Surprises
Twilight Sparkle sat quietly in her room, staring at her dull reflection in the window. Her room was dark except for one small reading light she'd turned on, and she had curled herself around a pillow on her window seat as she stared down at her feet towards her phone. She'd tossed it there after sending her third unreturned text message to Sunset Shimmer in a fit of frustration, and now it sat, displaying the time as later than she had any right to be up. Despite that, sleep eluded her, as she contemplated every possible situation that could have occurred to prevent Sunset from responding to her texts. Most of them were highly implausible, and the rational part of her knew that, but she wasn't feeling particularly rational at the moment. She felt lost, and afraid, because she was certain that the implausible theories swirling in her head were a distraction for the actual problem: she was losing her best friend.
Sunset Shimmer had recently gone to Equestria, and returned with Princess Twilight's—the other Twilight's—prize pupil, a unicorn named Starlight Glimmer. They'd become fast friends after bonding over a near-disaster with Juniper Montage; a newly acquainted bad-girl-turned-good-girl that had joined their little circle of friends after making some... questionable choices. Not like Twilight didn't understand, or even sympathize. She'd nearly done some really awful things thanks to misusing magic. Juniper wasn't the problem, though.
The problem was Starlight Glimmer.
Twilight scowled and slumped back, feeling awful for even thinking of Starlight as a 'problem'. She wasn't a problem. Really! She was a girl that had been evil once, like Sunset... and she was a pony, sort of like Sunset... and Starlight and Sunset had a shared teacher in Princess Twilight... they had tons in common. Unlike Sunset and Twilight. Twilight was just a scared girl that Sunset had saved after she meddled with power she didn't understand. Starlight and Sunset had a similar past, and that made their friendship and closeness a obvious end result of the formula that brought them into proximity. It was simple math, really. Sunset + Starlight = Instant Best Friends. Which meant that Sunset Shimmer, her best friend, was spending lots of time with Starlight Glimmer.
Lots and lots of time... time Sunset would usually spend with Twilight hanging out, seeing movies together, or just catching up over a drink at a cafe. But Starlight had joined their little group on an extended vacation from her studies in Equestria, and now she and Sunset were practically inseparable. Twilight was trying to be rational, she was, but after this many unreturned texts, she wasn't sure what to think. Maybe she'd been too casual in her texts to Sunset? Maybe the repeated use of 'best friend' had been too strong?
Or maybe Sunset just didn't care to respond.
Twilight groaned, rolling onto her side and clinging to her pillow. Spike glanced up from his little bed as she made noise, one eye winking open to regard her with sleepy curiosity. Twilight sighed and smiled at him. "Sorry, Spike. Go back to sleep."
"Mmgh, okay..." Spike mumbled, rolling over and returning to softly snoring. Twilight covered her face with her pillow as she lay there on the window seat, doing her best to resist the urge to check the phone that could, possibly, be blinking with a response to her texts. It was highly improbable at this time of night. Unless Sunset was awake. But she probably wasn't... unless she and Starlight were enjoying a sleepover. They'd been talking about doing something fun together, and Sunset had mentioned her house as a possible option for hanging out. Just the two of them, enjoying some spooky stories and pillow fights. Twilight could practically picture it, could calculate the lofted trajectories as feather pillows flew through the air and crashed onto red-and-gold hair, bounced off of magenta beanies... it was more complex math, certainly, which typically calmed her racing mind, but in this case it was making things far, far worse.
With a huff, Twilight stood up, grabbing her phone—her silent phone—and her pillow, and she marched to her bed and flopped down atop it with a huff of air. After taking off her glasses and setting them on the nightstand, she rolled around, pulling the blankets up and around her, bringing the thicker one to her front as she rolled onto her side. She shifted position, pulling her extra pillows down so she could drape her arm across them, almost like... like a person. Somebody warm, smiling, reaching out a hand. But the blankets were cold, and Twilight felt pathetic and lame, so she started working on a equation in her head for calculating the precise curl of hair that Sunset achieved with her beautiful locks. As she drifted towards sleep, she discovered that, much like Sunset Shimmer, the ratio of those curls was a golden, shining thing of perfection.
