddenly ditching her blankets and hopping closer to Sunset. “But then I realized something. A few somethings, actually.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. First off, I like you. If you’re half as smart as I think you are, you know that already.”

Sunset nodded silently, opting not to interrupt yet.

“Secondly, not approaching somebody because they did you a favor is kinda silly. It’s roughly the equivalent of not asking for the pepper because they already passed you the salt.”

“Well, when you say it like that—”

“And third,” Twilight continued, “you’re… you’re uh…”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t get me wrong,” Twilight hastily added, “it’s not why I like you, but it sure doesn’t hurt—”

“What is it, already?”

“You’re hot!” she yelped, squeezing her eyes shut as her cheeks adopted a scarlet tint. “I couldn’t think of dignified way to say that.”

Sunset sat down next to the other girl, trying to keep the compliment from going straight to her ego. “It wasn’t dignified, but it was a little cute. Does this mean we’re a thing now?”

“I guess? If it’s all the same to you though, I’d rather not flaunt it in the open just yet. At least, not until after the holidays. People are busy enough already right now, without worrying about us.”

“Not a problem. All of our friends have Christmas with their families, and I’m working tonight. I probably won’t be talking to many of them between till school starts up again.”

“You’re working tonight? Isn’t it Christmas Eve?”

“Yeah, but like I said, everyone’s busy with their families. No reason not to, right?”

“I guess I’m just surprised a strip club would be open tonight.”

“Most aren’t, but my manager keeps ours open when he can find the dancers to do so. Good business too; the holidays can get pretty lonely without friends and family.”

“Don’t I know it,” Twilight sighed.

Sunset glanced at her, picking up the tonal change. “So, what are you doing for Christmas, then? Will your parents be visiting?”

“No… they can’t make it. Same as last year. I’ll probably just watch a movie at home or something. What about you? I guess your family is still back on the other side, huh?”

“Yes, but I didn’t have much to do with them even back before I jumped ship. I’ve gotten pretty used to running solo too.” Sunset coughed. “But, seeing as how we’re both in the same boat, I don’t suppose you’d want to do something together for Christmas?”

“I was thinking along the same lines, actually.”

“Cool. Now, how about some breakfast? Or, lunch, as the case may be?”

“So, what are your plans for what’s left of the day?” Sunset asked, pouring their coffees. Breakfast was nothing spectacular, since Sunset wasn’t particularly enthused with food and only kept around the unadorned necessities to feed herself. Two bowls of granola and a few bananas later, the two found themselves on the couch again, looking out over the snowy street. Though the street had been cleared and salted, the skies remained impressively dark and foreboding. An occasional flurry floated past the window.

“Nothing especially interesting. I might start analysing my atmospheric data,” Twilight replied. “Do you have anything? Besides work?”

“I need to stop by the landlord’s on the way out and pick up another exterior key, but no, not besides that. I do need to do this now, though.”

Sunset went into the bathroom and retrieved her phone, returning to the larger room and attaching it to its charger.

“Aha. I was wondering about that,” Twilight commented. “Though your service isn’t the greatest here, so I figured you might not have been able to get a signal.”

“The signal isn't great, but it’s usually enough. Can you do your analysis here, or do you need equipment at home?”

“I could do it here, but I don’t want to intrude…”

“Nonsense. I could use the company.”

“Alright, I’ll get my laptop then.”

“There’s an Ethernet cable behind the couch if you need it. I’m going to head down and take care of the whole keys business with the landlord.”

“Right.”

Sunset made it halfway to the door before she remembered she was still wearing her nightclothes, barefooted and braless. She turned back to the bedroom, where she extracted a set of casual cargo trousers, a comfortable and simple black brassiere, and a short-sleeved top; she figured she could always add a sweater over the top when she got cold. Given that it had been discarded in the corner of the bathroom and left to soak overnight, her favorite one wasn’t an option, but she had others. She could probably even find that fleece she had somewhere around if she looked hard enough.

