"Sunset Shimmer. I find you guilty of high treason against Equestria," Princess Celestia said angrily.
"What?" I cried. "Why?"
"In lieu of imprisonment, I hereby exile you to the mirror realm," she continued. "You will surrender your journals and the Equestrian Geodes that you and your friends possess upon your re-entry, after which the portal will be destroyed."
"B-but... but what about my... my family?" I continued to sob.
"They will escort you to the portal for a final goodbye."
I sat straight up in the bed, my body drenched in sweat as my breathing was shallow and rapid. I looked around the darkness of my bedroom as I calmed down from my recurring dream.
"This is fun... *snort*" came the soft voice of Twi as she drooled on her pillow.
I'm so lucky to be with someone like you, I thought as I gently brushed her hair from her face with my fingers as I watched her sleep for a few minutes.
"Sweet dreams, babe." I quietly whispered as I laid back down and kissed her on the forehead before snuggling up and going back to sleep.
"Mmmm. Good morning," I heard softly in my ear. I turned my head to look over my shoulder as Twi leaned over to meet my lips.
"Morning, babe," I replied with a smile on my face after our lips separated. "How'd you sleep?"
"Well, aside from somepony tossing and turning in her sleep, I slept great," she giggled as she gave me a squeeze from behind.
"Look at you," I smiled as I wiggled free and rolled over. "Haven't even gotten packed yet and you're talking in Equestrian terminology."
"Yep," replied Twi before taking on a serious look. "But seriously, you had that dream again didn't you?"
"Yeah I did," I said before letting out a deep sigh. "I'm just so nervous about meeting with Princess Celestia."
Twi sat up and pulled me up with her and stared me in the eyes before responding.
"Listen. Everything will work out fine. From what Princess Twilight has told us, she's been worried sick about you since you first left."
After a brief pause, I nodded my head and agreed. She was right. I shouldn't be so uptight about it. After all, Twi was going to be there outside the main chambers waiting for us.
"Well, I guess we should get up and make breakfast," Twi said as she turned slightly and grabbed her glasses off the nightstand. "Who's turn is it?"
"Yours," I said with a huge grin. "Don't burn the apartment down while I'm getting a shower."
"Oh, haha," Twi told me as she gave me a playful shove. "Any requests?"
"Surprise me," I replied as I grabbed my robe and headed toward the bathroom.
After my usual fight with shower knob (seriously, there's gotta be some life hack to make this easier), I slipped out of my pajamas and stepped into the shower. I had my hair completely lathered in strawberry mango scented shampoo when I heard the smoke alarm go off. Seriously? I thought as I accidentally opened my eyes allowing the shampoo to run into them.
I grabbed the towel off the hook and wrapped it around me as I begun to run toward the kitchen to help Twi put out whatever fire she started. Upon entering the kitchen, however, I saw Twi get off of one of the dining chairs with the barbecue lighter, laughing like a hyena.
"You..." I said as I continued to drip soap and water on the living room carpet. "I... ran out here thinking you set the kitchen on fire, again, only to find that you... you... ugh!"
Twi couldn't come up with a response because of how hard she was laughing. I just groaned and went back to the bathroom to finish my shower.
This is going to be a long week in Equestria, I thought.
Me and Twi finished our shopping trip with the girls as we picked up some gifts for my family and our Equestrian counterparts. The hardest part of the whole trip was trying to find somewhere that sold an old-school instant camera so we could take pictures on our vacation.
"You sure you don't want to join us at Crystal Beach, darlings?" Rarity asked as we had lunch in the food court.
"Maybe after graduation," Twi said sheepishly. "I've been wanting to visit Equestria for a while but we just haven't had any time to go."
"Really? Or are you just saying that because Crystal Beach is a-" Pinkie said before Rainbow covered her mouth.
"This here ain't the place ta be talkin' 'bout those sortsa places," Applejack fussed.
"It can't be that bad. I mean, Fluttershy's even going," Pinkie insisted.
"I'm sorry but what's the big deal about Crystal Beach?" Twi asked, earning a look of shock from the rest of us. "What? What did I say?"