The day came early for Twilight, who had slept restlessly, waking up several times in the night to check her messages... with no luck. Her morning had started with Spike nosing her awake. "Twilight. I'm hungry! Can ya let me out?"
Twilight yawned, squinting up at him and reaching for her nightstand to retrieve her glasses and pulling them on. She sat up, stretching and wincing at the kink in her back. She'd slept weird, and all the tossing and turning had done a number on her. She shook her head and slid out of bed to open the door for Spike, who happily trotted towards the kitchen. Twilight closed the door and sighed, flopping back onto her bed, considering whether she should try to go back to sleep or give in and wake up. Maybe this would be a good morning for a early run for coffee? She groaned, rubbing at her eyes under her glasses, and picked up her phone for the first time this morning. The light in the corner blinked blue, indicating a response to her texts.
The world froze as Twilight stared at the little light, and then she practically leapt on the screen, her fingers swiping to unlock the phone and show her home screen. A little red bubble floated on top of her text messenger app, and she tapped her finger on it, opening the new message.
Sorry for late reply, been busy! Hope you're okay, you seem stressed? I have a surprise for you. Can you come over this AM?
Twilight's hands shook as she clenched the phone in both hands. Sunset wasn't mad! Or weirded out! Maybe a little concerned by the tone of her texts, but nothing to worry about. Probably. Twilight's fingers tapped out a quick reply.
Not stressed, just tired, wondering what you were up to. What time?
The response was quick.
Whenever is fine! Just shoot me a text when you're on your way.
Twilight smiled to herself and she stood up as she wrote her answer, her mind already focused on what she needed to do before going. A quick shower, first, definitely. She did a few quick calculations on to the time she'd need to get ready and then catch a bus across town to Sunset's apartment. She practically danced with glee, her hands clenching the phone as she did a little shake of her hips in celebration. What was the harm? Nobody was around to judge! She nearly dropped her phone and flailed, snagging it and clutching it to her chest, blushing. She hit send.
I should be able to be there in approximately an hour and forty five minutes, barring traffic or other unexpected incidents. Is that okay?
Sounds great! Oh, bring PJs, just in case you want to sleep over? See you soon!
Twilight hopped in place, grinning happily, and she ran for the kitchen. Spike was already happily munching on some cereal he'd managed to sneak off the counter, and he looked up at her guiltily, but Twilight didn't care. "Spike, Sunset has a surprise for me at her place! I'm going to get ready and head over there right now. Can you handle yourself for the day?"
Spike grinned, "Sure, no problem. Can you just leave the TV remote somewhere I can reach it?"
"Got it!" Twilight swept the remote onto the floor of the living room as she darted through the house, heading for the bathrooom.
An hour and forty three minutes later, Twilight stepped off the bus. She smirked as she crossed the street and checked the time on her phone. She'd overestimated the number of red lights the bus would have to wait at by a small amount, so she ended up with extra time. Early was better than late, though, and so she stepped up to Sunset Shimmer's apartment and knocked on the door. Sunset's voice drifted through the wooden frame. "Just a second!"
There was some shuffling, and then the door opened, revealing Sunset Shimmer. She was dressed casually, just wearing jeans and a oversized t-shirt, and she looked tired, but her face lit up as she reached across the threshold and pulled Twilight into a hug. "Twilight!"
"Sunset!" Twilight couldn't help but cling on a little longer than necessary, and Sunset didn't seem to mind. They broke apart after a long moment, smiling at one another, and Twilight felt a weight lift off of her chest. She peered past Sunset into her apartment. It was a small place, just two rooms, with the living room and kitchen adjoining. The furniture had been rearranged, most everything having been pushed to the walls, leaving a large space in the middle of the room. She glanced at Sunset, curious. "What have you been up to?"