Not wasting time, she quickly slid the pajama top over her head and hooked her thumbs under the waistband over her bottoms, shedding them just as quickly. Sunset could feel goosebumps forming over her skin in the cold air and her pert nipples growing hard. She’d only just reached for the bra when the Twilight turned the corner holding her computer.

“Sunset, I can’t find the—” she started before looking up from her screen.

She spun around, putting the nearly naked girl out of her field of vision. “I’m sorry! I swear I’m not doing this on purpose!”

“Look, Twi,” Sunset started, continuing to dress normally, “if I was worried about it I would have at least closed the door. Unless it’s bothering you, by all means take a gander. We’re involved now, right?”

“I-I mean, I’m fine with—” Twilight slowly turned back around. “Wait, what the hell happened to your leg?”

“Hmm? Oh. That did get pretty nasty looking, didn’t it? That’s where the fire escape fell on me last night.” The bruise had indeed developed into a deep purple area about an inch and a half across and twice that in length.

Twilight blinked a few times, staring. “I may be losing my memory, because I don’t remember that at all.”

“It was before you came by. Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it looks. Bruises in general usually aren’t,” Sunset replied, pulling her shirt over her bra. “I can move just fine, though now that I think about it, this isn’t exactly ideal for work.”

“How so?”

“It’s not exactly the kind of eye candy most guys are looking for. Anyway, you were looking for something?”

“Oh, right. I found the Ethernet plug but no cord.”

“Hold on,” Sunset said, slipping into the rest of her clothes. “Sometimes it gets disconnected and lost under the couch.”

They both returned to the other room, where Sunset took a knee and felt around under the large piece of furniture. Soon enough, she produced the cable and handed it to Twilight.

“I could’ve gotten it, y’know. You just had to tell me where it was.”

“Nah, you saw my leg. I’m a goner anyway,” Sunset joked. “Anyway, this shouldn’t take me too long. Be back in a bit.”

With that, Sunset exited the apartment. Twilight looked at the door she’d disappeared behind for a moment, before looking back to the spreadsheet of data on her computer. Normally she would’ve been excited to crunch some numbers, Christmas Eve or no, but she really wasn’t feeling it. The columns and rows stayed static numbers, failing to reveal trends or movements that seemed at all important.

She sat back down, plugging her laptop in. This is weird. What do I want to do?

Nothing came to mind.

She dragged her hand down her face and groaned. Focus had never been a problem before. Closing the laptop, she walked over to the window and pressed her head against the glass.

The snow’s picking up again, she thought, feeling the cold seep in through her head and exposed feet. I hope the busses are on schedule this afternoon. We already had ten inches last night, and it’s going to get even thicker if this keeps up.

She watched a moment longer and was almost ready to turn away, when a glimpse of red on the street below stopped her. Twilight cupped her hands above her eyes in an attempt to block out her own reflection on the glass. Below her, she could make out Sunset’s distinctive mane bobbing down the walk, before she turned and sprinted off down the sidewalk and out of sight.

Where could she possibly be going? She’s still got a few hours before work. Wouldn’t she have told me if she was leaving?

Twilight’s foot grazed the cold metal surface of an air register, reminding her of her still fairly vulnerable raiment.

“Better late than never,” she muttered, turning away to go find her clothes. If her coat was as good as it was supposed to be, they might yet be dry. Maybe being properly dressed will help me concentrate.

Sunset nudged the door open, shedding her coat as she returned to her apartment. Her little excursion had taken longer than she expected, but she was sure it was going to be worth it. She looked at the time on the stove’s clock to find she still had a little time before she had to leave for work.

“Twilight?”

She stepped further into the room and glanced around, catching sight of the girl as she moved beyond the kitchen. Twilight was lying lengthwise on the couch, laptop sitting on her stomach. She was sleeping soundly enough, despite the fragment of her mane that dangled over her face, fluttering in and out in sync with her breath.

She must have been doing her analysis, Sunset concluded. I should at least move that thing off her and cover her.