I leaned over and whispered the information about Crystal Beach in Twi's ear. Once she assimilated the information, her eyes nearly grew to cartoonish proportions. The rest of us just giggled at her reaction.
"I... uh... well... ahem," Twi sputtered while we kept giggling.
"Oh come on," Rainbow Dash said. "We all know what you look like thanks to the party Pinkie threw for Sunset two months ago."
"It's not that. I... well... I thought you were referring to Crystal Cove just outside of Canterlot," Twi said as her face turned slightly red.
"So any plans for when you're in Equestria? Besides making nice with Princess Celestia?" Rainbow asked before finishing off the last bite of her second triple cheeseburger.
"We're going to visit my family for a little bit and hopefully spend some time with Princess Twilight and her friends. We'd really like to see visit the Crystal Empire if we get time," I replied as I worked on my garden salad.
"Correct me if Ah'm wrong but didn't ya already visit the Crystal Empire before?" Applejack asked as she finished her lunch.
"Yes and no," I said. "When I stole Princess Twilight's crown I was physically in the Crystal Empire but as far as checking out the sights, no I haven't.
"So when are you leaving?" Fluttershy asked softly.
"You're eager to get rid of us," Twi said jokingly.
"What? No. I just needed to know when I needed to come by to pick up Spike and Ray," Fluttershy said defensively as she tried making herself smaller.
I moved over beside Fluttershy and put my arm around her to reassure her that Twi was only kidding.
"So what does everyone want to do now that we're finished eating?" Pinkie asked.
"If you all don't mind, I'd like to do a little shopping alone with Rarity for about an hour," I said trying not blush.
"Alright then," Twi said. "How about we all meet back here at 1:30 then."
After agreeing on the meeting time I gave Twi a kiss before we all split up.
The girls, Spike and Ray all joined me and Twi at the statue shortly after dusk so that they could give us a send-off.
"You sure I can't go with you guys?" Spike asked as Ray laid on top of his head.
We all giggled at his question before Twi hugged Spike and I rubbed cheeks with Ray and said goodbye to the girls.
"Remember, ease into it otherwise you'll go flying into the bookcase across the room from the mirror," I told Twi as we turned around with our loaded backpacks on our shoulders.
"This may sound kind of silly but..." Twi said tapping her fingers together nervously.
"But what?"
"Will you hold my hand, please?" she asked quietly.
"Sure," I smiled, taking her right hand.
"Bye everyone," me and Twi said together as we stepped forward and disappeared into the portal.
Me and Twi's rear hooves stepped out from the portal at the same time, touching the crystalline floor of the mirror room. She was still holding onto me as our bodies tilted forward so that we were on three legs.
"Umm, Twi? You can let go now," I said as I saw her struggling to stand.
"Probably a good idea," she said just before falling face first on the floor sending her glasses skidding across the room.
I channeled some magic and grabbed Twi's glasses in a teal aura that matched the one surrounding my horn. While I levitated her black framed glasses back to her face, I buried my muzzle under her chest to help her back onto all fours.
"Thanks, Sunny," Twi said as her face turned red with embarrassment. "This is going to be a little harder than I thought."
I gave a soft chuckle before realizing the room was completely void of ponies besides the two of us. Raising an eyebrow, I slowly walked toward the doors to see if there was anypony else here.
Maybe we're early, I thought as I heard another thud behind me followed by the sound of plastic on crystal. Looks like I'm going have to teach somepony how to walk.
I made my way back to Twi, once again carrying her glasses with my magic. "Twi, unlike human movement, ponies need to have support on both sides at all times."
"I'm beginning to figure that out," Twi said as she rubbed her right cheek with her hoof. "So learning magic right now is probably out of the question."
"Yes," I replied with a soft smile. "You know how the saying-"
"Sorry we're late!" Princess Twilight shouted as she and Spike burst through the door. "I hope you weren't waiting too long."
"Nah," I said as I flashed a quick grin. "I've been trying to teach Twi how to walk."
Spike started to snicker before Twilight gave him a light smack with her left wing, effectively silencing him.