Sunset grinned. "Come in and you'll see!" Sunset grabbed Twilight's hand, causing Twilight's face to redden slightly, and she pulled her inside and shut the door. She lead Twilight to the couch, which was the only piece of furniture in the living room that was in its proper place, and sat her down, taking her backpack and setting it next to her on the couch. Sunset smiled, her teal eyes sparkling with excitement. "Okay, sit there while I explain what I've been up to."
Twilight raised an eyebrow as she sat on the couch, and Sunset rushed about the room. "What have you been up to? You've been practically impossible to get a hold of for the last few days. I assumed you were busy showing Starlight Glimmer around, but that... wasn't the case?"
"Oh, no, Starlight Glimmer and I have been hanging out for the last few days, but we've been working on a project. Some magic theories that I've been dying to try out, but I haven't had another person around that is well versed in Equestrian magic! Starlight has been great, though, and she helped make this happen," Sunset explained as she unfurled a big sheet. Glyphs had been painted in ink on the sheet, paired with concentric circles within circles and unusual geometric patterns. Twilight tried to make sense of it, but it was gibberish to her, excepting the geometry, which seemed to be a set of repeating shapes that created a sort of fractal pattern. Sunset placed the sheet in the middle of the cleared space and stood in the center of it, talking as she did so. "This is something I've been wanting to do for a long time, but, well, it's been really hard to do by myself. Starlight's magical know-how is way beyond mine. I'm pretty rusty, honestly. But, we figured this out."
Sunset stood still, exhaling, and Twilight smiled up at her from her seat. "So... you and Starlight have been working together on this sheet thing?"
"It's not just a sheet. It's an arcane circle. It's meant to help focus magical energy, so when that energy is channeled into the area, it allows it to perform a spell, despite the lack of magic in this world. Basically, as long as you have a spark of magic, you can use this to cast a spell. It's very impractical, though, because you have to get the inscriptions perfect and messing up means all the work goes down the drain. Even if you succeed, the magic destroys the ink as it channels through the circle. We don't do this in Equestria much, because magic theory has advanced beyond the need for these, but I figured it'd be worth a shot in this world," Sunset explained.
Twilight stared down at the circle in wonder, her eyes wide. "So, this... this will let you cast a spell?"
Sunset grinned, bouncing in place. "Yes! I've been wanting to show you this for so long, but I needed to know that it would work, so Starlight helped me get the inscriptions and glyphs perfect. I, uh, hope you're ready?"
Twilight leaned forward. Maybe she should have brought a notebook? This was potentially a huge advancement in her studies of magic in this world. Finally, she nodded. "Yes."
Sunset smiled and reached down the front of her t-shirt, pulling free her red geode necklace that contained that bit of Equestrian magic. "Okay. Here it goes. Uh... and, don't freak out?"
Twilight squinted up at the older girl as Sunset's necklace glowed with red light. "Wait, why am I not freaking out? What kind of spell is this?"
There was a flash of light, and the black ink on the sheet rose up into the air like smoke, spiraling away from the outside edges of the sheet inward. Sunset's entire body was enveloped by red energy that brightened to the point where Twilight had to shield her eyes. Finally, the glow subsided, growing smaller, concentrating near the floor. With the sound of tinkling bells, the energy sparked and fell away, leaving something wholly unexpected behind.
A little custard coated pony with familiar firey red and yellow hair lay in the middle of the circle. Tiny ears flicked, tiny nostrils inhaled, and a tiny horn sparked slightly with blue-green magic. Big teal eyes blinked open, and her muzzle scrunched up into an adorable expression of confusion, before she peered down at her hooves and her expression turned to glee. The tiny pony hopped up onto her hooves and danced an adorable dance in the middle of the now-spotless sheet on the floor. "It worked! It worked!"