She swapped her shoes for her slippers and tiptoed over to Twilight’s sleeping form and gently lifted the computer off her, moving slowly in an attempt not to wake her. The laptop came free of the unconscious girl’s limp hand without incident. Sunset turned to set it down on the coffee table, only to find she’d misjudged the distance and harshly smash her shin into it.

“God fucking dammit,” she hissed, jumping on one leg for second while she shook it off. Unfortunately, the commotion was enough to wake Twilight, who jerked awake with a start at the cursing.

“Hmm? Oh, Sunset, you’re back. Uh… what are you doing?”

“Ah, that smarts,” she winced, setting down the electronic device. “Nothing, I just got back.”

“Everything go okay?” Twilight yawned, straightening her hair.

“Hmm?”

“With the key, I mean.”

“Oh, yeah, fine.”

“He didn’t charge you too much, did he?”

“He didn’t charge me anything when I mentioned getting crushed by the rusted remains of the fire escape.”

“I see. What time is it?”

“Just a little past four.”

“Wow, I didn’t mean to sleep that long. I should probably get our of your hair, huh?”

“No, you’re welcome here whenever. I know you probably have something to take care of at home, but be careful if you head to the bus stops. The snow picked up again.”

Twilight looked out the window, frowning at the weather’s development. “It’s even heavier than before. If we get another ten inches, there’ll be nowhere left to plow the snow to.”

“What’s worse is it’s wetter than yesterday’s.”

Twilight shut her computer’s lid and stashed it in her bag. “I appreciate your hospitality, and I really do want to spend more time with you, but it would just feel weird knowing you’re out there working and I’m sitting here alone in your apartment.”

“What about tomorrow morning, then? I doubt even my manager would try to keep a strip club open on Christmas.”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Twilight replied. She slung her bag over her shoulder and paused in front of Sunset, pointedly avoiding looking at her. “I’ll look forward to it.”

Sunset wasn’t blind, and was quite aware of what Twilight was waiting for, and why she was nervously playing with her hair instead of heading for the door already. Sunset wasn’t feeling particularly forward herself, but reached up and stilled Twilight’s hand with her own.

Twilight leaned forward and—

The power died suddenly, robbing the place of most of the light.

“Huh,” Sunset mused. “I’ll check the breakers.”

“Right! Of course,” Twilight chuckled, quickly retreating and pushing her glasses in place. Whatever little of the moment that had existed dispersed quickly.

Sunset pried open the gray panel by the door, glancing down the row of switches. She wasn’t an expert on electrical wiring, but she could tell none of the breakers had popped. Closing the door, she returned to the window and glanced out. Across the street, none of the buildings had any lights on either.

“Looks like the power’s out all the way down the block.”

“I wonder how widespread it is,” Twilight wondered aloud.

As if on cue, the telltale ringtone of Sunset’s phone rang through the apartment, causing its owner to hastily locate and disconnect it from the charger.

“Hello?” she picked up, taking a seat on the couch and rubbing her shin.

“Hey, Dawn.” It was the manager. “You haven’t left yet, have you?”

“Not just yet. Why?”

“Don’t bother. The power’s out here. Looks like we won’t be running on Christmas Eve after all.”

“There too? That’s a rather large area. Anything I can do to help?”

“No, it’s fine. With the snow resuming, we probably weren’t going to be getting much of a crowd anyway. Enjoy your night.”

“Yeah, you too.” Sunset hung up.

“Something important?” Twilight asked.

“Power’s out at the club, too. No work tonight, after all.”

“You’re staying here?”

Sunset shrugged. “Might as well. Nothing’s open anyhow. What about you? I imagine the busses are still running.”

Snow had begun to collect on the windowsill, icy crystals extending a frosty pattern up the side of the glass. Twilight dropped her bag, turning away from her host. “It’s Christmas tomorrow.”

“Yes, it is.”

“It would be a waste to head back only to come right back tomorrow morning. Besides…”

Sunset stepped up behind her, silently.

