> Prom Night's Light
>  by RS-Belle14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Pre-Prom Preparation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yah!" Princess Twilight Sparkle landed on the ground with a light thud. "Whoa," She dizzily rubbed her head as she slowly looked up to where she had landed. "Canterlot High," Her dizziness faded. "Made it."

"Twilight!" A familiar voice called out from behind. Twilight turned around to see the human Rarity rushing toward her. "Twilight, are you all right?"

"Hey, Rarity," Twilight answered. "I'm fine. Just landing knees first. Nothing we haven't seen before."

"Thank goodness," Rarity helped Twilight get back up on her feet and then immediately pulled her into a big, warm hug. "Oh, welcome back, darling! It's so good to see you again. It has been far too long since your last visit."

"I know. I'm sorry," Twilight returned the hug. "I've been meaning to come, but I've just been so busy, lately."

"We know, darling," Rarity patted her back. "We know."

Twilight smiled. "It's really good to see you again, Rarity. How are you?"

"Oh, I am well, darling. Thank you. How about you?"

"I'm doing all right."

"Good to hear," Rarity pulled back a bit and beamed. "I still can't believe that you'll actually be joining us for the prom!" She squeed. "The others and I simply burst with excitement when we heard you were coming!"

Twilight giggled. "Well, how could I not come? Like you said, I haven't been back in a while, and the prom just sounds like the perfect way to spend some time with all of you, again."

"Hehe. Yes," Rarity smirked. "Spend time with us and that lovely little girlfriend of yours."

Twilight cheeks reddened. "Hehe...Yeah."

Rarity snickered as she patted both of Twilight's shoulders and let go of her. "Well then, why don't we head on over to the boutique, now? The dance will be here before you know it, and there is still much, much more work to be done."

Twilight nodded. "Sounds good to me."

Twilight followed Rarity away from Canterlot High and into the city. The path they were taking was a familiar one. After a fair number of visits to the human world, Twilight was getting pretty accustomed to the area around Canterlot High at this point. With a familiar street here and a familiar sign there, Twilight knew where they were going. Twilight and Rarity continued walking down the sidewalk, chatting with each other along the way.

"-But unfortunately, as soon we finished, Pinkie Pie accidentally activated her powers and destroyed the dock! There was nothing left! Nothing! It was completely ruined!...Again," Rarity sighed.

Twilight chuckled at her friend's overly dramatic performance. "Ha. Yeah, Sunset mentioned that in one of her messages. That's too bad. I guess, in the end, your class never really got to give Camp Everfree a gift for future campers, huh?"

"No," Rarity grumped. "Unfortunately not," Rarity's mood lightened when she saw her boutique was just at the end of the block. "Oh good, we're almost there! I simply cannot wait to show you the design I have in mind for your dress, darling. I know you are going to just absolutely love it."

"I'm sure I will, Rarity."

Rarity and Twilight continued walking down the sidewalk towards the boutique. It was not a very long walk at this point; a few more minutes of hearing Rarity chat about her dress and Twilight suddenly found herself standing in front of the boutique's front door.

Always a pleasure to see this place. Twilight gave the store a satisfied look. Just before she was about to enter, Twilight suddenly felt Rarity's arm grab her shoulder.

"Wait!"

"Huh?" Twilight turned around. "What's wrong, Rarity?"

"Uh...nothing, darling," Rarity gently removed her hand. "Nothing really. It's no real problem. I'm just overreacting a bit is all. It's just that...um, well," Rarity nervously rubbed the back of her head. "There's something I forgot to mention to you, earlier."

"Oh. Um, okay. What is it?"

"Well," Rarity cleared her throat. "Per the request of Sunset Shimmer, you will be going against my formal seamstress regulations and not be having your fitting alone today; she asked that one of our friends joins you."

"What?" Twilight paused and thought for a moment. "Huh. That's weird. Sunset never mentioned anything about that to me."

"Believe me, it came as a surprise to me too, darling. I wasn't informed until the very last minute. Nonetheless, I do apologize for forgetting to tell you earlier. It had completely slipped my mind, but I assure you that Sunset has a very good reason for making this sudden arrangement."

"It's okay, Rarity," Twilight assured. "Really, I'm not upset about you forgetting, and I don't mind having my fitting with one of our friends at all," Twilight grabbed the door handle and began to enter the boutique. "I just find it a little strange that Sunset never mentioned any of this to me."

"Um," Rarity immediately followed her inside. "Perhaps it's because of who you're having your fitting with," Rarity suggested.

Twilight playfully raised her eyebrow at Rarity as they made their way to the back. "It's just one of our friends, right? It shouldn't be any problem. Why would Sunset not tell me because of..." Twilight entered another room and saw just who her guest was. "Oooh...Thaaaat's why."

"Oh," A very familiar looking purple girl with glasses noticed the room's two new occupants and weakly waved at them. "Um...Hello, there."

"I'm ba-ack," Rarity hummed. "And I brought company."

Twilight internally shook her head and laughed. I should've known. "Hello, Miss Twilight," Twilight approached her human counterpart. "How are you?"

"I'm doing good," She sheepishly smiled. "How about you, Princess Twilight?"

"I am also doing good. Thank you."

Rarity rolled her eyes. Here we go. "I'll go fetch my sketchbook," Rarity began to leave. "You two keep mingling. I'll be right back. Now, where did I leave my portfolio?"

After watching Rarity leave, Twilight turned her attention back to her double. "It's good to see you again, Miss Twilight."

"Oh please, Princess Twilight," Miss Twilight playfully shooed her hand. "Miss Twilight is my mother. You can just call me Twilight."

"Ha. Please tell me you're not serious."

"Of course not. Our coexistence in this world is confusing enough as it is. Let's not make this any more difficult than it has to be."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Twilight nodded. "So, you're here to have your fitting, too?"

"Yes. However, seeing as my appointment turned up much earlier than I originally expected due to the behest of a, ahem, common friend of ours, it appears I'm here for more than just to see my dress."

"It appears so," Twilight agreed. "I'd say a proper introduction between the two of us has been long overdue, but..." She rubbed her shoulder. "This isn't exactly the setup I had in mind."

"Nor is it mine," Miss Twilight adjusted her glasses. "I'm guessing Sunset arranged this sudden meeting between us because-"

"The big dance is coming up real soon, and since we're going to most likely end up spending a lot of time with our mutual friends and, by extension, each other, we should probably properly introduce ourselves before then so we don't have an awkward night that could possibly ruin the prom for everyone?"

Miss Twilight nodded. "My thoughts, exactly."

"Well, that or Sunset did this just to have some fun with me," Twilight shrugged. "Could be both, actually."

"Possibly," Miss Twilight chuckled before giving her counterpart a warm smile. "I think it's really nice that you two are going together."

That surprised Twilight. "Really?"

"Of course. Sunset was really hoping you'd go with her, and she just looked so excited when she told us you agreed."

"Wow. Um, thank you, Miss Twilight."

"Hmm? Is something wrong?"

"Well no, not exactly. At least I hope not," Princess Twilight lightly kicked the ground and looked back up at her double. "It's just, and I don't mean to overstep my boundaries here, but I was a little worried that me going with Sunset might bother you because..."  Twilight waved her finger between herself and Miss Twilight. "You know."

"I see," Miss Twilight adjusted her glasses. "I understand your concern, Princess Twilight, and let me assure you that I am perfectly fine with you going to the prom as Sunset's date. She and I are just friends, and we're only interested in each other as friends. You have nothing to worry about."

Twilight wiped some sweat off her forehead. Thank Celestia. "Thank you, Miss Twilight. I needed to hear that."

"You're welcome," Miss Twilight smiled.

"So," Twilight began. "Do you have a date to the prom?"

Miss Twilight stumbled back a bit and blushed. "Hehe...sort of."

"That's great. Is it that guy you met at Camp Everfree?"

That made Miss Twilight stand up straight. "Oh. Right. Him," Miss Twilight rolled her eyes. "No, he couldn't make it. Unfortunately, all the money we raised during the Crystal Ball fundraiser was only enough to cover the camp's debt for that one month. When the bill for the next month arrived, the camp didn't have enough money to pay, and the others and I weren't there to help set up another fundraiser, soooo...yeah, he doesn't have the money to make the trip all the way here."

"Oh," Wasn't expecting that. "Uh, sorry about that."

"It's fine. And it's really not that bad. With any luck, Camp Everfree will stay open...Hopefully. Besides," Miss Twilight put on a small smile. "I've found another date for the prom."

"Really? Who is it?"

Miss Twilight giggled. "It's-"

"Twilight!" A familiar voice called out.

Both Twilights looked toward the source of the sound to see a small, purple dog scurrying towards them. "Spike?"

"Twilight!" Spike said as he hastily stopped in front of Miss Twilight. "Have you seen Opal?! I let her out of my sight for just one second, and she got away!" Spike began to sniff around the ground and air. "But she's close. I know she is. I can smell it," Spike continued sniffing.

"Ah, perfect timing," Miss Twilight giggled as she picked up Spike and held him in a little hug. "Princess Twilight, meet my date."

"Hiya, Princess!" Spike welcomed. "Good to see you again!" He wagged his tail.

Twilight looked at Spike and smiled. "Hello there, Spike. It's good to see you, too," She petted his head. It really is uncanny. "You're taking Miss Twilight to the prom?"

"Uh huh," Spike nodded. "Twilight was a little upset when she found out that camp guy couldn't make it. When I saw how sad she looked, I decided I'd ask her to go with me."

"You should've seen him," Miss Twilight added. "I was in my room studying, and he came in through the door wearing a little, black bow tie in place of his dog tag. He walked up to me and said 'Twilight, I hate to see you so sad, and I really don't want you to miss out just because some guy couldn't make it. You've taken care of me for so long, and I can never thank you enough for that. You're my best friend, Twilight. Will you do me the honor of being my date to the prom?'" Miss Twilight snuggled the little pup. "He even brought me a little, pink rose. What else could I have said? I told him 'Yes' right on the spot."

"Awww," Twilight petted Spike's chin. "That's so sweet."

"Heh. Ah, it was nothing," Spike brushed off.

"No need for modesty, Spike," Miss Twilight said. "You really are a true gentleman."

Spike began to smirk a little. "Hmm. Well...I guess I can be a little-" Spike suddenly saw Opal emerge from a nearby fitting room. "THERE YOU ARE!!! ARF! ARF!" Spike barked as he wrestled out of Miss Twilight's arms. Once Opal was alerted of his presence, she screeched and began to run away with Spike immediately giving chase, leaving both Twilights behind, laughing.

"Oh, Spike...he may act like a gentleman sometimes, but he's still a dog in the end, I guess," Miss Twilight giggled.

Twilight fought back her laughs. "Hmhm. He certainly acts more like a dog than the Spike I know."

Miss Twilight snapped her fingers. "That's right. Isn't he a dragon in your world?"

"Uh-huh. He's a sentient, magic dragon and my loyal, number one assistant."

"Wow. That's pretty interesting. I'd like to meet him, sometime."

"I'd be happy to introduce you," Twilight nodded.

"I'm back," Rarity returned, holding her sketchbook. "I see Spike and Opal are having their fun. How lovely. Anyway, I apologize for taking so long. My portfolio was well hidden in my inspiration room," Perhaps I should've listened to Sweetie Belle after all. "Any who, come and take a look at your dresses," Both Twilights came closer. "Now, I should probably let you know that since you two are...you know, I made your dresses match each other's. Not copies, mind you, but complements," Rarity grinned. "I think you two are going to absolutely love them," Rarity opened her sketch book and showed them their dress designs.

Miss Twilight's eyes sparkled. "Ooooh. I really like mine," Miss Twilight looked to her side. "Princess Twilight?"

Twilight nodded. "Yeah. I like them a lot."

~End Chapter~
> Dressing Up
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It has been weeks since Princess Twilight had visited the human world for her first fitting. Since then, she had very rarely returned, reappearing only when she was notified to come try on the latest modifications to her dress and then almost immediately leaving afterwards. Her visits had been so brief that she did not even have time to visit any of Canterlot High friends except for Rarity. Twilight really wanted to see the rest of her friends, but the brief increments were really all the time she could ever afford to be away from Equestria. Well, it was usually all the time she could afford to be away from Equestria. Today, however...

This was it. Today was the big day. All those weeks of planning, preparation, and patience were finally going to be coming together. Today, Twilight was going to be spending the entire day with her human friends and attend the Canterlot High Senior Prom, and it all starts now.

"Oomph!" Twilight landed on the ground in front of the Canterlot High Wondercolt statue. Yeesh...I've really gotta find a way to make these interdimensional trips less...trippy. She rubbed her head. Maybe if I adjust the book's coordinates on the mirror and recalculate the separation between the points of three spacial dimensions, I can- "Whoa!" Before Twilight could even finish her thoughts, she found herself being lifted off the ground into a very strong bear hug.

"Twiliiiight!" Pinkie Pie squeed (and squeezed) from behind. "You're here! You're really here!"

Twilight struggled hard in the powerful grasp of her assailant. "Oh, hello...Pinkie...Pie," She managed to squeak out. "Good to...see you...again."

"Not as good as it is to see you!" Pinkie squeezed harder, causing Twilight's face to become more purple than usual. "It's been way too long since we've last seen you. You really need to drop by more often. We've really missed you," Pinkie dropped Twilight on the ground and raised her arms. "Welcome back!"

"Ooph!" Twilight caught her breath. Why do I keep falling when I'm in this world? "Thank you, Pinkie."

"Need a hand there, partner?"

Twilight looked up to see a smiling Applejack and Rainbow Dash offering their hands. "Hey," Twilight gladly accepted them and was pulled up into a nice group hug that was much softer than Pinkie's.

"Oh, it's so good to see you two again," Twilight hugged back.

"Right back at ya, pal," Rainbow replied as everyone began to let go. "What's up?"

Twilight playfully shrugged. "Oh, same old, same old. Just really looking forward to tonight."

"Gosh, Twilight," Applejack shook her head. "Ah still can't believe you're actually goin' with us."

"Yeah, no kidding," Rainbow Dash added. "This is gonna be awesome!"

"Best prom EVER!" Confetti exploded behind Pinkie.

Twilight giggled. "I hope so. Really though, I'm just happy I can join all of you tonight. Speaking of which," Twilight looked around the three other girls. "Where is everyone else?"

"Oh, they're over at the boutique gettin' ready," Applejack answered. "We told them we'd come for ya so they could go ahead and get started. Speakin' of which, we might wanna head over there and join them. The dance is in a few hours, and I'm pretty sure all our folks are already waitin' on us. Plus," Applejack tipped her hat. "I'm pretty sure there's a certain redhead over at the boutique that's achin' to see you, Twilight," She winked.

A blush faintly formed on Twilight's cheeks. "Yeah, we shouldn't keep anyone waiting," She said with a small smile. "Let's get going."

With that, the four friends ended their greetings and began to make their way to the boutique, catching up along the way. 

"-And then the geodes broke off Gloriosa's necklace, came to us, and morphed into these," Pinkie showed Twilight her pendant. "Then we transformed, got new powers, and freed Gloriosa from the magic by hitting her with some magic blasts. You know, the usual."

"Interesting," Twilight inspected the pendant. "And now they grant you all powers?"

"Eeyup," Applejack answered. "Was a bit tricky to get used to at first, but we've been able to get a better handle on them with Sunset's help. Now, we can pretty much activate their magic whenever we want without any problem."