Twilight's hands were clasped over her mouth, and her eyes were wide as she stared down at the little cat-sized unicorn. "Oh. My. Goodness."
Sunset Shimmer—now a small pony—beamed up at Twilight. "Yeah, I know, right?! I'm a pony! There was a lot more thaumic feedback than I expected, but who cares? It totally worked!"
"You... you're a tiny pony!" Twilight squeaked.
Sunset smiled nervously up at Twilight. "Yeah! I, uh, I wanted you to see the real me. In all my fuzzy glory. So, um," she struck a little pose with one hoof up off the ground, "This is me. H-hello!"
Sunset's tiny form, combined with her adorable nervousness, nearly made Twilight's heart burst. She slid off the couch and onto her knees, bending down a bit to peer at tiny Sunset Shimmer. "You are literally the cutest thing I've ever seen in my entire life. I'm stating this as empirical fact."
"Y-you think I'm cute?" Sunset said, blinking up at Twilight with her big pony eyes.
Twilight nodded emphatically. "You are cute, and also so beautiful! I love your mane. It's not as wavy as when you're normal—er, that is, human—but it looks so soft!"
Sunset blushed, reaching one hoof up and fluffing her mane thoughtfully. "O-oh, thank you!"
"Can... can I touch you?" Twilight ventured. She felt a need to pet Sunset, or scratch her behind the ear, or something. She was pretty certain she'd hate herself if she didn't take this opportunity. How often would she ever get the chance to pet a tiny, adorable pony who also happened to be her beautiful crush?
Sunset smiled and granted Twilight's wish. "Of course!"
Twilight suppressed a happy squee of excitement as she gingerly reached out and touched the top of Sunset's head, running her hand over her mane. It was silky soft, like she'd expected, and returned to its place with a little bounce as she moved her hand away. She reached out again, touching the tip of Sunset's fuzzy pony ear. Her coat wasn't as soft as her mane, but it was close, and it felt smooth and warm beneath her hand. Sunset's head tilted and she leaned into Twilight's hand, humming happily as Twilight scratched her behind the ear. "Ooh, that's nice," Sunset said, her eyes closing in bliss.
Twilight giggled and committed fully to the snuggling, grabbing Sunset and pulling her into her lap. Sunset let out a little surprised horse sound as she was cradled against Twilight and patted, Twilight's hands running across her coat. Sunset sighed and rested her head on Twilight's chest. Twilight scooted back to the couch and leaned back against it, holding Sunset's tiny pony form close and scratching her along her back and neck. Sunset cracked one eye open, blushing cutely. "I might fall asleep if you keep that up. I didn't get much rest the last few days."
"I didn't sleep well last night either. A nap could be nice," Twilight replied, smiling down at the unicorn in her arms. Sunset smiled at her and snuggled her head underneath Twilight's chin, being careful about her horn. Twilight wrapped her arms around Sunset and yawned, leaning her head back against the couch and watching Sunset as she slowly fell asleep. Within minutes, Twilight drifted off as well.
An hour later, Twilight's phone rang, and she creaked one eye open. Sunset was still a tiny pony, and still wrapped up in her arms, and she was so comfortable and felt so perfect that she almost let the phone call go. Reluctantly, she reached over and picked it up. "Hello?"
"Hey Twi!" Rainbow Dash's voice chirped back at her. "How's it goin'?"
Twilight glanced down at Sunset curled in her arms. "Great!" she said softly, watching as Sunset's pony muzzle wrinkled a bit at the noise threatening to wake her up. Twilight reached up and scratched her behind the ear, and Sunset hummed happily, snuggling closer.
"All us girls were gonna go meet up at the park and hang out in an hour or two. Did you want to come?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Uh... I'm with Sunset right now, hanging out, but I'll ask her. Can I say 'maybe' and then we might meet you guys there later?" Twilight queried.
"Oh, uh, no worries!" Rainbow Dash giggled. "You take your time, no problem!"