Twilight continued. “I’ve always kinda wanted to wake up with someone on Christmas morning. I know we just did it yesterday, but…”

“We didn’t do it yesterday. All you did was a lot of looking,” Sunset whispered, slipping a hand around the other’s waist and dipping a finger under the waistband. She felt Twilight’s muscles tense under her touch, and hesitated.

“Too fast? Not tonight?”

“No, it’s not that. Your hand is still cold.”

“Ah well, this always was the coldest room, what with the picture window and everything.”

Sunset rested her head on Twilight’s shoulder and nudged her in the direction of the bedroom, nuzzling her neck. The later didn’t resist, and the two tripped their way into the smaller chamber. Sunset could feel her pulse thumping rapidly in her neck, and judging from Twilight’s increased breathing, she was probably going through something similar.

“Sunset,” Twilight murmured as she fell to the mattress with the other girl following her, “you should probably know this is my first time with another—”

“Yeah, it wasn’t hard to guess. Don’t worry, we’ll take it easy. Okay?”

Twilight nodded enthusiastically, removing and folding her glasses as the green-eyed dominant straddled her. Sunset’s hair fell around her face as she leaned over Twilight and closed the last of the distance, locking her in a forceful kiss. Although her inexperience showed, Twilight at least managed to attempt reciprocation this time, pushing back lightly.

The lips of both thus occupied, Sunset’s hands wandered over Twilight’s chest until they found her breasts, still trapped under the blouse. She squeezed experimentally, and was rewarded with an involuntary shiver that ran the length of Twilight’s spine. Sunset broke the kiss, letting a tiny string of saliva remain between her tongue and Twilight’s lips for a moment.

“I think it’s about time I finish what I started this morning, don’t you?” Sunset asked rhetorically, deftly starting to unbutton the blouse. Twilight, ever the quick study, similarly grabbed the edge of Sunset’s shirt. Sunset obliged and lifted her arms, allowing the shirt to peel off over her head before she went back to Twilight’s. The discarded shirt fluttered to the floor, forgotten for the moment.

The blouse undone, Sunset seized Twilight’s bra and slid it up, allowing gravity to reclaim the breasts. Up to this point, Twilight had nearly forgotten her embarrassment in the intensity of the experience, but an intense flush returned to her face as Sunset lowered herself such that her face was level with the pulvinate mounds. Sunset met her eyes with a look of her own that would’ve been more in place on a succubus as she dove in.

Sunset’s oral attentions to one of the nipples was met with a sharp intake of breath and Twilight’s arms wrapping around Sunset’s middle. If her mouth wasn’t otherwise occupied, Sunset would’ve smirked. Instead, she used one of her free hands to fondle the other breast, occasionally rolling the nipple between her thumb and middle finger. Twilight twitched, fighting hard to focus enough to undo her partner’s brassiere. Sunset used her remaining free hand to sneak between Twilight’s blouse and her back to do the same.

Grazing the teat in her mouth ever-so-slightly with her teeth, Sunset gave it a final kiss and pulled back momentarily. She used this chance to shed her unlatched bra while Twilight sat up and rapidly did the same to hers and the blouse with it. The second they were free of them, they met for a quick kiss before Sunset reluctantly separated again and moved to the other breast.

Every time Sunset brushed one of the sensitive nubs with her teeth or rolled one particularly firmly between her fingers, Twilight would squirm, though usually in an attempt to force Sunset closer somehow. Eventually, one of her hands found its way to her waist, where she tried to slip it underneath her trousers to work on the desire that had begun to build. She was surprised when she felt the ministrations of her mammaries cease and Sunset grab her wrist. She opened her eyes, which she didn’t remember intentionally shutting.

“Not tonight, Twi. I’ll take care of that. Would you like that?”

When it became apparent that Sunset wasn’t going to continue until she got an answer, Twilight steadied herself enough to produce an answer.

“Y-yes, please.”