"Interesting. And you still don't know where they came from?"

"Eenope," Applejack shook her head. "We think they came from Equestria, but we haven't really had the time to look into it. Schoolwork on top of everythin' else we do doesn't leave us with much time to investigate these kinds of things. We were kinda hopin' you'd know."

Twilight frowned. "I'm sorry; I don't. Sunset told me about the pendants a while ago, but I haven't found anything about them, yet. I can guess that they're connected to the Elements of Harmony back in Equestria, but other than that, I don't know. Sorry."

"Eh, don't worry about it," Rainbow placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "These things can wait another day. All that matters right now is us having a good time tonight."

Twilight smiled. "Thanks, Rainbow."

They continued chatting for a while and, before long, they spotted the boutique. Once they saw it, they sped up their pace a bit until they finally stood before a pair of decorated doors.

"Well, here we are," Twilight and her friends excitedly entered the boutique.

Almost immediately after they entered, Rarity appeared from behind the shop, looking a little more bedazzled than usual. "Ah, there you all are. Welcome back, everyone. Twilight!" Rarity saw her friend and came up to give her a hug. "You're back! Oh, it's so good to see you again, darling."

Twilight giggled as she hugged back. "It's only been three days, Rarity."

"I know," Rarity pulled back to face Twilight. "But that doesn't make our reunions any less magical, does it?"

"Ha. I guess not."

"Twilight?" A voice called from one of the dressing rooms. Shuffling to the door, Sunset Shimmer creaked it open and took a peak out. "Twilight!"

"Huh?" Twilight looked toward the sound of her name and saw Sunset running up to her. "Sunset!"

Twilight and Sunset ran up to each other and met with a soft, warm embrace.

"Oh Twilight, I missed you," Sunset gently held Twilight.

"I missed you, too," Twilight rested her head on Sunset's chest, ready to hold on to this moment for as long as she could.

"Ahem," Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. "I don't mean to be a mood killer, but do you two think you can save it for later? Now's kiiiinda not the best time."

"Oh!" Twilight and Sunset simultaneously let go of each other. "Right."

"Though for what it's worth, it was a kind of adorable," Rarity winked.

Once she finished giving the couple her approval, Rarity took a look between the dressing rooms and her newly arrived friends and made a satisfied nod. "Well, by the looks of things, everyone is now all accounted for," She smirked. "Are you all ready to get started?" Rarity's friends all gave her a nod. "Wonderful! Now, I've reserved a private dressing room for the each of you in the back. In your rooms, you will find your dress, a makeup kit, a jewelry box, a hair brush, and anything else I thought you might need. If you are having difficulty putting on your dress, applying your makeup, fixing your hair, or anything else, let me know and I will come to assist you. Our families and friends will arrive in about two hours, but I assure you that we have plenty of time. There is no need to rush. Once everyone one is finally ready, I will make sure the stage is prepared and then we will begin," Rarity gave her friends a stern look. "Do you all understand?"

Everyone nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Perfect. Now let's get fabulous!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Family members sat down across rows of chairs in the darkened boutique, aiming their phones and cameras at the makeshift runway, eagerly waiting for the girls to make their appearances. They continued waiting when a voice came on through the intercom.

"Testing. Testing. 1, 2, 3," Rarity's voice spoke. "Good afternoon, everyone. I hope you all have been having a wonderful day so far. First, I would like to start off by thanking each and every one of you for coming here, today. As you all know, today is a very special day for us, and it just means so much that you've all come to celebrate it with us. The prom is not just a party, but a final celebration to look back at high school years and remember all the wonderful times you've had with the ones you love. We thank you all for coming," Rarity cleared her throat. "Now, without further ado," The runway lit up and music began to play. "Let's get started."

The lights turned night blue with star lights shining all over the stage curtains. The curtains opened to first reveal Miss Twilight, wearing a long, strapless purple dress and heels that matched her primary hair color with her star hair clip on top. The bust and the skirt of the dress had been sequined to give her the look of a beautiful, starry night sky. After adjusting her glasses, Miss Twilight walked down the runway and flashed a hip pose, smiled, and walked back up.

The lights then became bright green and out came Applejack. She wore a lovely, sleeveless tan dress that's skirt stopped just above her brown, ankle-length cowgirl boots. Applejack strutted down the runway, stopped at the end, and tipped her hat at the crowd with a pose. She flashed one wink to her cheerers and strutted back up.

As soon as Applejack lined up beside Miss Twilight, the runway lights went from bright green to hot pink. Pinkie Pie hopped out from behind the curtains and showed off her prom dress. It was a bright pink, strapless dress with a frilly skirt that fell all the way to her knees. Her choice of footwear was a pair of hot pink heels with light blue diamonds in each center. With a bright smile, Pinkie skipped down the runway, blew a kiss pose for the crowd, and skipped up beside her friends.

Thunder roared through the speakers as the lights turned stormy blue and out came Rainbow Dash. She wore a royal blue dress that fell all the way to her ankles, just above her royal blue boots. The dress was decorated with some designed silver lining from below the bust all the way to the straps. With a confident smirk, Rainbow strutted down runway, crossed her arms, and leaned back. Satisfied, Rainbow Dash strutted back up to join her friends.

The stage brightened up to a light green as Fluttershy slowly stepped out from behind the curtain to reveal her light green dress. The front of the skirt hovered just over her knees as the rest fell all the way to the ground with the opening revealing her thin, silver heels. Slowly, Fluttershy walked down the runway, smiled at the crowd when she reached the end, and gave them a small bow before walking back up.

The lights turned into a bright night blue and Princess Twilight emerged. Her outfit was a strapless, bright violet dress and heels that matched her highlights. On her decorated hair stood a silver and purple tiara with a purple centerpiece that resembled Twilight's cutiemark. Like her counterpart's, her dress's bust and skirt had also been sequined to resemble a starry, purple sky. Twilight walked down the runway, stopped at the end, and gave the crowd a regal, little twirl.

Right as Twilight lined up beside her friends, the stage turned light red for Sunset Shimmer to appear and debut her cyan prom dress. Its straps fell down to her arms and it had multiple skirts with each layer being slightly sequined to give the dress a nice, shimmering look under the lights. Sunset walked down the runway and gave the crowd a lovely, bright smile. After holding that pose for just a little longer, Sunset turned around and walked up to her friends.

Finally, the lights turned light blue, and out came Rarity wearing some fabulous diamond bracelets, a gorgeous pair of silver heels, and a beautiful, strapless baby blue dress. The dress had a sparkly silver belt that covered the bottom of the bust all the way down to the top of the belt line and a split on the left side of the skirt to show a little leg. As soon as the first wave of cameras calmed down, Rarity gracefully strutted down to the end of runway, placed her hands on her hips, and posed for the crowd. Once finished, Rarity looked back and motioned for her friends to come down and join her.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Rarity spoke into the microphone. "I present to you our prom dresses," The girls all took a bow together, and the crowd reacted by giving them a big round of applause.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rarity had left for backstage after the fashion show had ended, and all of the boutique's lights were turned back on. After everyone's eyes had adjusted, the girls climbed off the runway and walked off to see their respective families and dates.

Pinkie Pie hopped off the stage and practically sprang to her family. "Soooooo," She spun around. "What do you think?"

"It is most lovely, Pinkamena," Igneous Rock said as his wife nodded.

"Eh," Limestone smirked. "Not bad."

"Mm-hmm," Marble smiled.

Pinkie then turned to see her older sister. "Maaaauuuud?"

"It's very pretty," Maud stared at Pinkie's dress. "I like it."

"Ah!" Pinkie clapped her hands together. "Thank you! I knew you would like it! I only wish my dress was as pretty as yours."

Maud was wearing a simple, long-sleeved, dark blue dress and slippers. "That doesn't matter," She placed a hand on Pinkie's shoulder. "What matters is that we have fun tonight and make this the best prom ever."

Pinkie smiled. "Oh Maud," She hugged her sister. "Will your wisdom ever cease to amaze me?"

Fluttershy walked up to her family after she had separated from her friends. Once she reached them, Fluttershy smiled at her parents and gave them a little bow.

"Hi," Fluttershy brushed her hair out of her face. "What do you think?"

"You look beautiful, dear," Mr. Shy smiled.

"You really think so?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh, without a doubt, honey" Mrs. Shy tearfully hugged her daughter. "Look at you. You've grown up so fast," Mrs. Shy gave her daughter a little kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, Mom," Fluttershy hugged back.

"We-he-he-ll, look at you, Big Sis," Zephyr Breeze stepped in between Fluttershy and his mother. "I gotta agree with Mom and Pop and say you and your friends are looking flyyyyy."

Fluttershy snickered at her brother's compliment as she separated from her mother. "Thank you, Zephyr."

"Any time, Sis," Zephyr looked around the room. "Now, what happened to your date? They were just here a second ago."

"Coming!" Fluttershy and her family turned toward the direction of the sound to see Treehugger emerge from a nearby door. She was wearing a pink, long-sleeved dress and slippers. "Like, sorry about that," She approached the Shies. "Mother Nature was calling out to me, and I had to answer her. Like, sorry, Fluttershy."

"Oh, it's all right, Treehugger," Fluttershy assured. "I can't thank you enough for coming with me."

"Like, don't worry about it. What are friends for?"

Fluttershy smiled. "Thank you, Treehugger."

Soon after Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy left, Miss Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash climbed off stage to chat with their families as well. While the rest of their friends were off, Twilight and Sunset stayed behind, staring, smiling at each other.

"Wow," Sunset breathed out. "You look...amazing."

"Thank you," Twilight playfully replied. "You do, too."

"Thanks. I was really hoping you'd like it," Sunset took a step closer. "And I really want to thank you for coming. I know you must be really busy back in Equestria with your royal duties and all."

"Well, yes. Generally, I am pretty busy back home, buuuut," Twilight took Sunset's hand. "I can always make some time for you."

Sunset smiled. "Thanks, Twilight."

Twilight and Sunset continued catching up for a while. Eventually, they made their way off the stage and met up with Rarity and Rainbow Dash, who had just separated from their families.

"Hey, girls," Sunset greeted. "What's up? How'd everyone like your outfits?"

"Oh, they absolutely loved it, darling" Rarity happily replied. "Mother and Father thought I looked precious, and Sweetie Belle said I would just have to make her dress as beautiful as mine whenever she goes to her prom."

"And my folks thought I looked all right. Scootaloo seemed to like it, too," Rainbow casually added.

"I bet," Sunset nodded.

"So," Twilight asked her two friends. "Are you two going together?"

Rarity and Rainbow Dash gave each other a little chuckle and turned back to Twilight. "You could say that," Rarity answered. "Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and I are all going together as friends. Just friends."

"Oh," Twilight nodded. "That's nice."

"Thank you, darling."

Sunset looked back and forth between Rarity and Rainbow Dash. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. What?" Sunset stared in disbelief. "What do you mean you two are going together? I thought you two were both trying to go with..." Sunset looked over her shoulder and took a quick glance at the other side of the room before turning back to her friends. "You know."

That caused Rarity and Rainbow Dash to look back at each other, their expressions a bit more unfriendly this time.

"Why, yes," Rarity answered without turning away from Rainbow. "You are correct, Sunset. Rainbow Dash and I were both vying to take a particular someone to the prom as our date."

"Totally," Rainbow sternly stared at Rarity. "Problem was, we knew we both wanted to take her for ourselves, so we made a deal," Rainbow squinted her eyes. "Or at least, I was proposed one."

Rarity did not seem to like hearing that. "We agreed not to compete for her companionship nor inform her of our interest and to just let her decide who would be her prom date on her own."

Rainbow crossed her arms. "But someone never considered the possibility that she might, just might consider going to the prom with someone else, entirely."

Rarity scowled. "It was the right thing to do, and you know it."

Rainbow leaned in. "Yeah? Well, now neither of us are going to the prom with her."

Rarity gritted her teeth. "How was I supposed to know she would choose to ask some hippie over her two best friends?"

"Well, now we're both gonna have to see her go with someone else."

"Aaaand-" Applejack suddenly appeared and stepped in between Rarity and Rainbow Dash. "You're both very happy for her because she found a nice friend she could go to the prom and have a good, fun time with, and her happiness is all that really matters to the both of ya," Applejack wrapped her arms around her friends' shoulders and pulled them in. "Riiiight?"

Rarity and Rainbow Dash glanced at each other and nodded after a moment of silence. "Right," They simultaneously answered.

"My apologies, Rainbow Dash," Rarity stepped out of Applejack's arm and sincerely offered Rainbow Dash her hand.

"Same here," Rainbow reached over and shook it.

Sunset cautiously stepped closer. "So, is everyone good, now?"

"Yes, everything's fine," Rarity assured. "Sorry for worrying you, darling. I got carried away for a moment."

"Yeah, me too."

"And what does it matter anyway?" Rarity stepped in between Applejack and Rainbow Dash. "Who says we need a date to have fun tonight?" She said in an as a matter of fact tone.

"I don't," Rainbow smirked.

"Me neither," Applejack added.

Sunset chuckled. "But what about all those guys that were asking all of you to be their date?"

"Oh, who needs 'em?" Applejack shrugged off. "Ah don't recall ever havin' more fun with a date than Ah've had with my friends. What about you gals?"

"Nope."

"I don't recall."

Applejack looked back at Sunset. "See?"

"Admirable," Sunset and Twilight nodded.

"Thank you," Rarity giggled. "Now then," She checked her cell phone. "We've spent enough time mingling here, don't you think? Why don't we start heading out to the park, now? We are on a pretty tight schedule after all."

"Sure."

"All right."

"Sounds good to me."

"Wonderful," Rarity turned around and began to walk away. "Then, let's get to it-"

"Wait!" Miss Twilight suddenly appeared, looking rather excited. "I've got to do one more thing before we leave," She grabbed Twilight's hand. "Please, come with me, Princess."

"Uh, sure," Twilight allowed herself to be taken to the other side of the room.

Miss Twilight stopped a few moments later, excitingly looking up at the four figures in front of her. "Mom, Dad, Shining Armor, Cadance, this is my friend, Princess Twilight."

Twilight looked up and smiled at all the very familiar looking adults. "Hello," She happily waved.

Twilight Velvet and Night Light shockingly stared back and forth between their daughter and the princess, not muttering a single word.

"Oh...honey, look," Twilight Velvet was able to squeak out. "Twilight wasn't kidding."

Night Light shook his head. "Uh-uh."

"Whaaaa...?" Shining Armor murmured as Cadance patted the back of his head.

Twilight looked over at Miss Twilight and found her snickering.

Twilight playfully shook her head. "Did you really have to do this, now?"

Miss Twilight shrugged. "It was best to get it over with."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A little while after that awkward family fiasco had ended, the girls gathered up their dates and families and began to leave the boutique. Once they were out, Rarity locked the doors and everyone headed to their respective vehicles.

Twilight followed Sunset to a bright pink car parked on the other side of the boutique.

"Uh..." Twilight stared at the vehicle. "So this is your car?"

"Eeyup. She's mine. Won her in a radio competition. She's perfect. Just my style, right?"

"Um...Sure."

"Kidding," Sunset elbowed Twilight and laughed. "This is Pinkie's car. She's letting us borrow it for the night," Sunset walked over to the driver's side.

"Ooooh," That makes much more sense. "But then what are Pinkie and Maud going in?"

"Maud's car."

Twilight nodded as she walked toward the passenger's side. "Of course."