Twilight thought she picked up a hint of a tease in her friend's voice, and she fought a blush. "Okaygreatseeyoulater!" She pressed the button to end the call and tucked the phone back into her purse.
Sunset Shimmer opened one turquoise eye and peered up at her from beneath her cute striped mane. "Who was that?"
"Oh, it was Rainbow Dash. She and the girls are going to the park in a bit, and they were wondering if we wanted to come," Twilight explained.
Sunset smiled, "Well, uh, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to go out in public like this. It might freak some people out?"
Twilight giggled, "You're so adorable, though! How could anybody get freaked out by you?" She ran a hand over Sunset's head, messing with one of her ears as she cuddled the tiny pony close.
Sunset grinned and rolled onto her back, smiling up at Twilight. "Mm, I dunno... talking ponies are kinda weird around here."
"On the scale of 'superpowered teens' and 'evil magical girls', I think a cute pony that can talk barely registers on the weirdness scale. I mean, Spike can talk," Twilight said, running one hand down and then stopping at the top of Sunset's chest. Her eyes scanned the fuzzy pony belly before her, but she wasn't sure if she should rub it. If Sunset was a cat or dog, she wouldn't hesitate, but Sunset wasn't an animal... she was one of her best friends, and her crush, and a woman. A woman who happened to be in the body of a tiny pony. Her uncertain eyes met Sunset's. "Can I...?" Sunset's hoof reached up and grabbed Twilight's hand and pushed it into the plush fur of her belly. Twilight giggled and began to scratch, and Sunset's eyes closed in bliss.
"Oh, yes, that's the best," Sunset said, practically purring. Twilight smiled as Sunset squirmed around, shifting her position in Twilight's lap to get her scratching fingers to the most scratchable spots. She found one such spot that made Sunset actually hum with happiness, her ears folding back and a wide smile of bliss crossing her adorable little face.
"Gosh, you're cute," Twilight said, and bit her lip. "Sunset?"
"Yeah?" Sunset blinked one eye open to look at Twilight.
"Do... do you mind if we don't go to the park today? Or, well, we can, but maybe later?" Twilight asked. "I know it's super selfish... but I kind of wanted to hang out. Just the two of us."
Sunset smile grew wider. "Sure, Twilight. I know it's been a few days since we got time together, and I..." Sunset blushed slightly, "I did this for you. So if you want to keep me to yourself, then I'm okay with it."
Twilight felt her face grow hot. Keep her for herself? It made her sound so... possessive... but it also was exactly what she wanted. "O-okay, then that's settled," she said, clearing her throat. "So... you're a pony! Was there anything you wanted to do while you're a pony?"
Sunset considered this for a moment, and shook her head. "Honestly, I've been so busy just getting to this point of my plan, I didn't really think much beyond it. Is it okay if I just want to wing it? Be... spontaneous?"
Twilight nodded, even though the idea of not having a solid plan made her nervous. "Sure, we can do that. Play it..." She reached over and scratched Sunset's ear, "...by ear?"
Sunset giggled and sighed. "Sounds great." As she leaned into the ear scratching once more, her tiny pony tummy let out a decidedly loud gurgle. She blushed. "Oh... uh... maybe some food?"
Twilight smiled. "Sure! What do you want? Something vegetarian, obviously, but did you have anything in mind?"
Sunset considered this for a moment, and then she grinned. "Oh, I found out that Sugarcube Corner does delivery while Starlight was here! I guess they just started it up? Anyway, we could order something really good from there!"
Twilight grabbed her phone and opened up the internet browser, and quickly navigated to Sugarcube Corner's online store. Sure enough, they had delivery as an option. She pulled up the menu and held it out so Sunset could see. Sunset watched carefully, and then her little pony hoof poked the screen. "Oh my gosh, that looks amazing. Can we get that?"
"Sure!" Twilight said, tapping in the order and address, and smiled. "Okay, food is taken care of. What's next?"