“There’s a good girl.”

Sunset went back for another buss, this one deeper and insistent enough to drive Twilight flat against the surface of the bed. She let her tongue loose, prodding Twilight’s lips in an unspoken request for access. Twilight readily granted it, letting herself be explored completely by the aggressive girl, whose tongue actively danced about with her own.

Twilight was so preoccupied with Sunset’s advances that she didn’t immediately notice her trousers being unzipped by the hand Sunset wasn’t using to support herself. She did notice once this same hand hooked under one side and began to inch her bottoms off, taking her trousers and panties in one fell swoop. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t attempt to break off the lip lock Sunset had her in.

When one side had been brought below the widest part of the pelvis, Sunset switched hands and began to perform the same maneuver on the other side. In what was agonizing slowness for Twilight, her vulva was exposed as the edge of the last of her garb was slunk down her legs. The cool air of the dimly-lit room wafted over it, driving her hips to react on their own and quiver slightly.

Her impatience was obvious to Sunset, who extracted herself from the kiss. She knew what Twilight was in need of by now, but couldn’t resist a little verbal taunting. “Need something?”

“Sunny…”

“Come on, you can say it,” Sunset encouraged, bringing her hand up to run it along Twilight’s jawbone.

Twilight wasn’t used to cursing as readily as Sunset did. “I need you to… to…”

“Yes?”

“F-finish me, Sunset. Have your way with me.”

“Well, if you insist,” Sunset said, a feral glint in her eyes. “No mercy.”

She ducked in and latched onto Twilight’s neck, sucking hard enough to leave a mark without inflicting extensive pain, simultaneously gliding her index and middle fingers across Twilight’s slit. The surprise attack on two fronts was enough to earn a cry from the entranced girl, causing her to clutch at the sheets. A fresh wave of electrifying excitement hit her system, causing the edges of her blurry vision to flicker.

Sunset hummed as she moved further down Twilight’s neck and found a new spot to adhere to. Her hand continued a steady back-and-forth rhythm on Twilight’s entrance, which had adopted a glossy sheen from its own natural lubrication. Extending her thumb, she tenderly explored using the pad of the digit to feel for Twilight’s clitoris. She knew immediately when she found it.

Twilight convulsed, the force of which was stronger than any of her previous involuntary reactions. She moaned an utterance of a more explicitly sensual nature than her previous cry, increasing her volume as well. Her hands abandoned the bed they’d been gripping and returned to Sunset, scrabbling for something substantial to grasp on her back.

While continuing to pepper Twilight’s upper half with nips and kisses, Sunset listened to the frequency of her lover’s pulse and volume of her exclamations. When it had increased a bit and her two actively massaging fingers were sufficiently wetted, she plunged them into Twilight’s depths. A slight whimper interrupted the little cries, but they resumed momentarily and with greater intensity as Sunset began thrusting them in and out.

Sunset left off her particular patch near the collarbone and moved her head next to Twilight’s, whispering seductively in her ear. “What are you feeling right now, hmm?”

Ecstasy the likes of which Twilight hadn’t felt in a long time surrounded her thoughts, but she was no longer capable of summoning words of that complexity to her command. “K-keep going.”

“Someone’s enjoying herself.”

Sunset was more than a little excited herself, but Twilight’s needs came first. Besides, Twilight was in no condition to reciprocate anymore. Sunset backed away and moved her head down Twilight’s body, past her bosom and navel until she had a pristine view of the pussy she was currently working. Guessing Twilight was reasonably far along, she withdrew her hand and considered its glistening surface for a moment.

“I think this belongs to you,” she said, offering the two fingers to Twilight, holding them within reach of the girl’s lips.

Twilight whined at the loss of stimulation to her nether region, but accepted the proffered gift and licked it clean.

Now then, Sunset thought to herself, letting a simper show on her face.