"Eeyup," Sunset entered the driver's side and strapped on her seat belt. "Ready to go?"

"Almost," Twilight struggled to get her skirt inside. "Just gotta...get this thing...through...Got it!" Twilight closed her door and buckled up. "Ready!"

"Great," Sunset turned the keys in the ignition.

"So, where are we going, again?"

"We're just heading over to the public park to take a few more pictures. You know, for the family albums and what not."

"Oh," Twilight nodded. "Okay, I get it."

"Yup," Sunset shifted the car into reverse. "It shouldn't take too long. I promise."

"Ha. Don't worry about me. I promised our friends back in Equestria that I'd bring them back some pictures, so I'm all for this."

Sunset chuckled. "All right, then," She began to back up the car. "Oh hey, do you mind if I put on some music?"

"No, I don't mind."

"All right. Thanks," Sunset quickly pulled out her cell phone and tapped its screen a few times.





Sunset put her phone down and shifted car into drive. "All right, let's head out."

~End Chapter~
> The Prom
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

And so it all began. 

Everyone arrived at the park soon after they had all left the boutique. It was a very bright and green park with an abundance of trees and colorful flowers covering its extensive landscape. However, the grand piece de resistance had to be the lake located at the center of the park. The park had a very pretty lake with some beautiful, sparkling blue water and a pretty white bridge that stretched all across the lake. It just looked like the absolute perfect place for everyone to take their prom pictures.

It also appeared to be a popular spot as well; there was already a group of prom-goers getting their pictures taken there. The girls did not mind though; they understood. The location was just gorgeous. They were actually more surprised that they were currently the only group waiting for that spot. Lucky them, they supposed.

The girls waited for a little while, passing the time with some small talk. It was not too long before the preceding group finished and began clearing from the spot. Once the other group left, the parents pulled out their cameras, and the girls stepped up.

They started off with some group pictures. Everyone and their dates got together on the bridge and began with a simple, formal pose. After a few more formal group photos, they moved on to more silly poses. One picture had them making childish gestures, another had them pose as if they were secret agents, and there was one where they were professional wrestlers, another samurai warriors, next ninja assassins, super heroes, ki-blasting anime characters, high-speed hedgehogs, spinning bandicoots, magical wizards, Italian plumbers, kaijus, jaegers, hobbits, Kokiri, and whatever else Pinkie Pie could come up with (which was a lot). After finishing Pinkie's long list of poses, everyone moved on to couples pictures.

First up were Fluttershy and Tree Hugger. They walked toward the center of the bridge and started off with a friendly, traditional hug picture and followed up by having one with them doing the "Peace" sign together. They took a few more pictures and ended their session with a picture of them lying down on the park's green grass and "enjoying Mother Nature's bed."

Next up were Pinkie and Maud. They took their spot on the bridge and did some fun sisterly pictures; holding each other's hands, hugging each with their faces touching, Maud putting Pinkie in headlock (or rather, Pinkie placing herself in a headlock), and the like. All the girls may care for each other dearly, but only Pinkie and Maud could show some true sisterly love. The look on Maud's face said it all.

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity came up next. Their first picture was one of wrapping their arms around each other's shoulders, smiling together as bright as day. Their second one had them each hold a bouquet of flowers, holding them center so they would all meet together. Their third one had them place a hand on their hips and pose at the camera with a bit of sass. In fact, that seemed to be what they were going for for the rest of their pictures: single but with friends, confidence, and attitude.

Miss Twilight and Spike stepped up afterwards. They started off with Miss Twilight holding Spike close to her chest, smiling at the camera together. Their next was of them snuggling together, and then there was one of them making silly faces. As they continued, it became more evident that their pictures were coming out more as if they were contestants in a pet show rather than prom goers; every one of their pictures was of Miss Twilight holding Spike in some cute way, but even so, no one would deny that their pictures may have just been the cutest ones.

After having her pictures taken with Spike, Miss Twilight found that she was not finished with her prom pictures just yet; at the request of just about every single one of her friends, Miss Twilight would of course be having her picture taken with her Equestrian counterpart, Princess Twilight. They started off with the usual hugging, shoulder holding, and hand holding poses but then moved on to more thematically appropriate ones. For their next one, they crossed their arms and looked at each other with expressions on their faces that kind of said "Yeah... You're kind of good looking," The rest of their pictures was of them doing, what else, mirror image poses; whatever pose one Twilight did, the other would mirror. Waving at each other, glaring at one another, smiling at each other, these were some pretty fun pictures.

And last but certainly not least were the pictures of the happy couple, Princess Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer. They started off with the usual, expected poses (hugs, silly faces, etc.), but like everyone before them, they moved on to the more unique ones; kissy faces, facing each other nose to nose, kisses on the cheek, their pictures were definitely a little different than everyone else's. Twilight and Sunset are actually together-together, and they wanted to show it a bit.

After Twilight and Sunset had finished, everyone took some quick pictures with their families, and, with that, the group's photo session ended. It was time to head off for some dinner and let the next group of prom-goers take some pictures. Once everyone reached the parking lot, the parents and friends bid the girls (and Spike) farewell. 

"You kids have fun."

"Take care of my daughter, okay?"

"Don't do anything too crazy."

"Have a great time."

The girls all thanked their loved ones and waved them goodbye as they drove off. Now alone, the girls decided to move on to the next chapter of their schedule.

"All right, ladies," Rarity started. "Our dinner reservations are in approximately twenty minutes. I suggest we start for the restaurant at once lest we miss our time, agreed?" Rarity's friends nodded. "All right then, let's not stand here any longer. Let's head out!"

The girls separated and went to their respective vehicles once again, and as before, Twilight seemed to be having a little trouble getting her gown inside the car.

"Don't tear it...Not too fast now...Easy does it..." Twilight eased her way inside the passenger seat. "Almost there aaaand...done," Twilight wiped some sweat off her forehead. "I don't know how you manage to do this so easily."

Sunset laughed as she effortlessly got in driver's seat. "I've just had plenty of practice. This isn't the first time I've had to squeeze my way into a car wearing one of Rarity's dresses. You'll get used to it over time."

"Eh...I'm not so sure about that. How often am I going to end up doing this?" Twilight joked.

Sunset cocked her head. "Good point," Sunset turned the key in the ignition and started the car. "Ready to go?"

Twilight fastened her seat belt. "I am now. So, a restaurant, huh? What's it like?"

"It's really nice. It has this upper class look to it without being too hoity-toity, and it's pretty affordable," Sunset began to steer Pinkie's car out of the parking lot. "I'm sure you'll like it."

"Me too," Twilight smiled. "I might need your help on deciding what to eat, though. I'm still not entirely familiar with this world's choice of cuisine."

"It has more variety than Restaurant Row. That's for sure," Sunset chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll help. You won't be unintentionally eating meat under my watch."

"Thank you, Sunset," Twilight nodded. "And for the record, Restaurant Row has plenty of variety, nowadays."

"Really?" That caught Sunset by surprise. "That's weird. All the restaurants at Restaurant Row had nothing but these small, awful tasting I-hesitate-to-call-it-food bits back when I lived in Canterlot. What happened?"

"Rarity and Pinkie Pie were sent on a Friendship Mission to Canterlot that ended up changing the entire cuisine in Restaurant Row."

"...Really?" Sunset rolled her eyes. "Do you and the others get a kick out of changing the status quo all over Equestria or something because you guys do that a lot. You know that, right?"

"We just travel to wherever the map directs us so we can solve friendship problems. All we hope to do during our missions is solve the friendship problem and help bring ponies together. Besides," Twilight crossed her arms. "I don't think anypony should be complaining about Restaurant Row having edible food nowadays."

"...True," Sunset conceded. "Sorry. I just wish somepony would've done that when I still lived in Canterlot. You guys get actual food while I was stuck with those disgusting bits. I can't tell you how many times I walked out of those restaurants with an empty stomach and an even emptier wallet."

"Ha. Sorry about that. How about I take you out to eat at the new Restaurant Row the next time you visit?"

"Sounds good to me, but first," Sunset took a right turn. "I'm taking you out to dinner."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone arrived at the restaurant with just a couple a minutes to spare. After hurrying inside (and hiding Spike inside Miss Twilight's purse), they checked in and were almost immediately seated.

Twilight had to admit, the restaurant really did look upper class; the waiter and waitresses were very well dressed, the tables and curtains were all covered in lovely snow-white cloth, and there were quite a few lovely pieces of art displayed across the restaurant's walls, ceiling, and ground. Twilight particularly admired a water fountain near the restaurant's entrance. It was a large wishing fountain with a big, beautiful white horse statue that welcomed all of the restaurant's patrons with its majestic waters and beauty. Twilight really did like the look of the restaurant.

The girls were seated in a large, round table near the center of the restaurant. Once seated, they ordered their drinks and ate some of the complimentary biscuits at the center of the table while they looked over the menu. Soon enough, their drinks arrived and the waiter asked if they were ready to order. Ordering food did not turn out to be as awkward as Twilight had feared it would be; as it turned out, none of her friends felt right about eating meat around her, Sunset, or Fluttershy, so they all ordered vegetarian-friendly entrees. The waiter took their order, and, after waiting for a while, their food arrived, and everyone ate to their hearts' contents.

As they ate, the girls began to recount some of the memories they have had together at Canterlot High. There were plenty. Some of the memories made them laugh, others made them feel proud, and a few of Pinkie's left everyone confused (except for Maud). Every one of the girls had at least one memory they wanted to share and relive with their friends again; the Freshman Fair, forming the Rainbooms, the fundraiser to go to camp Everfree, the list goes on. Of course, their absolute favorite memories of Canterlot High were of the magical adventures they had together.

It all started with that fateful Fall Formal. Back then, these best friends were not really acting like friends, especially Sunset Shimmer (who apologized many times over throughout the entire time the girls were retelling this particular part of their high school history). They hardly ever interacted with each other, and whenever they did, it usually was not very pleasant. Sadly, that was what they thought their relationship would be like for all of high school, and for a long while, it seemed like it really would. But then, something happened.

A new girl and her dog named Twilight Sparkle and Spike, respectively, arrived at Canterlot High, seeking the magical crown of the Princess of the Fall Formal. Although they were very unfamiliar with this strange new world, Twilight and Spike felt a connection with the Canterlot High students, especially toward Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. With Twilight's help, the other girls learned the truth behind their broken friendship, made amends, and became best friends once again. Now reunited, these girls decided to band together and attempt to do the impossible; help Twilight overthrow Canterlot High's ruthless queen bee, Sunset Shimmer, and become the new Princess of the Fall Formal. With their combined effort, they succeeded! Their troubles, however, were far from over.

Despite Twilight's victory, Sunset Shimmer still managed to get her hands on the crown, and by harnessing its magical power, Sunset transformed herself into a hideous, terrifyingly powerful she-demon ready to do away with these meddling girls once and for all. It was very frightening. All hope seemed lost. Twilight and her friends were just ordinary girls. What chance did they have of defeating such a being? Twilight and her friends held on to each other, ready to accept their fate together, but just before Sunset's blast could harm them, a miracle happened.

Somehow, a magical barrier formed around the girls and protected them from the blast. Seeing the aura around them, Twilight realized that the crown's magic was manifesting inside her and her friends. Immediately after learning what was happening, Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash transformed into magical human-pony beings and unleashed a powerful, rainbow blast of magic on Sunset, defeating her once and for all.

That's how it all began.

"Why?" Sunset covered her face in embarrassment. "No matter how many times we tell it, that story never gets any better," She chuckled.

"Hehe. Ah, come on. Don't be a downer. It's a classic!" Rainbow Dash gave Sunset a good bump on the shoulder. "Besides, you know we forgive you."

"Yeah, you did but the other students weren't so quick to. Couldn't we have talked about the Battle of the Bands and the Sirens, instead? I actually like that one. People started liking me around then."

"Oh, that one's my favorite," Twilight joined in.

"Really?" Sunset raised her eyebrow. "That's odd. You were pretty stressed throughout most of that one."

"I know, but I really liked the way we all came together in the end, and that giant alicorn we conjured has to be one of my most favorite spells ever. Aaaand," Twilight snuggled up on Sunset's shoulder. "It was around that time when you and I had started to get to know each other."

"Hehe. Yeah, I guess it was, wasn't it? Remember when I found you writing in Pinkie's kitchen?"

Twilight smiled. "Yes, I do."

"Boulder and I remember that as well," Maud spoke up. "It was late at night. I was in my room sleeping when Boulder had woken me up, telling me that he was hungry. I was walking him to the kitchen where we found the both of you standing there all alone, talking to each other, discussing your inner turmoils and insecurities, leaving yourselves quite open and vulnerable to each other, all while Sunset was licking whipped cream off her thumb in front of Twilight. The romantic tension in the air was palpable. Boulder didn't want to leave, but I told him we had to respect your privacy. I grabbed his food and we left, leaving you both alone to do as you please," Maud took a sip of her drink. 

Twilight and Sunset were left in a slight state of shock after hearing Maud's recap. "Yeeaahh," Sunset slowly nodded. "You've really read into that one, Maud."

"I'll say," Twilight quietly agreed before turning her attention back to Sunset. "It was also around that time that we started talking to each other with our journals."

"I know. I still can't believe the magic in our journals could actually transcend dimensions. Remember the first message I-"

"Okay, we get it," Rainbow interrupted. "You get lost in each other's eyes. You dream of each other every night. You're together. We get it but come on, give us a break from the warm, fuzzy stuff, for once. You're gonna make me toss up this food."

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity scolded. "You leave them alone," She turned her attention to Twilight and Sunset. "Don't listen to her, darlings. I, for one, find your history together to be very romantic."

Twilight lightly waved her hand. "No, no. Rainbow's right. I'm getting too carried away here. I really should stop," Twilight turned to Rainbow. "Sorry, Rainbow Dash."

"It's cool," Rainbow nonchalantly answered as she took another bite.

"All right then," Hmm. Let's see, now. "Uh, Miss Twilight?" Twilight caught her double's attention. "Why don't you tell us all more about how your life's been ever since you transferred to Canterlot High? I'm sure it's been very interesting for you, and I'd really like to hear about it."

"Yeah, me too."

"It must have been pretty interesting."

"What's it been like?"

"Is it scary?"

"Will you tell us?"

"Oh," Miss Twilight looked back as everyone else starting asking her questions. "Um, sure! If everyone really wants know," Miss Twilight tapped her chin. "Hmm. Now, where should I start?"

"How about the beginning?"  Twilight suggested

"Okay. Is that okay with everyone?" Miss Twilight asked and a received a nod from all her friends. "Okay, then. Well, I had been studying the strange phenomenon that had been going on at Canterlot High for some time, but it all really started when I participated in the Friendship Games..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight's day had been pretty interesting so far. Modeling her prom dress was quite the experience, and getting her picture taken over and over again at the park was pretty fun. Dinner was good, and Miss Twilight's Canterlot High stories were pretty interesting. All in all, it had been a pretty fun day for Twilight, but now the day was over; the evening had arrived, and it was time for the main event.

Twilight could see Canterlot High getting closer as Sunset drove toward it. As they were approaching, Twilight noticed the gymnasium illuminating many colorful lights into the starry, dark sky. They looked very inviting and became increasingly more so the closer Twilight and Sunset approached the school. After just a few short minutes, Twilight and Sunset found themselves cruising through Canterlot High's parking lot, looking for a parking space. Thankfully, despite it being prom night, Canterlot High's parking lot was a pretty sizable one, so it did not take them too long to find a spot near the football field.