Sunset smiled. "Hmm... well, I know something that you'd probably love to see."
"Oh?" Twilight asked, curious.
Sunset crawled out of Twilight's lap and sat down on the floor in front of her. She squinted, her eyes crossing as she peered up her little pony nose at the little horn on her forehead. With a sparkle of turquoise magic, the tip of her horn flared to life. Twilight gasped, sitting up and staring at the magical phenomenon. "Oh! Equestrian magic!"
Sunset blushed. "Well, I'm out of practice, but I think I remember a few things."
Twilight scrambled for her backpack, grabbing a notebook and pen. "You have to show me magic! I've been wanting to study Equestrian magic, but all I've had is the magic from our geodes from Camp Everfree, as well as ambient thaumic forces from the opening and closing portal between our world and Equestria!"
Sunset giggled, smiling at Twilight. "Sure! I knew you'd be interested. Let me see what kind of spells I can manage like this!"
Twilight leaned forward, eyes wide and pen resting against the notebook paper. She wished that she could take Sunset to her lab, or even her room, but she'd make do with observational notes.
A half-hour later, Sunset flopped over on her side, the turquoise aura around her horn winking out. She sighed, rubbing at her eyes. "Okay, I think that's all I've got in me."
Twilight grinned, finishing up some notes. She'd filled pages with observations and information, and she sighed as well, sitting back against the couch. "That was amazing! You're very powerful, from my estimates. You'd said that most unicorns can only manage a few spells properly, but you had almost a dozen you performed!"
Sunset blushed. "O-oh, thank you. I really studied hard, back in the day. I used to know twice as many, but I'm afraid that the rust is showing."
Twilight smiled. "Well, maybe you can practice more often if you have the ability to become a pony. We could work together, study magic..." Twilight trailed off as she considered the idea of getting to spend lots of time doing science with Sunset. It was practically a dream come true!
Sunset opened her mouth to reply, when the doorbell rang. Sunset and Twilight stared at each other for a moment in confusion, before Sunset laughed. "Oh! I totally forgot we ordered food."
"Right!" Twilight said, standing up. "Let me get the door. I'm not sure how the delivery person would feel getting handed some money by a tiny, albeit adorable, pony."
Twilight answered the door and quickly gave the gangly young man holding a large confectionery box a twenty. "Keep the change!" Twilight brought her prize inside and set it on the table, and Sunset hopped up onto a chair, smiling. Twilight opened the box, revealing a delicious looking cake. It appeared to be a chocolate cake with thick chocolate layered atop it, but a closer inspection revealed that it contained ice cream. Chocolate ice cream. "Oh, that looks amazing."
Sunset clapped her hooves together happily. "Awesome!"
Twilight grabbed utensils and plates and cut a slice of the ice cream cake for herself and Sunset. "One sweet cake for my sweet—" Twilight froze, and glanced up at Sunset, who squinted up at her, a faint blush beginning to color her cheeks. "—sweet best friend." Twilight finished lamely.
Sunset smirked at Twilight. "Smooth."
"S-sorry!" Twilight stammered, setting down the slice of ice cream cake in front of Sunset.
Sunset giggled, and her horn sparked. The fork levitated about an inch before Sunset winced and her magic winked out. "Oh, dang it... I think I'm burned out from all the magic earlier."
Twilight frowned. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, sure, I just... uh..." Sunset did her best to grasp the fork with her hooves, scowling in concentration. Twilight watched her friend struggle ineffectively for a moment, and Sunset finally looked up at Twilight with a plaintive look. "I... might need help?"