Sunset retracted her arm and licked her lips, rolling her shoulders as she prepared for her next course. Twilight’s hands found the back of Sunset’s head as she lowered it, seizing the mane as Sunset gave the slit before her a long lick. Sunset’s hands, now no longer spearheading the assault, reached out to provide attention to Twilight’s other erogenous zones while she focused her mouth and tongue between Twilight’s legs. One slid partially under Twilight and began kneading her left ass cheek, the other crawling back up and beginning again on her right breast.

Twilight threw her head back in a silent scream as all three areas began sending overwhelmingly pleasurable signals to her brain at once. She could feel the invisible pressure inside her surging rapidly under Sunset’s ministrations, breaking point within reach; the last time her heart had pounded this fast, she’d almost been hit by a bus. Shakily prying loose one of her hands, she grasped her remaining unattended breast with it, adding her own efforts to her mounting need.

Sunset noticed this and hastened her pace, sending her talented tongue between the labia to prod the flexing walls of Twilight’s vagina, searching along its roof for her particularly sensitive spot. Twilight’s hand was providing a firm but steady pressure, an unvoiced but urging request to continue. Instead, Sunset drew in her tongue and wrapped it around her partner’s clit, eliciting a gasp and causing Twilight to arch her back.

Sunset resumed her deeper incursions, keeping an eye on Twilight and the speed at which her hand worked her breast. Sunset’s own bosoms, swinging freely below her, ached to feel the same handling. Soon.

“Sunset, I’m a-almost there…” Twilight gasped between irregular breaths.

Sunset threw herself at Twilight’s clit with fervent intensity, sucking the nub with wholehearted enthusiasm. She pulled her left hand out from under Twilight and gave her thigh a hearty slap, following it up with a vigourous torquing and massaging of the stinging flesh.

All at once, Twilight’s last thread of resistance snapped. Her spine arched and thrashed, legs trying in vain to wrap around something despite the trousers still confining her ankles. She returned her other hand back to Sunset’s head and forced the other girl against her pleasure center, riding the edge as long as she could. Her mind blanked, tried to restart, then blanked again as Sunset kept up the onslaught.

A rush of liquids met Sunset’s face as Twilight came, which Sunset drank of greedily amidst her continuing stimulation. The walls of the euphoric girl’s love tunnel contracted rapidly, trying to squeeze in on the space Sunset’s tongue had been seconds ago. Sunset held Twilight as firmly against the bed as she could given her position, only letting up on Twilight after her orgasm wound down some twenty seconds later.

At last, Twilight went limp and collapsed like a ragdoll underneath Sunset, who sat up and dismounted Twilight’s legs. She wiped her face with the back of her hand, removing any leftover juices her tongue couldn’t reach. Sex wasn’t as clean and tidy as most porn made it out to be, but Sunset wasn’t really the tidy sort anyway. Seeing Twilight lying there with nothing but her socks and bottoms around her feet and her fluids splattered across the inside of her thighs was giving Sunset’s libido plenty of fuel.

While Twilight slowly came down off her high, Sunset took the opportunity to unbutton, unzip, and kick off her own trousers. She knew she wore the figurative pants, but didn’t care to be wearing physical ones at that point.

“Oh my god,” Twilight said, struggling to sit up. “None of my sessions with my own hand ever felt like that.”

“I could tell. The people in the apartments above and below us could probably tell too. How are you feeling?”

“Really warm. A little bit of tingling in my extremities. Overall, exceptionally good.”

“Glad to hear it,” Sunset purred, crawling up next to Twilight and giving her a peck on the cheek. She slipped a hand under her thoroughly soaked panties, playing with herself casually enough to keep titillated without pushing herself beyond the point of no return.

“Your turn?” Twilight asked, noticing.

“Only if you’re up to it.”

Twilight sat up and freed her feet from the last remnants of her clothing. “I actually had a position in mind for both of us, but I’m going to have to relieve you of these first.”

She kneeled and bent down on all fours, taking the top of Sunset’s panties with her teeth and retreating the length of Sunset’s legs with them. They were both entirely nude now, articles of clothing strewn in all directions around the bed. Sunset ceased her masturbation, letting her engorged lower lips rest for a moment while she sucked on her slick finger.