As soon as she parked and turned off the car, Sunset dashed out the driver's door and ran around to Twilight's side. Once there, Sunset opened the passenger's door and offered Twilight her hand. "Ready to go?"

Twilight took Sunset's hand and smile. "I guess so," Sunset gently pulled Twilight out.

After taking a second to lock up, Sunset heard her cell phone ring. She pulled it out and saw she received a text message. "It's Rarity. She says she and the others are waiting for us by the gym's entrance," Sunset began to pull Twilight. "Come on, let's go!"

"Okay!"

Twilight and Sunset speed walked their way to Canterlot High's gym, eager to start the night. As expected, they found their friends waiting for them by the gym's doorway.

"There they are!" Pinkie pointed out her friends.

"Hey, girls," Sunset waved.

Pinkie crossed her arms and shook her head. "Tsk-tsk. Do you know how long we have been waiting?"

"Uh..." Sunset slowed down. "Sorry?"

"Just kidding!" Pinkie's mood returned to its usual overly enthusiastic mode. "Let's get this party star-ted!" The girls cheered in agreement and eagerly entered the gymnasium. Once they had all stepped foot inside, the girls looked around and marveled at what they saw.

The gym's walls and ceiling were covered with decorative blue and purple balloons and curtains that hung beautiful, baby blue diamond-shaped ornaments. Half of the gym's outer area was filled with black and white covered tables and chairs for all the prom goers to eat and socialize on. One of the remaining fourths of the gym's outer area was reserved for the buffet table, holding many fancy snacks, drinks, and delectable looking desserts. At the last fourth stood the gym's stage where the school's DJ was enthusiastically playing some music. A bright disco ball hovered over the gym's center area, shining over the dance floor where many well dressed teenagers were happily dancing alone, with a partner, or with a group of friends.

"Woooow," Hummed most of the girls.

Rarity looked over friends with light grin. "I take it from your reaction that you like the prom's decor?"

"It's lovely," Fluttershy first answered with the others soon agreeing.

"Oh, thank you all very much," Rarity smiled. "Pinkie and I worked very hard to make this all come together."

"Uh-huh!" Pinkie hopped in. "This had to be the biggest fancy party I've ever done. It sure was challenging. I'm not sure we would've finished on time without my party cannons."

Miss Twilight leaned over to Rainbow Dash. "I still don't understand how that thing works," She whispered.

"Take my advice and just forget about it. Trust me. At this point, we've learned not to question Pinkie," Rainbow replied.

"So," Twilight looked around the gym. Quite a few options. "What should we do first?"

Rarity turned to answer Twilight. "Well, I suggest that we all start off by picking out our masks," She pointed to a nearby table where many colorful masks were laid. "Pinkie and I decided that this year's theme would be masquerade."

"Really?" Applejack rubbed her head. "Huh. Ah didn't think you'd be in to that mask thing, Pinkie."

"WHAAAAT?!" Pinkie's eyes nearly popped out. "What are you talking about?! I LOVE wearing masks! They're so much fun! They can be so bright and pretty or dark and scary or sometimes just plain funny! How could you think I wouldn't like masks?! I've gone to sleep wearing my Halloween mask every Halloween since I was seven!"

Maud nodded. "It's true."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Ah know that, Pinkie, but Ah meant dressing up in formal masks. Ya know, like masquerades?"

"Ooooh, that's what you meant," Pinkie snickered. "I still like masquerade masks, silly. They're so mysterious, but some of these aren't your typical masquerade masks," Pinkie walked over to the table and picked up a bright, very decorated mask. "See? Rarity and I spruced them up."

"Indeed," Rarity walked over to Pinkie. "After I suggested the prom's theme be masquerade, Pinkie came up with the brilliant idea of making our own masks."

"It was a lot fun!" Pinkie smiled.

"And a lot of hard work, but I guess that just comes with being part of the prom committee," Rarity giggled. "Come, pick out your favorite. There's plenty for everyone," With that, the rest of the group went over to the table and excitedly started searching for the perfect mask.

Rarity found her mask right away; it was a golden one with yellow feathers, purple beads, and a gem placed in between the eyes. "I was hoping there would still be some of these left. And here I was afraid being fashionably late would actually come back to bite me this time."

Applejack chose a red mask with yellow tint, green feathers, and a gold beak. Her masked really looked like a bird. Perhaps it was a bit of an odd choice, but Applejack did not mind. She liked it and came here to have some fun with her friends, not impress anybody.

Fluttershy picked out a mask that resembled a giant, pick butterfly with green and silver wings. She loved it. It was just perfect for her, but maybe that should not have been so surprising considering who made these masks. In fact, Fluttershy was pretty sure Rarity and Pinkie Pie had her in mind when making that mask. Fluttershy will be sure to thank them later.

Twilight was not sure on which one she should pick. Each mask had its own style and unique taste that made them all interesting. Maybe this one...no, too small. How about this? It very pretty-no wait, this one! It's perfect! Yes, I think this is-no wait, it smells weird. Twilight continued her search for a while until she came across a yellow mask with white spikes, pink eyelids, and (most notably) a centerpiece of a silver star that closely resembled her cutiemark. Ooooh. Yes! Twilight put it on. This is the one.

Rainbow Dash reached across the table and randomly grabbed a silver spiky mask with purple diamonds. Whatever.

Pinkie Pie made everybody jump back after she suddenly pulled out an angry-looking tiki mask from behind her back.

After regaining her senses after being momentarily startled, Rarity wiped some sweat off her face and looked at Pinkie. "Pinkie Pie, why do you still have that thing? We agreed we weren't doing the Hawaiian theme."

"I know but I thought maybe just maaaaybe I can still wear it because it's still a maaaask?" Pinkie put on her biggest "please" smile.

Rarity sighed. "Very well, darling, but please, just be wary not scare anyone with it."

"Ooooh," Pinkie took off her mask. "Good point. Can't have that happening tonight," Pinkie tossed aside the tiki mask and pulled out a much more appropriate balloon-designed one. "Good thing I always carry a spare."

Sunset decided to go with a very classical-styled mask. It was primarily black in color with silver tints. It was not as detailed or extravagant as her friends', but, as Sunset put it, "You can't beat the classics."

Unlike the others, Miss Twilight opted not to wear a mask. She needed her glasses to see and trying to work a mask around them might not have been the best thing to do. Her date, however, did come across a flame-styled mask he liked. Spike took the little green mask and wore it with a smirk on his face.

Tree Hugger opted not to wear any of the masks, either. Instead, she pulled out a pair of psychedelically designed shades from her purse. The shades may have stuck out from the rest of the crowd a bit, but hey, the others did not see any reason to stop her. Who were they to judge someone's style?

And last but not least, Maud confused a discarded blue neckerchief for a mask and tried it on. "I like it,".........Why not?

"Hmm," Twilight inspected her party group. "I think that's everyone."

"Yeah, I think so," Sunset answered. "I like your mask."

"Ha. Thanks. I like yours, too," Twilight smiled. "So, what do we do now?"

"Well, it looks like we have a couple of options. What would you like to do, first?"

"Hmm..." Twilight directed her attention to the center of the gym and saw all the attendants happily dancing to some formal music. "I think I'd like a dance right now."

"Very well," Sunset bowed and offered her hand. "May I have this dance, my Princess?"

Twilight lightly placed her hand on Sunset's. "Must you be so formal?"

"You know you like it."

Twilight giggled. "Just take me dancing, already."

"As you wish," Sunset bid the others a temporary farewell and began to lead Twilight to the dance floor.

The dance floor was pretty crowded; students from Canterlot High and even a few from Crystal Prep were absolutely packing the dance floor. If one was not careful, they would risk bumping into another student or step on their feet. Thankfully, Twilight and Sunset were able to wiggle their way through the crowd and find a spot near the DJ booth. Once they had some space, Sunset wrapped an arm around Twilight's waist and held Twilight's hand with the other.

"Um," Twilight awkwardly smiled. "Just so you know, I don't really know how to dance in this world."

"Ya don't say?" Your performance at the Fall Formal didn't give it away.

"Sorry."

"It's fine, Twilight," Sunset chuckled. "Just follow my lead, okay?"

Twilight nodded. "Okay."

At about that exact moment, the next song began to play.





You don't really have to play this while reading. It's just to give you an idea of the music that's currently playing.


"All right. First, place your free hand on my shoulder," Twilight did so. "Try to relax your arm. Good. Now, just follow my lead," Sunset took a few slow steps. "Just take it nice and easy. 1-2-3. 1-2-3."

Twilight tried her best to follow these dance steps. At first, she struggled to stay in rhythm and repeatedly stepped on Sunset's toes.

"Sorry!"

"It's okay. Don't worry about it. You're getting there."

The more they practiced, the more Twilight got the hang of it. By the time the next song rolled, Twilight was completely able to stay in rhythm. Now, she could dance with Sunset without crushing her feet. Of course, there was still the problem of accidentally bumping into the other students.

"Sorry!... Pardon me!... I'm so sorry about that... Let me help you help you up... Those weren't expensive, were they?"

Thankfully, that did not last much longer once Sunset started to lead the now rhythmic Twilight away from her peers.

With her newfound rhythm and Sunset becoming her second pair of eyes, Twilight was now able to dance without a single problem. No more fidgeting about having two left feet; just dance. Side to side and step by step, Twilight thought less about moving to right place and just did it, encouraged with a smiling Sunset. The more they danced, the more relaxed Twilight became. Soon enough, Twilight finally felt it; she was enjoying it.

"Heh. This music, right?" Sunset joked. "I wonder who picked it."

"Hmm...Between the two of them, I think this is more Pinkie's style," Twilight spoke with some obvious sarcasm.

"Yeah, she's pretty snooty," Sunset chuckled. She looked down at Twilight feet for a moment before looking back at her face. "You're a pretty fast learner."

"Ha. So I've been told."

Sunset rolled her eyes. Egghead. "So, you having fun, so far?"

"Oh, yes," Twilight smiled. "Thank you for inviting me."

"Well, you're welcome, but I don't think you should be thanking me just yet," Sunset spun Twilight around. "We've just started."

Twilight and Sunset danced on, going through the rest of the song without any more problems. Very soon, when the next song began to play, they were greeted by some familiar faces.

"Mind if we join you?" Fluttershy asked with Tree Hugger, Miss Twilight, and Spike by her side. Twilight and Sunset happily nodded. "Thank you," Everyone began to dance with their partners.

"Vinyl Scratch sure is playing a lot of these songs, isn't she?" Spike said from Miss Twilight's arms.

Twilight paused for a moment. Huh. So that's her name in this world. Makes sense.

"I know, right?" Sunset was the first to reply. "Rarity must've told Vinyl to keep it classy."

"Actually, I bet it's Principal Celestia," Miss Twilight said. "She probably asked Vinyl not to go too wild with the music tonight."

"Hmm," Sunset thought. "You know what? I'm actually thinking it's more because of Octavia, now."

Fluttershy giggled. "They have been spending a lot more time together, haven't they? Maybe some of Octavia's formalities have been rubbing off on her."

Tree Hugger nodded. "One is influenced by those around them, and I'm definitely feeling some foreign, formal vibes coming from that DJ's aura."

Twilight chuckled. "I guess some things are the same no matter what world it is," Everyone directed their attention to Twilight. "They spend a lot of time together in Equestria. They've actually been living together in Ponyville for a while now."

Everyone awed and laughed at Twilight's revelation. Well, nearly everyone.

"Uh..." Tree Hugger confusedly turned back to Fluttershy.  "'What world it is'? 'Equestria'? Like, what is she talking about, Fluttershy?"

"Oh. Um," Fluttershy awkwardly smiled. "I'll explain later."

"Hey," Spike pointed at the stage. "Is that Pinkie?"

The group turned their attention to the DJ booth to indeed find Pinkie Pie was up there. She appeared to be talking to Vinyl and handed her what a appeared to be a disc.

"Ooooh," Sunset smirked. "Anyone want to guess where this is going?"

Pinkie grabbed a microphone and jumped off the stage. "All right everybody, let's get that groove thing shaking!" She pointed the microphone at Maud.

"Yeah," Maud hyped.

"HIT IT!!!"

Vinyl gave Pinkie a thumbs up and began to play the track.





Imagine Pinkie singing it up to about 1:14


Beats started to rumble throughout the gym with Pinkie and Maud tapping their feet to the bass. Students let go of their partners to focus their attention on the two sisters. The gym's party lights started illuminating every color of the rainbow as the music began to pick up. When Pinkie began to sing, it all began.

Pinkie and Maud started bopping their heads to the rhythm and then switched to swooshing from side to side.


CLAP!!!


The students began clapping as Pinkie and Maud simultaneously hopped in the rhythm of the beat back to back, waving their arms for everyone to come join in on the fun.

When the music to a brief pause, Pinkie pointed the microphone at Maud again.


Shake that


Pinkie and Maude busted out the perky-yellow-sponge dance, and the crowd erupted.

"Oh yeah!" Pinkie grinned at her sister. "Nobody can stop the dynamic duo of Pinkie and Maud!"

All of a sudden, the music was cut. Surprised, everyone looked back up to the DJ booth to see what was going on and were greeted to the sight of Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash standing up on stage, each holding a microphone and staring down at the Pie sisters.

Rarity smirked at Pinkie. "I must say, that was quite the show you two put on there, but, unfortunately, we simply can't just let you have all the fun," Applejack and Rainbow nodded.

Pinkie was completely surprised. Nobody had ever dared challenge her ability to party before, but here stood her friends ready to try to take the title from her. Pinkie found this entire situation to be completely bizarre, but, being completely honest with herself, she also found it quite intriguing. These were her friends, after all. If anybody knew just how well Pinkie could party, it was them, and if they were brave enough to dare challenge her, then they must have had something special up their sleeves.

Crossing her arms, Pinkie looked up and gave Rarity her own smirk. "Bring it."

At a table not too far from the dance floor, Principal Celestia eagerly shook her sister's shoulder. "Ooooh, this is getting exciting!"

"Indeed!" Vice Principal Luna nodded.

"Very well," Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow climbed off the stage and walked to the middle of the crowd. "But first, I have question I'd like to ask everyone," Rarity stood at the center with Applejack at her right and Rainbow her left. Rarity briefly looked around at the prom's attendants and chaperones and then raised her hand toward the ceiling. "Are there any other single ladies present here, tonight?"

A decent number of hands went up from the question, including those of Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Principal Celestia, Vice Principal Luna, and others.

"Well," Started a satisfied looking Rarity. "This one is for all of you," Rarity gave Vinyl a wink.

Seeing her signal, Vinyl started the next track, and, almost immediately after the song started, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash began to shake their hips.





They're dancing this up until 1:00


If Pinkie and Maud were warming up the crowd, then these three girls were setting it on fire; the entire gym erupted in applause. Nearly every other boy there asked for one of the girls for a dance, but the girls did not give any of them a second glance and just continued their performance. As they danced along, Rarity waved for any and all single girls to come dance alongside them, eventually getting Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna to dance.

Seeing her friends' performance and the crowd in an absolute frenzy, Pinkie slowly nodded her head. "Touché," She respectively conceded.

However, just as the party was really starting to take off, the music was abruptly cut yet again. When the students turned to see who was up to it this time, they saw Canterlot High's resident showman, Pluto Bars, standing on stage with his posse, ready to have their turn in the spotlight.