Twilight giggled, using her fork to get a piece of ice cream cake and offered it to Sunset. Sunset leaned forward and ate the piece off of Twilight's fork, humming happily as she swallowed the first bite. Twilight felt a blush rise to her cheeks as she alternated feeding Sunset and herself bits of the ice cream cake. Sunset was blushing as well, but didn't speak or complain, simply seeming content to be fed by Twilight. Twilight felt her heart start to beat faster as, feeling daring, she reached out with a fresh piece of cake and deposited it on the tip of Sunset's cute little pony nose. Sunset's eyes crossed, and she laughed, her tongue reaching out and retrieving the bit of cake. Twilight giggled as well as she finished her last bite of cake. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it."
"It was cute and spontaneous. I know that's hard for you... I mean, the spontaneous part, not the... uh..." Sunset suddenly blushed and looked away, "I mean, you're always cute."
Twilight felt her blush deepen. "You're pretty cute yourself."
Sunset giggled. "Complimenting me while I'm a pony is cheating. It's empirical fact that we're cute."
"You're always cute... and beautiful." Twilight said slowly, feeling almost startled that she could say the words.
Sunset smiled at Twilight, her eyes gentle. "Thank you."
Twilight felt her heart skip a beat as Sunset gazed at her, and she stood up. "I should put away the cake before it melts!" She grabbed the box and retreated into the kitchen, leaving Sunset to wipe some stray chocolate from her muzzle. Twilight let out a sigh as she set the cake in the freezer. Why? Why now, while Sunset was a tiny, adorable pony, was she finding it so easy to speak to her? To tell her these things? Was it the fact that she was a tiny pony making it easier? Twilight had to admit, she sometimes found the fierce beauty of Sunset Shimmer to be as intimidating as it was inspiring. Her cool, mature attitude, her leather jacket, her beautiful hair and caring eyes. She was something else. Somebody special. And she thought that she, Twilight Sparkle, was cute. Twilight giggled, rubbing at her arms as a shiver went through her body, and she returned to the dining area. Sunset smiled at Twilight. "All good?"
"Yeah. Very good. Did you want anything else to eat?" Twilight asked.
"No, that was perfect. Thank you for, uh, helping," Sunset said, giggling.
"Sure," Twilight said. "What are friends for?"
Sunset hopped down from the chair and trotted back to the living room, before hopping up onto the couch and patting the cushion next to her. Twilight followed and sat down next to her. "So, what did you want to do next?"
Sunset leaned against her, sighing happily. "Is it okay if I don't want to do anything?"
"Sure. We can just... sit here?" Twilight said, glancing down at the little pony next to her. Sunset nuzzled against her arm, humming happily. Twilight smiled. "You're so adorable."
"I, uh... I have a request?"
"Sure. Anything."
Sunset pointed to one fluffy ear. "Scratchies?"
Twilight laughed, reaching out and running her fingers into Sunset's mane and scratching the indicated spot. Sunset sighed, flopping slowly into Twilight's lap once more. "Perfect."
Twilight allowed her mind to wander as she ran her hands down Sunset's back and along her sides. Sunset hummed happily as Twilight rubbed her side, and rolled over, offering her soft belly up once more. Twilight giggled and she got both hands involved, her fingers mussing the soft fur of the little pony's tummy. Sunset smiled up at her. "Thank you. It was so nice to be... myself... for you. Thank you for accepting me, both as a girl and a mare."
"Of course," Twilight said earnestly. "You're my friend. I would always accept you. It's the least I can do, for accepting me after everything."
Sunset sighed. "Of course. You'll always be my friend, Twilight, no matter what."
Twilight didn't have any reply, and she felt like she didn't need to respond. The unspoken understanding between them was more than enough. So, instead, she held her best friend close, pulling her tiny, adorable body in close for a hug. As she did so, there was a bright flash of turquoise magic. When she opened her eyes, Sunset Shimmer, the beautiful girl whom she loved, sat on her lap, arms wrapped around her in a hug. Twilight blushed, almost pulling away, but Sunset's arms held tight. "Just a minute longer?" Sunset asked softly.
Twilight relaxed, and she held her close, like she had while she was a pony; a loving, cherishing gesture. "Okay."