Twilight curiously sniffed the panties, considering them briefly before tossing them over her shoulder. She advanced directly afterwards, passing Sunset’s midriff and closing in for a kiss. This brought her knee level with Sunset’s waist, which she took advantage of as she used it to grind against Sunset’s slick slit. The girl receiving the attention moaned into the kiss, running her hands over Twilight’s arms and along her ribs.

Feeling her arms quivering slightly, Twilight decided to lower her torso down so she could rest on her elbows, which had the added advantage of pressing both their busts together. The refreshed avenue of sensation extracted a contented sigh from Twilight, who began pressing her chest in and out, mashing the tender globes against her lover’s. She was growing moist again, the sparks coursing from her bosom speeding the process along nicely.

Sunset was enjoying it equally as much, if not more so, thanks to her previously contact-starved breasts. Beginning to get the picture of what Twilight had in mind, Sunset arched her back and braced one leg, raising her hips such that one of her thighs ran between Twilight’s leg, just as Twilight’s ran through hers. The two were now pressing against each other in enough places to where any gyration by either party generated friction in all the right places on both of the enraptured girls.

Capitalizing on this, Twilight broke the kiss and leaned slightly forward, sliding her muff across Sunset’s thigh and leaving a wet trail over its path. Sunset slid herself in the reverse direction as best she could, producing a similar result on Twilight’s thigh in the same moment. They repeated this, settling into an oscillatory rhythm. Occasionally, their nipples would cross paths, providing spikes of electric stimuli to their brains.

In one such instance, she felt them cross just as Twilight leaned her chest in and gave her thigh a particularly intimate run between Sunset’s legs, grazing her clit. “Ah, fuck…”

Twilight almost stopped, before she realized Sunset’s exclamation had been a pleasurable one and not a curse. Instead, she began to ramp up her rate of humping, which the girl under her enthusiastically matched.

Sunset was approaching her limit and so, using her relatively unoccupied hands, she reached down towards her her clit and began rubbing small circles over it, doing the same for Twilight with her other. With every exposed area of both their nether regions subjected to constant stroking and pounding, their soft breasts banging against their partner’s, and their faces close enough to feel the other’s ragged breath on their neck or through their hair, their arousal skyrocketed.

Sunset could feel her impending orgasm rising rapidly, rushing from the fringes of her awareness straight toward her like a bullet.

In a moment of impulsive delight, she caught Twilight’s eyes with her own. “Bite me.”

“What?”

“Bite me!” she demanded impatiently, exposing her neck.

Twilight obeyed, latching onto Sunset’s neck and biting down, hard. It didn’t draw blood, but it didn’t have to in order to send a shockwave of pain directly to her brain that, combined with her heightened senses and sexual excitement, sent her careening over the edge and into a core-shattering orgasm. She screamed, eyes squinted shut as the physical world fell away leaving only her, Twilight, and pure, uncontaminated pleasure.

Above her, Twilight observed Sunset cum, the lower girl’s body locking up and a flood of her warm liquids coating Twilight’s already-sticky leg. She released Sunset’s neck, thrusting her body for a few more seconds before she teetered over the edge herself. She tried to ride it out, but only managed to swing back and forth twice more before collapsing on top of Sunset, where she remained and moved one of her hands to continue rubbing her clit for the remainder of her orgasm.

Sunset blinked, regaining a grasp of her surroundings the better part of a minute after she’d cum, though the waves of afterglow still washed over her. Twilight’s head was resting comfortably on her chest, exactly where she’d collapsed. Their chests rose and fell at a more steady pace as the beats of their hearts returned to normal levels.

Sunset wrapped Twilight in a hug, nuzzling her hair. She inhaled deeply, surprised to find she could still discern the girl’s scent of lilac and gooseberries through the powerful musk of sex that blanketed the room. “You were amazing, Twilight.”