"Fellas!" Pluto and his boys jumped off stage and into the crowd. "D-J!"

Vinyl heard her call and answered it by hitting the track and scratching some records.





Up to 1:33



OR



Click this YouTube link and watch up to 1:29 like I originally planned.


Now, these fellas had some moves. The previous show would have been a tough act for anyone to follow, but Pluto and his gang were surely living up to it, and the crowd was eating it up.

When Pluto and his boys took their moment to gloat, they walked up to Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, expressing their content in thinking they out did the girls. The girls, however, did not agree in the slightest; they raised their arms in the air, asking the crowd if they think the girls won, and it sounded like a lot of them thought they did.

After hearing the reception for their rivals, Pluto and the fellas raised up their arms as well, and it looked like a good amount thought they had won.

"The girls clearly won, Luna," Principal Celestia said.

"It was close, sister, but the boys definitely should be declared the victors of this face-off."

"No Luna, the girls."

"The boys, Celestia."

Nearly the entire gym was split into two; one half thinking Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash had won, and the other half thinking Pluto and his posse won. Things were getting slightly heated very quickly. Friends, dates, faculty, everyone was debating. Something had to be done to stop this mess, but just what could possibly make these students calm down?

Suddenly, the gymnasium's lights went out. Darkness filled the entire room. The crowd that had been so loud had become silent, scared and confused as to what was going on. Before the students could figure out what was happening, a spotlight suddenly illuminated from the stage. When the students turned to see who under the spotlight, they saw a small, purple and green puppy wearing a black fedora on his head and a white, sequined glove on his right right forepaw.

"Vinyl," The pup suddenly placed his right forepaw on his fedora and his left on his lower belly. "Hit it."





From 1:36 up to...You know what? Watch as much as you like. This guy was the best.


That was it. The debates were over. The winner was clear as day. Once he finished his performance, Spike took a bow and received a standing ovation from the entire gym. Not only that, but Rarity and Pluto even climbed up on stage to congratulate the little pup. They raised Spike in the air and rallied the crowd to cheer on. While in the air, Spike spotted Miss Twilight cheering and gave her a little wink.

Miss Twilight giggled. "He sure has gained confidence, hasn't he?"

"Oh, certainly," Fluttershy agreed.

"Like, I really digged his dance moves. So full of passion."

"Uh-huh," Fluttershy nodded. "I liked Rarity's, too. And Applejack's, and Rainbow Dash's, and Pinkie Pie's, and probably everyone's."

"Yeah, they were all pretty great," Sunset agreed.

"I'll say..." Twilight seemed a little more impressed than the others. "There are dance ponies in Equestria, but I've never seen anypony dance like any of them."

"I hear ya," Sunset replied. "Yeah, dancing can be a lot more intricate here than in Equestria. If you really want to see how far it can go, you should watch some of the celebrity programs they have around here. But hey," Sunset gave her a date a small elbow. "I'm sure you could pull off those moves, no problem."

Twilight chuckled. "Yeah, right. I wish I could dance like the people in this world."

"Oh, come on, I'm sure-" Dance like the people in this world. An idea popped in Sunset's head. "Wait," Sunset began to grin. "I know a dance you could actually do."

"Heh. I'm sure you do," Twilight shrugged it off. "...Really?"

"Totally," Sunset got a little excited. "It's a really popular party dance that's been around for years. It's a lot of fun, and anyone can do it," Sunset tried to hold back her snickers. "Think you're up for it?"

"Um...Sure!" Twilight grew a little eager. "How do I do it? What's the dance?"

"Oh, you'll see," Sunset began to walk away. "But first I gotta get Vinyl to play it. Just wait here for a bit. I'll be right back."

"Okay!" Twilight watched as Sunset walked away towards the DJ booth. While Sunset was gone, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Maud, and Spike all came to back to rejoin the rest of their friends.

"Hello, everyone," Rarity greeted while wiping some sweat off her forehead. 

"Hey," Twilight waved. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Oh, I am just fine. Thank you, darling. I'm just feeling a little fatigued from our performance is all," Rarity took a sip of some punch she brought. "I'll feel better in a moment."

After Rarity assured her well-being, Spike hopped out of Rainbow's arms and scampered up to Miss Twilight. "What did ya think?! What did ya think?! Did I do good?!" He wagged his tail.

Miss Twilight picked up her little pup. "You did fantastic," They gave each other a little snuggle. "I've been wondering why you were playing all those Microphone Jackson songs lately."

"Hehe. Sorry about that."

"It's fine," Miss Twilight petted his head. "I love Filly Jean."

"I really liked your performance," Fluttershy walked up to the trio of ladies.

"Why, thank you, darling."

"Thank ya, kindly."

"Thanks."

"You're very welcome," Fluttershy grew a little giddy. "It was incredible! I had no idea it was coming! I'm sure you all must have worked really hard on it."

"Tsh. Ooooooh yeah. You don't know the half of it," Rainbow rubbed her head. "You wouldn't believe how hard it was learning that thing, let alone performing it," Rainbow looked toward Applejack and gave her a little shoulder bump. "Am I right?"

"Haha. Eeyup. Yeesh," Applejack rubbed her upper leg. "Ah gotta say Rarity, Ah've been doin' a lot of hard work on the farm for nearly all my life, but Ah don't think anythin' has ever worn me out more than that dance of yours."

"Oh, surely you jest."

"We're not kidding, Rarity," Rainbow chuckled. "I really thought I was gonna break my hip out there."

"Come now. You two are blowing out of proportion. Our routine was nothing more than a few, simple choreographed-" Rarity suddenly felt a pinch in her hip. "Oh my...Well okay, perhaps it was a bit aching," Rarity embarrassingly rubbed her hip. "But you can't deny how much fun we had with it."

Rainbow and Applejack looked at each other and thought for a moment. They remembered practicing the dance all week, how enjoyable it was finally getting all the moves right, and the how crowd cheered them on when they finally performed it. With a nod, they looked back at Rarity and simultaneously answered "Yeah."

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie hopped in. "You guys were amazing! You three were all boom, bang, bam! Maud and I are really gonna have to step our game next time!"

"Indeed," Maud nodded. "We'll get you next time."

The girls chatted on for a while, complimenting everyone's dancing and talking about how well their senior prom has started. It has been pretty fun and eventful so far. They wondered what would happen next.

As she was taking a sip of her fruit punch, Rarity took notice that one of her friends has been missing.

"Um, excuse me, Twilight."

"Yes?" Both Twilights answered.

"Oh. Um, sorry. Princess Twilight," Miss Twilight respectfully pulled back. "Where is Sunset Shimmer? I thought she was with you."

Everyone else took notice that Sunset was not among them and turned to Twilight wondering why.

"She's just requesting a song for us to dance to. She should be back soon," Twilight looked toward the DJ booth. "Look, here she comes now."

They all turned around to Sunset walking back towards them.

"Hey, guys," Sunset greeted. "Sorry I took so long. There was a bit of a line, and the guy in front me was really taking his sweet time," Sunset then walked up to Twilight. "It might be a while, but Vinyl said she'll play the song later. I just know you're going to love it," She looked at the rest of her friends and began to snicker. "I just know you're all going to love it."

Rarity raised her eyebrow. "Okay, what's the song? Spill it."

"Not saying. You'll just have to wait and see," Sunset grinned, somewhat mischievously.

Rainbow squinted her eyes. "You're up to something. Tell me."

"Sorry, Rainbow Dash," Sunset crossed her arms. "No spoilers."

The music began to turn up again, this time sounding much more upbeat than earlier.





Again, you don't really have to listen to this. Just context.


"Oh, I love this song!" Pinkie Pie grabbed her sister's wrist. "Come on Maud, let's boogie!"

"Okay," Maud replied.

As she was leading Maud to the dance floor, Pinkie looked back at her friends. "You guys coming?"

"Nah," Rainbow answered. "I'm gonna hit the food table. I'll catch up with you later."

"Like, I'll totally go. I'm really digging the music," Tree Hugger followed Pinkie. "You going, Fluttershy?"

"No, thank you. I think I'll go find a place to sit down for a while. Maybe I'll go later."

"Oh, let me help you find a table, Fluttershy," Rarity rubbed her hip again. "I could use some rest as well."

"Same here," Applejack hollered.

Spike looked up at Miss Twilight. "I'd like to go dance some more. You?"

"Sure," Miss Twilight happily began to carry Spike to the dance floor. "Sunset? Princess Twilight?"

Twilight looked at Sunset. Sunset thought for a moment and then lightly shook her head. Twilight nodded and looked back to her double.

"I guess not, Miss Twilight."

"Okay," Miss Twilight nodded and began to carry Spike away. "See you later."

"Bye," After watching Miss Twilight leave, Twilight looked over to Sunset again. "Don't feel like dancing?"

Sunset shook her head. "Not yet. I want us to save our dance energy for later. Besides," Sunset played with her hair a little bit. "There's something else I want to do right now, if that's okay."

"Sure. What is it?"

"Um...That," Sunset smiled and pointed her hand to a photo booth standing on the other side of the gym. "I know we've gotten our picture taken a lot when we were at the lake, and it's totally fine if you think you've had enough, buuuut," Sunset played with her hair a little more. "I would really like to have our official prom picture taken."

"Our official picture?" Twilight gave her date an amused look. "I think I'd like that."

"Great!" Sunset grabbed Twilight's hand and practically dragged her towards the photo booth. "Let's get in line before it gets any longer."

"Gah! All right!" Twilight tried her best to keep up.

Twilight and Sunset shuffled their way through the crowded gym and quickly stepped in line. It was not exactly a short line; there were plenty of people ahead of them, but at the rate Photo Finish was taking the pictures, Twilight and Sunset were sure they would get their turn in good time.

"Yes! Yes! Show Photo Finish something special! Show me the magics!" Photo Finish encouraged some students as she took many pictures, moving an excessively unnecessary amount while doing so. "You are an athlete! You are her star! And you! You are his cheerleader! You are his inspiration! Yes! Enough!" Photo Finish snapped her fingers. "You go! Next!" The next couple in line stepped up. "Yes! Yes! You are a strong farmhand! Your actions speak louder than words! You interest her with your gentle strength! And you! You are his wonderful educator! You encourage him and everyone to pursue excellence! You are inspiration to him and everyone you know!"

Friend after friend, couple after couple, picture after picture, Twilight and Sunset steadily eased their way up the line.

"Yes!" Photo Finish snapped her fingers. "Enough! You go! Next!"

Photo Finish was going through the students more quickly than Twilight and Sunset had originally thought. None of the sessions have to have lasted more than a minute. The line kept moving and before long, there was only one couple ahead of Twilight and Sunset.

"Yes! You are her lyre! Your existence plays a beautiful song to her soul! And you! You are her delicious treat! You fill her heart with such a sweet joy! Yes!" Photo Finished snapped a few more pictures. "Enough! You go! Next!"

Lyra and Bon Bon cheerfully walked away, happy to have gotten their prom picture together. Now that that happy couple was gone, it was time for another to finally take their turn.

Twilight and Sunset walked to center of the photo booth and stood at the directed location. Once under the spotlight, they placed one arm on their hip, wrapped their arms around each other's sides, looked at the camera, and smiled.

"Yes! Show Photo Finish something special!" Photo Finish looked at Sunset as she began to take some pictures. "You are her intellectual companion! You relate to her like no other does! You make her feel a warm spark inside!" Photo Finish shifted her attention to Twilight. "And you! You are her light! You guide her through the darkness! You make her strive to move forward! You make her life much more bright!" Photo's words made both Twilight and Sunset smile just a little more. "Enough! You go!" Photo Finish snapped her fingers and shooed the couple off.

Photo Finish's word echoed through their minds as they walked away from the photo booth, heading in no particular direction.

"Well, that was interesting," Twilight chuckled.

"Ha. No kidding," Sunset rubbed her head. "Funny stuff there, right?"

"Definitely," Very funny. "So, uh...what do you want to do, now?"

"I don't know. You?" Sunset began to casually look around the gym.

"Hmm," Twilight thought. "Well, we've done a lot since we got here. Actually, we've been doing a lot all day. I guess, right now, I'd just like to sit down and rest for a whi-"

"We're dancing," Sunset interrupted.

"Huh?"

Sunset turned to face Twilight, looking quite giddy. "I was looking up at the DJ booth, and Vinyl gave me a thumbs up. Do you know what that means?"

"Um...Not really," Twilight looked at her fingers. "I had no idea there was a language revolved around these things."

"What? No, Twilight-"

"Although," Twilight tapped her chin. "I probably should've guessed that since the inhabitants of this world do it so often. Actually, now that I think about, I've seen them speak it nearly everywhere I've been around here. The long, middle one seems to be very popular. What does that one mean?"

"Err, uh..." Wow... "D-Don't do that one. Look, I'll explain everything about our hands later, but can we get back on topic, please?"

"Oh!" Twilight quickly placed her hand behind her back. "Sorry. Please, continue."

Thank goodness. "Thank you. Look, Vinyl giving me a thumbs up means she going to play the song I requested next!"

Twilight gasped. "Really?!"

"Yeah! She'll play it right after this song ends, " Sunset lightly nudged Twilight toward the dance floor. "Now, you go tell Pinkie and anyone else who's still out there what's going on, and wait for me. I'm gonna go find the rest of our friends."

"Okay!" Twilight nodded and quickly walked away toward the center of the dance floor.

Once Twilight was gone, Sunset began to search for her other friends around the while trying her absolute best to hold back her giggles.

Twilight maneuvered her way around the dance floor, looking for her friends. Thankfully, the search did not take very long; even in the dark environment of a very crowded gym full of party goers, Pinkie Pie's hair was still too easy to spot.

"Oh yeah! Go Maud! You got it! Uh-huh!"

"Hey, Pinkie Pie," Twilight called out.

Pinkie stopped grooving with her sister. "Hey, Twilight! Ya here to get down?"

"Ha. I guess so. Sunset said the song she requested is coming up next, so we're getting everyone ready to dance."

"Ooooh! Really?! That sounds like fun!" Pinkie turned her head around. "Did you all get that?" Maud, Tree Hugger, Spike, and Miss Twilight all nodded. "Awesome!"

"Hey, look," Miss Twilight pointed past the crowd. "Here come the others now."

Indeed, Sunset and the rest of their friends were crossing the gym towards them.

"Hey," Sunset greeted. "Everyone ready?"

"Yeah, about that..." Rainbow slid next Sunset, looking a little suspicious. "You never did tell us what song you requested."

"And it's gonna stay that away until it starts, Rainbow."

"Hmm," Rarity squinted her eyes at Sunset. "I must agree with Rainbow Dash, darling. You seem quite keen to have us all dance to this song of yours, yet you refuse to tell us one thing about it. Just what is it, Sunset?"

Sunset giggled. "You're going to find out soon enough. It's gonna be fun. I promise. Just trust me, okay?"

Rarity looked at Sunset for a moment. "All right, darling," Rarity nodded.

"Thanks," Sunset then walked up to her girlfriend. "You ready?"

"Eeyup!" Twilight beamed. "I can't wait."

"Perfect," Sunset directed her attention to the DJ booth, waiting for Vinyl to play the next song. Very soon, Vinyl began to move a few things on her system, look up at Sunset, and gave her a thumbs up. Sunset smirked. Here we go.

The song began to play.





Miss Twilight and Spike perked up. "The Macarena!"