Twilight hummed pleasantly in response to the embrace, responding in kind with her own. She cracked an eye open, meeting Sunset’s gaze. “Thanks, Sunny. I’ve never felt like that before. You were stunning too.”

“Yeah. It’s been a while, and it never felt quite like that.”

They didn’t move for nearly a minute, only their hearts and the harsh wind outside audible.

“Sunny?”

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The early darkness that came with winter soon swallowed the room entirely, lulling both the spent girls to sleep.

Twilight woke. Sunset wasn’t next to her, which brought a slight frown to her visage. She’d wanted to wake next to her new lover, and was slightly disappointed she couldn’t make out any red or yellow in her blurry field of view.

“Hey, over here, genius.”

Twilight flopped over, her unhappiness vanishing in an instant. Sunset was sitting next to her, offering her what turned out to be her glasses. She smiled broadly as she unfolded and donned them.

“Happy to see me?”

“You have no idea,” Twilight said, closing her in a brief but meaningful hug. She was still void of clothes, but Sunset had found herself a robe at some point.

“Good morning to you too,” Sunset replied, standing. “You can clean up in the bathroom if you feel the need, but then meet in the living room, okay? Feel free to use any robes you find, or any of my clothes that fit.”

Twilight nodded and watched Sunset leave before throwing the covers off her legs. She winced when she tried to stand, noticing that some of last night’s frolicking had left some liquid to dry on her thighs. Stumbling into the bathroom, she scrubbed the offending areas with a damp washcloth and dressed herself in a white robe she spotted hanging on a nearby peg. When she caught sight of herself in the mirror, she delayed another minute in order to flatten out any errant strands of hair that had become dislodged overnight.

She stopped short when she emerged into the larger room, where Sunset was standing by the window with two mugs. A branch of what was probably supposed to be mistletoe was dangling from the trim at the top of the window, and underneath it sat a wrapped package. Beyond the panes of glass, a sunrise was turning the sky pink; a good amount of snowflakes were still falling from high up in the atmosphere, but the sun was still visible below the clouds, for the first time in weeks.

Sunset held a mug out for her. “I didn’t have a tree, so the mistletoe is the best I could do on short notice. Hot chocolate?”

Twilight accepted the piping hot beverage and took a sip, putting her hand to her mouth as an unexpected flavor met her taste buds. “Woah, what’s in this?”

“I like to mix in a little Irish cream to give it a bit more punch.”

“Ah, that’s what that is,” she commented, sitting down and taking another mouthful. “It’s pretty good, actually.”

Sunset joined her, grabbing the wrapped package and hopping onto the couch next to Twilight. “Here.”

“A.. present? When did you even get this?”

“Yesterday, while I was out getting new keys.”

“Oh, right.” Twilight slid her finger under the weak scotch tape, popping the wrappings loose. Inside was a sweater, which she lifted up to look at. It was a holiday sweater, with snowflake patterns that were clearly meant to advertise the garment as an infamous Christmas sweater.

“I know it’s not a unique sort of gift but I didn’t know what—”

“I love Christmas sweaters! I have a collection at home.”

Sunset watched with a stupefied expression as Twilight jumped to her feet and ditched her robe, pulling the loose sweater over her otherwise nude figure. She stuck her arms out, watching the oversized sleeves flap and grinned giddily. “There’s a bit of humor in a stripper giving someone clothes, y’know.”

Sunset rolled her eyes, but smiled.

Twilight adjusted her glasses, which had been upset when she put on the sweater. “Thank you so much! I’m sorry I don’t have anything to give you.”

“You’ve already given me more than you could imagine, Twilight.”

“Aww, that’s sweet,” Twilight replied, springing back to the couch where she wrapped Sunset in a tight hug and finished it with a quick kiss. “Merry Christmas, Sunset.”

“Merry Christmas, Twi.”

Turning Over a New Mistletoe Leaf

by nowego

Backstage, 1:47 AM