"Yay," Maud cheered.

Rainbow Dash jumped back the nanosecond the song started playing. "Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope, nope, nope!" She began to storm away but was pulled back by Pinkie.

"Hoooold on there, Dashie," Pinkie grabbed Rainbow and placed her back beside her again. "The song's not finished, yet."

"It is for me," Rainbow tried to leave again but was immediately pulled back in line.

"Come oooon," Pinkie started dancing. "It's fun!"

"No way, Pinkie. Forget it. It's lame."

"Oh, it's not so bad, Rainbow," Fluttershy began to dance alongside Pinkie. "See?"

"Fluttershy..." Rainbow shook her head. "You look-"

"Like, don't be a bummer, Rainbow Dash," Tree Hugger stepped in line with her friends. "Give it a try. It's, like, fun."

"Ugh," Rainbow groaned. "Rarity, could you please back me up here?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, darling," Rainbow turned to see Rarity happily shaking her hips to the song. "I've loved this dance ever since I was a little girl, and I'm not about to turn my back on it now."

"What?!" Rainbow couldn't believe it. Desperate, she turned to her last hope. "Applejack?" Unfortunately for Rainbow Dash, she found the farm girl dancing to the Macarena as well.

"Sorry, Rainbow," Applejack chuckled. "It might be silly, but that's kinda what makes it fun. Come on," Applejack gestured. "Join us."

Rainbow Dash looked at all her friends, smiling, laughing, dancing to this shame of a nineties song. I'm surrounded. Rainbow took a deep breath, let it out, and glared at her friends. "No one better record this," She pouted her way into line and started to dance alongside her friends.

"Yaaaay!" Everyone playfully cheered.

"What-ever," Rainbow Dash shook her hips.

With Rainbow finally joining in, nearly the entire group of friends was now dancing the Macarena. Nearly. There was still one member who was having just a little trouble getting the choreography right.

"Okay, is it extend arms, place hands on hips, shake, and then turn?" Twilight asked.

"Almost. It's extend arms, flip arms, place hands on hips, shake, and then turn," Sunset answered as she danced.

"Gotcha," Twilight nodded. "Extend arms, flip arms, place hands on hips, and then turn."

"You forgot the shake," Sunset pointed out.

"Ugh!" Twilight facepalmed herself.

Sunset giggled. "Relax. Come on, let's try it, again."

Twilight sighed. "All right."

Sunset had been to enough parties to know exactly how this routine went. She raised one arm up in the air, then the other, and followed up by flipping over one arm at time. Sunset had no problems doing this dance.

Twilight followed Sunset's lead and started out well; she raised one arm up at a time and flipped them perfectly to the rhythm of the beat.

"See? You're getting it!" Sunset encouraged. "Keep it up!"

Twilight continued dancing by placing one hand on her hip at a time and was about to turn until-

"Don't forget the shake," Sunset smiled as she shook her hips.

"Oh, right!" Twilight quickly shook her hips and then turned.

"You did it!"

"Whoo! Go, Twilight!" Pinkie cheered.

"I did?" Raise, flip, hip, shake, turn... "I did!"

Applejack whistled. "Would you look at that? You did it, again!"

"Huh?" Twilight looked down and saw hips shaking again. "Wait, I'm still going?"

"Eeyup," Applejack tipped her hat. "Looks like ya'll got this little number down, Twi."

Sunset nodded. "Looks like it."

A big smile formed on Twilight's face. "I'm actually doing it!"

"Yeah, you are!" Sunset cheered. "How's it feel?"

"It feels...It feels..." Twilight began to blush. "It feels kind of silly, actually," She laughed. "But I like it. It's fun."

"Glad you think so, too," Sunset chuckled. "Think you can keep it up for the rest of the song?"

Twilight smirked. "Without a doubt."

"Good. Cause this song isn't over, yet. I asked Vinyl to keep this song going."

Rainbow Dash turned her head. "Really?!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time went on and, eventually, Vinyl stopped playing the Macarena. When Sunset said she asked Vinyl to play it for a long time, she meant it. By the time the song finally ended, some of the dancers were actually starting to sweat.

Finally, Vinyl decided to stop the Macarena loop and started playing some more casual, schmoozing music to let everyone rest for a while before turning things up again.

Rainbow Dash was the first to storm off the dance floor. She claimed that her hips were hurting from shaking them so much and was going to rest back at the table (In reality, Rainbow just wanted to get off the dance floor before someone could record her doing that silly dance, completely unaware that Pinkie had already uploaded a video on her profile). Regardless of reasoning, most of Rainbow's friends decided to follow her to the table\. With all the dancing they have been doing, most of them figured they could use some rest, as well.

Twilight, however, did not go with them. Dancing to that cheesy song for the past Celestia knows how long had actually left Twilight feeling pretty worn out and thirsty, so she decided she would go stop by the beverage table first and would meet up with her friends soon after. Twilight's friends understood and wished Twilight a brief farewell as she left to go get a drink.

Twilight walked across the gym toward the food tables. She arrived shortly and grabbed a cup of iced water near a decorative fountain. Here we go. She brought up the cup and took a sip. Mmm. I've needed this. Satisfied, Twilight began to turn around to leave but accidentally bumped into someone the second she started to walk away.

"Ooph!" Twilight felt her mask twist as she felt her feet begin to slip all over the floor. "Whoa!" Thankfully, a hand grabbed her wrist and stopped her from hitting the ground. "Whoa..." Twilight let out a breath as the stranger helped her get back up on her two feet. "Thank you," Twilight began to readjust her crooked mask.

"No problem. We've got to stop bumping into each other like this."

Twilight's nerves suddenly sprang. That voice! Is that-?! Twilight quickly adjusted her mask to see exactly who was it she just bumped into. "Flash!"

"Yup," Flash Sentry smiled and gave her a little wave. "Hey, Twilight."

"Uh...Hey! Flash!" Twilight pretended to sweep some dust off her dress. "...How are you?"

"I'm good," He shrugged his shoulders. "You?"

"Um, I'm...good. Thank you," Twilight twirled a finger in her hair. "It's, uh, good to see you again, Flash."

"You, too. It's been a while."

"I know. Sorry about that. I've just been...you know, busy."

"I figured," Flash nodded. "You look nice. I like your dress."

"Thank you. Rarity made it for me," Twilight admired Flash's black tuxedo. "You look good, too."

"Thanks. It's new."

"That's...nice. It looks good on you," Twilight sheepishly smiled. You have to tell him now, Twilight. You can't just keep leading him on like this. Twilight took a deep breath, let it out, and look directly at Flash Sentry. "Flash," She calmly said. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Sure. What is it?"

"Look...Flash...I'm sorry. Really, I am. I'm really, really sorry. You're a real nice guy and all, but you and I...we can't be...things are different now."

Flash slowly nodded. "You mean you and Sunset?"

"You see, Flash, I've recently become romantically involved with some-What?!"

"I know, Twilight. I know you and Sunset have been a...thing for a while, now."

Twilight brought hand up to her mouth. "...You do? But...But how?"

Flash playfully shrugged. "Sunset told me a while back."

"Oh...That...makes sense," Why doesn't she tell me these things? "Well...it's true. Flash, I am so sor-"

"Don't be," Flash interrupted. "It's cool. I'm not mad."

Twilight's eyes widened. "You're...not?"

"I'm not," Flash shook his head. "I get it. You and Sunset really...connect. You two always have. I've noticed. It only makes sense you two would've wound up together," Flash placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder and smiled. "You have nothing to apologize for, Twilight. You decide who you want to be with. Sunset's a great girl. If she makes you happy, then I'm happy. I have absolutely no problems with you being with her."

"...Really?" Twilight placed her hand on top of Flash's. "Flash...Thank you."

"You're welcome," Flash took back his hand. "Just thought I'd let you know."

Twilight nodded. "Thank you, Flash," She warmly smiled. "I really needed to hear that."

Twilight's smile began to make Flash blush. "Uh, we-we've been here for a while. Don't you think Sunset might be wondering where you are?"

"Oh!" Twilight covered her mouth. "You're right."

"Yup and you don't want to worry her, right?" Flash lightly pushed Twilight away from him. "Better go find her. You shouldn't keep a lady like her waiting."

"But, my water-" Flash quickly grabbed another cup near the fountain and handed it to Twilight in a nanosecond. "Oh. Uh, thank you."

"You're welcome," Flash gave Twilight one final, little push. "Bye!"

"Bye, Flash," Twilight happily waved goodbye as she disappeared into the dance floor.

Flash waved until he could no longer see Twilight. "Yikes," He wiped some sweat off his forehead. "That was close," Flash stood around for awhile, reflecting on everything that just happened. It was the right thing to do, Flash. It was the right thing to do. As he was getting lost in his thoughts, he felt a soft hand touch his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw the familiar cross-eyed girl patting him. "Yeah, yeah. I did it," The girl smiled and offered her hand. "Sure," Flash's mood brightened up. "Let's dance."

Twilight found her friends sitting at a table on the other side of the gym. She approached them, waved hello, and took a seat next to Sunset.

"You were gone for quite a bit," Sunset smirked. "Just how thirsty were you?"

"Oh," Twilight teasingly shook her head. "It wasn't my thirst that kept me away, Sunset" Twilight took a sip of her water. "I was talking to someone."

"Ah, really?" Sunset shrugged off. "Who was it?"

Twilight raised her eyebrow. "It was Flash Sentry."

Sunset's smirk disappeared. Oh. Oh, this won't end well.

"And good news, Sunset," Now Twilight was grinning. "Flash has given us his blessing to date each other. Funny thing, though; I actually didn't tell him we were together; he already knew. Turns out, someone else told him quite some time ago. Weird, right?" Twilight leaned in. "Care to explain, Sunset?"

"Ummmm. Well, you seeeee" Sunset nervously backed up. "After we all got back from Camp Everfree, he kind of started liking me again, and he asked me if I'd like to start dating again, but I didn't want to just say 'no' and completely break his heart, so I kinda explained to him that we're together and...yeah," Sunset tapped her fingers together. "You, uh...understand, right?"

"Oh, Sunset," Twilight took another sip. "I completely understand why you told him," Sunset breathed out in relief. "Now, why you didn't tell me you told him..."

Horse apples. "Well, I-I thought about it, but then I figured you might've wanted to tell him yourself whenever you two met up again, and I shouldn't rob you of that, and..." Twilight kept staring. I wonder if I can outrun her to Pinkie's car right now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After that talk with Flash, Twilight and her friends continued with their prom. They spent most of their time talking to each other, taking some more prom pictures, visiting the food tables, occasionally explaining to some confused students why there were two Twilights in the building, and going dancing every now and then. Later in the night, Spike and Miss Twilight were crowned the prom king and queen of Canterlot High (there was some confusion as to exactly which Twilight actually won, but seeing as how Spike was declared the king, Twilight allowed her counterpart to take the crown). All in all, it had been a fun, memorable experience. In fact, it had been so much fun that no one noticed how late it was.

Time had flown faster than anyone had realized. The gym was still mostly packed, but anyone could see that a good number of the prom goers had already left. Still, the gym had prom goers, and the ones remaining were making the most of it.

Twilight was having a conversation with one of the Canterlot High's students. "-And that's why there's two of us here, tonight," She finished explaining. "Do you understand, now?"

"Uh," Bulk Biceps rubbed his head. "Not really, but you're puppy sure can dance! Congrats on you two winning the crowns! Just so you know, I voted for both of you!" He began to walk away. "Later!"

"No, Bulk, that Spike isn't my puppy, and I didn't win the crown; it was the other-" He was gone. "Ugh," She slapped her forehead.

"So," Sunset walked up, taking a sip of her drink. "How did this one go?"

"About as well the others," Twilight shook her head. "Is it really that complicated to understand?"

"Eh," Sunset shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I wouldn't understand either if I didn't know full story," She took another sip.

"Hmm. Maybe you're right," Twilight stretched out her arms and let out a big yawn.

"You okay? You sound a little tired."

"I'm fine. I'm not-" Twilight yawned again. "That tired. Huh. What time is it, anyway?"

Sunset looked up at one of the gym's clocks. "It's a little after eleven. What time did you say you have to go back to Equestria?"

"I'm not a filly, Sunset. I don't have a curfew," Twilight joked. "I just need to be back before daylight is out. What time does the prom end, again?"

"Midnight," Sunset smiled. "But if you really are tired, Twilight, I can take you back now."

"I'm fine, Sunset. Really."

"Twilight, it's okay if you need to go back now. Tonight has already been perfect. You don't need to-"

"I don't want to go," Twilight wrapped an arm around Sunset's and stopped her from peeping another word. "We only have about an hour left together. Please, don't make me leave now."

Sunset stood momentarily frozen. This girl... Sunset slowly shook her head. "All right, all right. You can stay," She petted Twilight's head. "You really don't want to leave my side, do you?"

"Eenope," Twilight snuggled.

Sunset looked down at the girl nuzzling her arm. She looked so warm and hopeful.

You always do this me, Twilight. Sunset warmly smiled. "Hey, Twilight?"

"Hmm?" Twilight lifted her head.

"You want to dance?"

Twilight happily nodded. "I'd love to."

"Great. I know the perfect song," Sunset began to pull herself free. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

Twilight watched as Sunset departed from their table and headed off toward the DJ booth, again. There was no line leading up to Vinyl this time, so Sunset was able to make her request the moment she got there. Twilight watched them talk for about a minute until Vinyl gave Sunset a thumbs up and saw Sunset began making her way back to her.

"How'd it go?" Twilight asked.

"Perfect. She's gonna play it next," Sunset grabbed Twilight's hand and began to lead her to the dance floor. "Come on."

"All right. Wait, what about our friends?"

"Uhh..." Sunset blushed. "This one is just for us."

"Oh," Twilight's face lit up. "Okay," She smiled.

Twilight and Sunset made their way through the dance floor once again. There were still plenty of attendees mingling around, but dance floor was less crowded than it was earlier. Twilight and Sunset found an empty spot near the center of the room and waited. 

"It should be coming on real soon," Just as Sunset had said that, the upbeat music began to fade. "Huh. Speak of Tartarus."

The many colorful lights that had been filling the gym suddenly stopped spinning. "All right, all you beautiful people," A voice from the speakers spoke. "This next one is for couples, only," The lights dimmed down, and the track began to play.





As much as you want.


Twilight wrapped her arms around Sunset's neck as Sunset wrapped hers around Twilight's waist and slowly led. Neither of them said anything as they looked into each other's eyes and gently rocked side to side to the melody of the song. Back and forth, step by step, they stayed in perfect harmony together. 

"I like the song," Twilight softly said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Twilight closed her eyes and rested her head on Sunset's chest. "It's nice."

Sunset leaned over Twilight a bit. "Glad you think so, too," She held Twilight a little tighter, and they continued their dance, slowly, gently rocking each other to the music in their warm embrace.

As they were getting lost in the moment, Twilight and Sunset felt something bright hit their eyes. Letting go of each other by only the smallest of margins, they both looked up and saw something very peculiar; the gym lights had suddenly been covered with what appeared to be diamond chandeliers, and they were causing the dance floor to shine a bit brighter.

Twilight stared up at the ceiling. "Where did those-?" Before Twilight could even finish asking, another strange phenomenon happened; drops of pink light the size of marbles were slowly floating all around her and Sunset. "What the...?" Twilight looked around and saw all the lights that were surrounding her. "Wow," They were so pretty. Feeling her curiosity building up, Twilight reached out and grabbed a few of the falling lights. They felt warm and virtually weightless in her hand. She brought them closer to her face, opened her hand, and saw that the pink lights appeared come in a few different shapes; sphere, star, and diamond shapes were lying across her palm. "Wow," Twilight smiled at the little lights before looking up at Sunset with a bit of a smirk. "Did you plan this?"

"Ha. Wish I did but no. I actually had no idea this was gonna happen, buuuut," Sunset held out her closed hand in front of Twilight. "I'm willing to play along," Sunset opened her hand and revealed a small, heart-shaped pink light resting in her palm. She gently blew it to Twilight with a kiss and pulled her back into her arms.

Meanwhile, on the other side of gym, Rarity and Pinkie Pie had just finished tucking away their pendants and gave each other a fist bump.

"Best pair of party planners, five-ever."

Back at the dance floor, Twilight and Sunset were beginning to dance, again. As before, Twilight laid her head gently on top of Sunset's chest and allowed herself to be steadily rocked back and forth to the music in Sunset's arms all while the blue chandeliers and the pink lights shined all around them. It felt like a dream.

Feeling her date nestling on her chest, Sunset looked down and saw just how peaceful Twilight looked. She's so adorable. Sunset placed one of her hands on top of Twilight's head and gently began to pet her. Twilight responded by snuggling her head.

Sunset leaned her head in just above Twilight's ear. "I'm really glad you came, Twilight," She whispered. "It's been...amazing. Thank you," Sunset planted a soft, little kiss on top of Twilight's head.

Twilight took her head off of Sunset's chest and looked back at her. "I'm really glad I came, too," Twilight softly spoke. "I've had a real good time. Thank you for inviting me."

Sunset and Twilight gazed into each other's eyes as they continued to dance. Even with all the bright, new lights surrounding, nothing seemed to sparkle brighter to them than the shimmering eyes they saw. 

Without warning, Sunset slowly began to lean in closer to Twilight's face. Twilight saw this and began to lean in closer as well. Inch by inch, they gradually grew closer to each other until their lips were only but an inch apart. They closed their eyes, puckered their lips, and then...

The song ended.

Twilight and Sunset stopped just short of a centimeter when bright rainbow lights and some heavy bass began to fill the room.

"All right everybody, let's switch gears. It's time to rock your body! Let's turn it up!"

Twilight and Sunset shared a laugh as they pulled back and let go of each other.

"Well," Twilight took a step back. "That was something."

"Yeah," Sunset nodded. "It almost was."

"I know. Too bad."

They shared another laugh as the dance floor began to fill up again. Sunset could feel herself being surround by all the other party goers, but she did not pay them any attention; all she could focus on was the adorable purple girl laughing in front of her. Sunset stared at her for a moment, thinking of what to do next. It didn't take long to decide; Sunset knew what she felt. It was only a matter of saying it.

"Hey, Twilight," Sunset finally spoke.

"Hmm?" Twilight stopped laughing and looked back at Sunset.

Sunset took a deep breath. "You...You want to go somewhere, else? Just you and me?"

Twilight smiled. "Yes," She nodded. "I think I'd like that."

~End Chapter~
> Under the Night's Light
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight shivered as she felt the cool night's breeze brush over her skin as she and Sunset silently walked out of the gymnasium. Neither of them spoke as they began to cross Canterlot High's parking lot.

They had just finished telling their friends that they were leaving the party and promised that they would meet up with them at a later time before Twilight would have to leave. Their friends merely replied with a few giggles, winks, an embarrassed look from Fluttershy, and wished them both a pleasant night.

Twilight and Sunset continued to walk through the dark, quiet parking lot until they finally reached Pinkie's car. With a click of a button, Sunset unlocked its doors and they entered.

"You okay, Twilight?" Sunset finally broke the silence. "You've been pretty quiet."

"You're one to talk," Twilight shyly smiled. "I'm fine, Sunset."

"You sure? You look like you got something on your mind."

"Just..." Twilight cheeks lightly blushed. "Things."

Sunset smirked. "I see," Sunset buckled up and turned the key in the ignition. "Oh!" Sunset reach up and removed her mask. "Don't want to drive with that on."

"Ha. No, that doesn't sound very safe," Twilight nodded. "So, where are we going?"

"Huh...Good question," Sunset looked up at the moon and thought for a moment. "I know," Sunset shifted the gears. "Ready?"

Twilight nodded. "Yes."

"All right," Sunset began to back up. "Let's go."

Sunset slowly steered the car around the parking and onto the main road. She drove down the street and took a turn after about of a quarter mile down later. Soon enough, the apple trees of Sweet Apple Acres began to appear with the farm itself popping soon after. Sunset drove Pinkie's car halfway down the Apple Family's driveway and then steered off road into the orchards. She slowly drove deeper into the fields and stopped in a secluded space surrounded by apple trees, completely hidden from everything but the stars and moon.

"Here we are," Sunset parked.

Twilight giggled. "We never seem to not come here together, do we?"

"Hehe. Yeah, sorry. It was the only place I could think of."

"It's fine," Twilight answered. "It's just fine," Twilight looked around and saw nothing but the moon, stars, and apple trees. We really are alone. This...This is really happening. Twilight gulped and slowly turned her attention to Sunset. "Soooo?"

Sunset seemed as calm and relaxed as ever. "So?" She leaned in.

"Um..." Twilight took a deep breath to try to calm her nerves. Relax. Relax. Relax. She slowly exhaled and let her anxieties go. "Thank you for inviting here tonight, Sunset. I've had a real good time," She calmly spoke.

"It was nothing," Sunset answered. "Thank you for coming. I was really worried you wouldn't have time."

Twilight reached out and held Sunset's hand. "I always have time for you, Sunset."

Sunset looked into Twilight's sparkling eyes. "...You're always so good to me, Twilight," Sunset shook her head.

Twilight frowned. "What's wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. It's just..." Sunset chuckled. "It's hard to believe we've gotten this far."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean, think about it. When we first met, I was anything but nice to you. I stole your crown, humiliated you to all the Canterlot High students, and even tried to destroy you and our friends, and now-"

"And now, none of that matters," Twilight placed a finger on Sunset's lips. "That's not you anymore, Sunset. You've changed," Twilight moved her hand to Sunset's face and caressed her cheek. "You've changed."

Sunset moved Twilight's hand back to her lips and kissed it. "Thank you," She whispered. Sunset then reached over and lightly tugged on Twilight's mask.

Twilight closed her eyes as Sunset gently removed the mask over her head. Once she felt it was off, Twilight slowly opened her sparkling, purple eyes and looked back at Sunset's.

Twilight and Sunset locked their eyes on each other, silently admiring each other's beauty.

Twilight pulling Sunset out of the crater. Twilight and Sunset talking to each other that late night in Pinkie's kitchen. Defeating the sirens together. Writing their first messages to each other. Sunset taking Twilight on that holiday around the town. Twilight taking Sunset on that tour of Ponyville. Sunset asking Twilight to the prom. Twilight saying yes. Sharing their first dance together. Having their last dance of the night. Their first kiss. Their second kiss. Everything was flashing back to them. As they were gazing at each other, all those precious, wonderful moments they've had together throughout the moons were flashing back to them. Sunset really was right; it was amazing just how close they've become since the day they met. They started as enemies, and now-

"I love you," Twilight whispered.

Sunset leaned in closer. "I love you, too."

Twilight and Sunset leaned in and closed the space between them with a soft kiss. Sunset purred as she placed her arms around Twilight's waist and pulled her closer and planted another kiss on Twilight's warm lips. Twilight lightly moaned as she felt Sunset's lips again and decided to wrap her own arms around Sunset's neck to pull her in for another kiss, and then another, and then many more.

Sunset continued to kiss Twilight's lips over and over again before she slowly began to descend from Twilight's face; Sunset gradually went from kissing Twilight's lips to pecking Twilight's neck, inching lower and lower until she reached Twilight's collarbone.

"Ah..." Twilight breathed out as Sunset nibbled. "...Sunset..."

That was it.

Sunset pulled back her head, opened her eyes, and looked directly at Twilight.

"Sunset?..." Twilight curiously looked back. "What's wrong? Why did you stop?"

Sunset did not say anything. She merely played with her eyebrows and gave Twilight a little smirk.

Twilight became even more confused. "Sunset, what-"

Before Twilight could even finish, Sunset opened the driver's door and climbed out.

"Wha-?!" Twilight's jaw dropped when she saw Sunset close the driver's door from the outside.

Thankfully (and much to Twilight's relief), Sunset then opened the door to the backseat and made her way back inside. After taking her seat and closing the door she entered, Sunset looked back up to Twilight and gave her a very flirty look as she nudged her head to invite Twilight to come back and join her.

"Oh......OH!" Twilight felt her cheeks flared up.

Sunset giggled when she saw Twilight's reaction and even sparked a light little blush, herself. "Well," Sunset nudged her head again. "Are you going to join me, Princess?" She patted the seat next to her. 

Twilight blankly stared back for a moment before giving Sunset the tiniest of smiles followed the quickest of nods. Twilight hastily shuffled around the passenger seat as she made her way outside. She closed the passenger door behind her and was about to open the backseat door but stopped just before she reached the handle.

Instead of entering, Twilight turned around, placed a hand on her chest, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled as she pushed her hand out. Ah, much better. Twilight turned back around and grabbed the door handle. Thank you, Cadence.

"You okay?" Asked a very patient Sunset as Twilight entered.

"I am," Twilight blushed. "Sorry about that."

"All right," Sunset pointed outside. "Ha...What was that just now?"

"Hmm?"

"The thing you did," Sunset placed her hand on her chest and moved her arm out. "That."

"Oh, it's just something a friend of mine showed me. It...helps me."

"Hehe. Okay, then," Sunset sneaked her hand across the seat toward Twilight's. "Soooo...?" She interlocked her fingers with Twilight's.

Twilight interlocked her fingers as well. "Soooo...?"

Sunset leaned in and caressed Twilight's cheek. "You...sure you want to do this?"

Twilight closed her eyes and nestled on Sunset's hand. "Yes...With you, I do..." Twilight opened her eyes. "Do you?"

Sunset blushed. "Yes...I do...You're..." Her eyes shimmered. "You're my princess."

Twilight placed her free hand behind Sunset's head. "And I'll make you mine."

Twilight pulled Sunset in for another kiss as she wrapped her other hand around Sunset's neck. Sunset responded by wrapping both her arms behind Twilight and returning the kiss. They both pulled each other in closer as they continued to explore the other's soft lips.

As they were getting lost into the passion, Sunset's hand roam around Twilight's back until it felt the metal zipper hanging just under the back of Twilight's neck. With only the gentlest strength, Sunset pulled on the zipper, steadily descending it down Twilight's back.

Twilight paused as she felt the bust of dress loosen. Without uttering a single word, Twilight reached up, removed her tiara, and undid the bun in her hair, letting it fall naturally onto her shoulders, all the while never looking away from the beautiful pair of cyan eyes.

Sunset stared silently, admiring the princess. Slowly, Sunset raised her hands and placed them on Twilight shoulders. With the utmost care, Sunset gently began to push, slowly guiding Twilight down on her back.

Twilight was now lying down, breathing, waiting for Sunset to act again. She wouldn't have to wait long; after taking off her own heels, Sunset sat her knees on the seat, undid her hair, and carefully lied herself on top of Twilight. Once they were both comfortable, they resumed to kissing once again.

They went on enjoying each other's lips for a good while, pecking one another and even exploring a bit with their tongues, pausing only when they needed to catch their breaths. They went on and on for what felt like an eternity until suddenly Sunset broke away.

"Hey..." Sunset took steady breaths.

"Yeah...?"

"You, uh, mind if I put on some music?" Sunset blushed. "It's kinda quiet."

"Sure," Twilight nodded. "Go ahead."

"Thanks."

Sunset reached over to the front of the car and grabbed her phone. She tapped it a few times and, soon enough, music began to play from the car's speakers.





Whoa, Sunset! 


Sunset returned. "Is that okay?"

Hmm. Catchy. "It's fine," Twilight wrapped her hands around Sunset's neck. "Now, come here."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Equestria Girls stood near the Canterlot High statue, waiting for Princess Twilight and Sunset Shimmer to return like they said they would. The prom had been over for about half an hour, and all the other attendants had already gone. They were the only ones left.

They hung around, passing the time by recounting everything they had done today, discussing about how fun they all were and which ones were they favorite. The fashion show, their prom pictures, dinner, dancing, the girls loved them all.

They continued to wait until they finally saw a familiar pink car turn onto the street. It slowly drove closer to the school and came to a halt once it approached the statue. After it had parked, the girls watched as Twilight and Sunset emerged from the car's doors. 

"Oh my," Fluttershy covered her mouth at what she saw.

Twilight and Sunset came out of the car with their dresses loosely fitted on and some frizzy hair that were a far cry from their elegant and tidy style that they spent a good amount of time working on earlier.

"Oh dear," Fluttershy covered her cheeks and blushed.

"Hey, girls," Sunset was the first to greet her friends as she and Twilight approached.

"Hey," Everyone responded.

"Whoa-ho-ho!" Rainbow Dash played up. "And just what have you two been doing, tonight? Wait, let me guess, each oth-Ow!" Applejack had elbowed Rainbow right on her side and then followed up by giving her a glare. "Uh, I mean...What's up?"

"Oh nothing," Twilight nonchalantly answered. "We just spent some time together is all."

Rainbow tittered. "I bet."

"Did we miss anything?" Sunset asked.

"Oh, nothing really," Rarity started. "After you departed, Principle Celestia got up on stage and-"

As Rarity went on explaining, Pinkie Pie quietly sneaked away from the rest of the group and approached her car. She crept around it, looking for any new dents or scratches. Thankfully, she found neither of those but did notice some dirt spread around the bottom of the car and wheels. Curious, Pinkie leaned in and sniffed area.

"Hmm," Pinkie recognized the scent. "Sweet Apple Acres. Orchard. Reclusive spot. Ideal location for some alone time," She got up and tapped her chin. "Hmm."

Pinkie turned her attention the backseat door. She eyed the door, theorizing what it could possibly be hiding. Cautiously, Pinkie raised her hand and reached for the door handle. Carefully, she opened the door and was suddenly hit with an overwhelming, powerful smell of vanilla.

Pinkie sniffed the air. "Hmm...They used the air freshener I keep in the glove compartment. Interesting," Pinkie squinted her eyes. "They're trying to hide something," Pinkie then slowly descended her sight from the windows to backseats and saw-

"Whoa!" Pinkie hopped back. "Wow. That's...a lot," She inspected the seats again. "Meow. Mercy."

Faced with the reality of what had happened inside her car, Pinkie Pie turned to face you the reader and smiled. "Oh, don't worry about me. I'm fine. I was due to get some new seat covers, anyway. These old ones were getting pretty worn out and ugly. Besides, I expected this to happen," She crossed her arms and smirked. "You think I was gonna was lend my car to SunLight over there and not expect this to happen on prom night? Pssh! Puh-lease! Give me some credit, here," Pinkie giggled. "Well, we've got to start wrapping this story up. Why don't you head on back to my friends over there? Go on. Get out of here. I'll be there in a moment," Pinkie playfully shooed you away. "You can read this part again later, but right now, you gotta go. Shoo," Pinkie Pie waved as you read on. "Bye!" She winked as you finish reading this sentence.

"-And then we all just decided to leave and to come wait for you here," Rarity finished explaining.

"Yeah, so you really didn't miss anything," Rainbow added.

Twilight nodded. "Well, that's good to hear," She stretched out her arms and yawned.

Sunset placed her hand on Twilight's shoulder. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a little..." She yawned again. "Tired."

Sunset pulled Twilight in to rest her head on her shoulder. "You really should get some rest."

"No, not yet. Please," Twilight looked at the rest of her friends. "Just a little longer."

Sunset smiled and patted Twilight's shoulder. "All right."

With her request granted, Twilight stood in the human world for another while longer. She spent her time with talking with all her friends, recounting everything they had done that day. Everyone gathering together, having a fashion show, having their prom pictures taken at the park and the school, going to that fancy restaurant for dinner, seeing Miss Twilight and Spike being crowned, and dancing with each other like there was no tomorrow. The girls loved them all.

Everyone just went on and on about how much fun they had together. They had been standing there talking and laughing for so long that none of them realized just how long they had been there. They felt like they could have gone on forever until they heard Miss Twilight's phone begin to ring.

Miss Twilight pulled out her phone and answered. "Hello?...Oh, I'm fine. I'm just here at the school with my friends...No, we're just here talking. We're not doing anything like that. You don't have to worry about...Wait, what?" Miss Twilight looked at her phone and saw what time it was. "Oh my gosh!" She quickly placed the phone back on her ear. "Sorry! We just lost track of time. Spike and I will be home soon, okay?...Okay. Thank you, Dad. Bye," She pressed a button on her phone and looked up at her friends. "That was my dad. He told me I just missed curfew," She said. "I think I have to get going, now. Sorry."

Everyone else laughed.

"Oh, don't worry about it, sugarcube" Applejack comforted. "We've been here a mighty long time," She let out a yawn. "Maybe it's time we all go home and get some shut-eye."

"Yeah..." Everyone else shrugged or nodded in agreement. Almost immediately after agreeing, they all turned around and switched their attention to Princess Twilight.

Twilight looked back and laughed. "All right, then," Twilight got up from Sunset's shoulder and began to walk up to the rest of her friends, first approaching Miss Twilight.

"Well," She started. "It was really nice finally getting to spend some time with you, Miss Twilight. I had fun."

"Me, too," Miss Twilight replied. "I hope you can come back, soon. I really would like to get know you more."

"Likewise," Twilight nodded before looking down to see the little puppy Miss Twilight was holding.

"It was nice seeing you again, Spike," She patted his head.

"You, too," Spike wagged his tail.

"Take care, and promise me you'll keep Miss Twilight safe, okay?"

"I promise on my favorite squeaky toys!" He barked before Twilight patted his head one last time.

Finished saying her farewells to that pair, Twilight moved on to the other two friends she had made that day.

"It was really nice meeting you, Tree Hugger."

"Like, it was nice meeting you, too, Twilight," Tree Hugger quickly came up pulled her in for a surprise hug. "You and your extraterrestrial aura have been a joy to experience."

"Oh! Uh," Twilight hugged back. "Glad to hear that."

"Peace out, sister," Tree Hugger let go.

Regaining her balance, Twilight looked to her side to see Pinkie's sister. "Hey, Maud. It's been really-"

"I know, Twilight," Maud interrupted. "I had fun, too. Please, let's not make this any more difficult than it has to be. I don't want to get too emotional in front of everyone," Maud opened her arms and hugged Twilight. "Goodbye, my friend."

"Goodbye, Maud," Twilight happily hugged back and bid her last new friend farewell.

Once finished, Twilight turned around and found all of her original five Canterlot High friends looks at her.

Twilight smiled. "Girls, l-"

"We know, Twilight," Applejack tearfully led her friends into a group hug. "We know."

A teardrop fell from Twilight's face as she embraced her friends. "I'm going to miss all of you."

"We're going to miss you too, darling," Rarity replied. "Thank you so much for joining us, tonight."

"It was my pleasure," Twilight and her friends silently held each other. "I'll come back soon. I promise."

Slowly, one by one Twilight's friends separated from the hug and opened a path to Twilight's final farewell. Letting go, Twilight slowly walked up near the portal where a patient Sunset was waiting for her.

"Well..." Sunset softly said.

"Well..." Twilight replied.

Sunset chuckled. "Thank you so much for coming tonight, Twilight," Sunset pulled her in. "It really meant a lot to me."

"I'll always come back for you, Sunset," Twilight rested her head on Sunset's chest. "Always."

Sunset brushed her hand through Twilight's hair. "Thank you."

"Come visit Ponyville, soon. We all miss you."

"I'll go as soon as I can. You still coming to graduation?"

"Of course," Twilight looked up. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Sunset leaned over and softly planted her lips on Twilight's.

"Goodbye..." Twilight whispered as she pulled away.

"Goodbye..."

Twilight broke away from Sunset and slowly began to walk toward the portal. It was not a very long walk, but Twilight took her time to make it toward the statue. This was always the hardest part of any reunion; the end. Today felt nothing less than fantastic for her; it was joyful, emotional, passionate, and much, much more. It was perfect, but now it was time to let it end. It was hard, but at the very least, Twilight could take comfort in all the new memories she had gotten this day. They were all wonderful, and Twilight would not trade any of them for the world.

Finally, Twilight stood before the portal. With one final deep breath, Twilight turned around and waved at her friends. "Goodbye, everyone!"

"Goodbye, Twilight!" They all waved back.

With a single tear running down her cheek, Twilight stepped through the portal and disappeared. 

"Goodbye, Twilight..." Sunset whispered.

Sunset breathed out and took a moment to herself. Thank you, Twilight. I'll see you soon. Finished, Sunset turned around and was the surprised by the sight of all her friends crossing their arms and smirking at her.

"Uh...What's up, girls?"

"Sunset," Rarity playfully shook her head. "What are you still doing here?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight emerged from the mirror feeling incredibly dizzy. Ugh...Yes, I will definitely find a way to make these interdimsenionsal trips more pleasant.

"Twilight!"

Twilight had no time to recover as she opened her eyes and saw Spike and her Ponyville friends running up to her.

"Twilight!" Pinkie Pie was the first to reach her and squeezed her into a hug. "You're back!"

"Oh, hello...Pinkie...Pie," Twilight choked out.

"Hello!" Pinkie dropped Twilight. "Welcome back!"

Everyone else soon caught up to them.

"How'd it go?"

"What did you wear?"

"Did you have fun?"

"What did you eat?"

"What happened?"

"Did any evil, magical teenagers attack you, this time?"

All these questions came pouring in at once. Twilight would be glad to answer all of them, but her adventure across the portal (and crossing the portal itself) had left her pretty exhausted.

"Please," Twilight spoke up. "Give me a minute. I want to tell you all everything, I do, but I just really need a moment right now."

Twilight's friends respectfully stepped back. "Okay," They all nodded and passed her a pillow.

"Thank you," Well, at least that was easy. Twilight rested herself on the pillow and took a moment. "Okay, I'm ready."

Everyone leaned in on their pillow. "Yeeees?"

Twilight chuckled. "It was great. I don't know to where begin."

"Well, don't leave us hanging!" Rainbow Dash hovered. "Come on, give us some deets!"

Twilight playfully rolled her eyes and began to tell her story to her friends. "Well, it all started a few weeks ago when I went to have my fitting with the other world's Rarity. It started out simple enough; I crossed the portal where the other Rarity was waiting for me, and we left for the boutique," Twilight snickered. "That's when things got interesting. You see, I was expecting to have my fitting alone but ooooh no. That wasn't happening. Turned out, I was having a very special surprise guest with me that day, and it was all thanks to a less-than-informative-"

A bright light suddenly began to flash behind Twilight. Startled, Twilight turned toward the source and saw something really surprising.

"Sunset?!" Twilight breathed out.

"Heya..." Sunset wobbled around, trying her best to hold down her dinner. "Ugh!" She gagged. "No wonder I don't visit often."

"Sunset!" Twilight rushed over and helped her friend stay steady. "W-What are you doing here?"

"Wobbling, mostly," Sunset wobbled.

"Sunset, look at me," Twilight held Sunset's face. "Easy. Easy," Twilight's horn glowed and briefly enveloped Sunset in a layer of magic.

"Ah...Much better," Sunset now steadily stood on four hooves. "Hey, there," She smiled.

"Sunset, what are you doing here?"

"What? Am I not welcome here, anymore?" Sunset teased.

"No, it's not that. I just mean-"

"Wait..." Sunset interrupted and inspected the alicorn. "You're not wearing anything. Does that mean..?" Sunset turned her head and noticed her current state. "Oh, horse feathers, my dress! Oh man, I really hope I get that back! I loved that dress! It was gorgeous!" Sunset then gulped. "And if Rarity finds that I lost it..." She shivered. "Uh-oh."

"Uh, Sunset?" Twilight tapped her hoof on the floor.

"Oh. Right," I'll just have to deal with that later and pray for the best. "Sorry for just dropping in like this, but after you left, I did some thinking," And got some encouragement from our friends. "And I thought maybe it'd be cool if I spent some time here with you for the rest of the weekend. I mean, if that's okay with you."

"Really?" Twilight's eyes widened. "Um, sure! Of course you can."

"Great," Sunset then shifted to her side and waved at the crowd behind Twilight. "Hey, everypony. How's it going?"

"Hey, Sunset!" They all greeted.

"It's been a while, huh?" Sunset took a few steps closer. "Spike, Starlight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash," Sunset's cheeks began to lighten. "R-Rarity."

"Hello, Sunset," Rarity happily waved.

"Hiiii," Sunset dreamily smiled until she noticed the Twilight's very annoyed glare. "I mean, uh, it's good to see all of you again!"

Twilight patted Sunset and nodded her head in approval. Good save.

Thank goodness. "So, uh, what's up? Looks like I walked in on something."

"Twilight was just about to tell us about your prom night," Spike answered.

"Was it fun?"

"Was it romantic?"

Sunset tapped her chin. "It was...a bit of everything," She chuckled. "*Yawn* Like some help telling the story, Twilight?"

"Sure," Twilight then leaned into Sunset's ear and whispered. "Just don't tell them everything."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Yeesh, what time is it?" Sunset asked as she followed Twilight down the castle hallways.

"I'm not sure," Twilight yawned. "Pretty sure it's morning, though."

Sunset nodded. "Definitely."

Twilight and Sunset had just finished seeing their Ponyville friends off. They had spent the past hour or so telling everyone all about their dresses, their Canterlot High friends, and of course the prom (though, they left out certain details of what happened afterwards). Twilight and Sunset had already talked about their entire prom experience when they were on the other side, but repeating everything again to their pony friends was just as fun as earlier; their friends' reactions were actually quite a joy to see. There were many questions afterwards, but everyone agreed it could wait until morning.

Now that everyone had left, Twilight was leading Sunset down through some familiar looking hallways.

"And here we are," Twilight stopped in front of a sun-marked door just before opening it. "Come on in."

With a flick of switch, Sunset found herself in the familiar setting of an exact replica of her old room in Canterlot. Her bed, the bookcase, the mirror, everything was there.

Sunset's eyes twinkled as she looked around. "Have I thanked you for this, yet?"

"Once or twice," Twilight joked.

Sunset yawned. "It's been a while since I slept in my own bed. It actually sounds pretty good right now."

"Haha," Twilight laughed. "Well...Spike is over across the hall, Starlight is two doors left of the broom closest, and I'll be three doors down the right if you need anything."

"Gotcha," Sunset trotted up and gave Twilight a warm hug. "Thanks, Twilight. For everything."

"You're welcome, Sunset," Twilight hugged back. "You're welcome," She pulled out of the hug and planted a small kiss on Sunset's nose. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Sunset watched as Twilight trotted out of her room and disappear behind the door. Now alone, Sunset let out the biggest yawn she's had all night. Time for some shuteye. She trotted over to her mirror and began to reach for her hairbrush. Wait a minute. She caught herself and enveloped her hairbrush in a magical aura. I don't even know what species I am anymore. She chuckled.

Sunset casually brushed her hair, trying her best to stay awake for just a bit longer. She was absolutely exhausted. Sunset has been fighting dark magic, monsters, and midterms for years now, but nothing has ever made her feel this tired. Sure, she had partied with her friends before and ended up all right, but partying with Twilight both during and after the dance was just something else.

Twilight. Sunset paused. She looked around her room and noted its perfect resemblance to her old one back in Canterlot. She really did get everything. Sunset then focused her attention at her bed and remembered how this night all began.

"I was hoping that...you'd have some spare time to be my date for the prom?"

"I'd be honored."

It all started here. This night full smiles, laughs, and passion that Sunset would enjoy remembering for the rest of her life all started in here.

No. It all started with her.

Sunset looked back at mirror. "What are you doing here, Sunset?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight had just finished lying herself to bed, ready to drift off to sleep. What a night. Twilight smiled as her heavy eyelids slowly began to close, and she began to sink into her mattress...and then she heard a soft knock on her door.

"What the-?" Twilight raised her head.

"Twilight, it's me. Are you still awake?"

"Sunset? Uh, sure. Come in," Twilight watched as her bedroom door opened. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, uh..." Really should of thought of something before I got here. "Actually, yes. It's uh...It's this place. Yeah, it's just so big and different from what I'm used to nowadays that it's kind of making it hard to sleep. I'm just not use to being here all by myself, yet, so I was wondering if I could uh..." Sunset rubbed the back of her head. "I mean, if you don't mind."

Twilight smiled and open up her bed sheet. "Come on in," She yawned.

"Great," Sunset trotted over to the bed and gently lied herself beside Twilight. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Twilight wiggled a little closer. "Is the castle still scaring you?"

Sunset gave Twilight a little hoof-bump. "Terrifying," She rested her hoof on Twilight's chest.

"Thought so," Twilight let out a big yawn. "Some day, right?"

"Heh. Totally," Sunset snuggled her head on her pillow. "I'm beat."

"Yeah, me too. I didn't expect this whole prom thing to be so exhausting," She yawned again. "But it sure was fun."

Sunset weakly snickered. "Tell me about it."

Twilight picked up her hoof and began to brush Sunset's mane. "So, the whole weekend, huh?"

"Eeyup. I gotta be back by Monday, though," Sunset yawned. "I still got a few more tests to take."

"I see," Twilight continued brushing. "So, what do you want do while you're here?"

"Eh, I don't know. I guess I'd like to go around Ponyville, again, check out some of the things I haven't before. " Sunset yawned again. "And get some breakfast. I definitely want to get some breakfast."

"Ha. Breakfast?"

"Yeah. I'm kind of hungry," Sunset's stomach rumbled.

Twilight giggled. "Well, I'll tell you what. When you wake up, go to the dining room and I'll make you some pancakes."

"Pancakes?" Sunset began to drift off. "That sounds good. Can I have some syrup with them?"

"Of course."

Sunset closed her eyes. "And...some butter?"

Twilight nodded. "And some berries, and chocolate chips, and a glass a milk."

"Really?" Sunset was able to murmur. "That...sounds...great," Sunset let it out one, final yawn. "Thank you...Twilight," Sunset finally drifted off and fell to sleep.

Twilight stopped brushing and planted a little kiss on Sunset's cheek. "Anytime, sleepyhead," She laid down.

Resting her head on her pillow, Twilight peacefully fell asleep next to her special somepony, letting herself drift away until the morning sunlight would bring them together again.

~End~