"Did you forget about when I had to learn to walk when I transformed into a human?" Twilight asked him. "You weren't giggling and laughing then."
"Hehe," Spike chuckled nervously. "Oops."
I couldn't help but laugh at the exchange going on between the Princess and her assistant. I knew where she was coming from as far as learning to be bipedal. Anyway, while those two were going at it, I finally got Twi walking like a pony... somewhat. As Twilight lead us to our room that we were going to be staying for the night, I walked beside my girlfriend helping her back up every couple minutes.
"You keep this up, you'll get a cutie mark in falling down," I teased as I picked Twi up for what already seemed like the hundredth time.
"Oh, ha ha," Twi said sarcastically. "Speaking of which, what does my cutie mark look like anyway?"
I stopped to look at her flank (which the sight of it was beginning to drive me wild) and had a mischievous idea pop into my head.
"Well, um, to be honest, you're a, uh, a blank flank," I stuttered nervously. The news seemed to shake Twilight and Spike as they spun around in shock.
"SERIOUSLY?!" shouted Twilight, causing her voice to echo through the hallway. "I mean, I figured you would be a unicorn when you came through the portal but I would've thought you'd at least have a cutie mark."
A look of worry began to spread across Twi's face while I did my best to stifle the laugh that was about to burst through my teeth. Twilight hurried back to check my girlfriend's flank, managing to catch my wink before saying anything and began playing along.
"Yep it's definitely bare," Twilight 'confirmed', also trying to stifle at least a smile. "Maybe the CMC will able to help her out."
Twi began to break down in tears as she flopped on the floor and buried her head in her hooves. "I thought the mirror would give me a cutie mark," she sobbed. "But I still have to earn it? It's not fair."
My laughter I was holding in suddenly vanished as I realized my little prank might have gone too far. I laid down on the cold floor beside her and put my left foreleg around her to console her.
"I'm sorry, babe," I said quietly. "I was just playing a little prank on you. I didn't mean for it to go this far. You do have a cutie mark. It's an open book and a beaker."
Twi looked at Twilight and then to me before standing back up and trotting off, picking up Spike, shouting "Gotcha!"
"Did we-?" I asked Twilight with a raised eyebrow.
"I think so," Twilight replied with a small smile.
I let out a huge sigh before muttering under my breath, "Twi, two. Me, zero."
After a basic lesson on levitation from Twilight in the castle library, Twi joined me and Spike in the sitting room where he was eagerly giving me a history lesson on he and Twilight's adventures in Equestria.
"You all turned into Crystal Ponies?" I said in amazement.
"Well, almost everypony," Spike said somberly as he lowered his head.
"Who didn't get turned into a Crystal Pony?" I heard Twi ask as she entered the room.
Spike sighed with a sad look on his face and said, "Me. I was the only one."
I hopped off my chair and threw my forelegs around Spike. "That's gotta be rough. Seeing all of your friend's coats were shining and sparkling while you were left out."
"You didn't let me finish," he said as he lifted his head and began to smile. "I became the very first CRYSTAL... DRAGON!"
I saw Twi sit down so that she could place both of her front hooves over her muzzle. I knew she was trying her best to keep from laughing due to the shitty grin that was appearing underneath. I planted a hoof square on my forehead, forgetting that hooves are a lot harder than hands, which caused Twi to lose control.
"Ow!" I hollered as I rubbed the bruise that I could already feel forming. "I can't believe I've been trolled three times in less than two days. Are you almost done?"
"I... I..." Twi tried saying. "I... you... I can't..."
"Spit it out already," I groaned.
"Whe-when... did you... be-become... so... so..." Twi continued to cackle.
"Gullible?" I finished reluctantly.
"Yeah... Hahaha..." Twi confirmed as her laughter grew louder.
"I have no idea," I mumbled.
We finally made our way to our room after another two hours of Spike's boasting. I hopped onto the edge of the bed as I watched Twi walk seductively into the bathroom.
"Sunny?" she called from the other room.
"Yeah, babe?" I answered.
"What do hooves feel like?" she asked as she poked her head around the door with an all-too-familiar smile on her face.
"Uhhhh... you mean, um, like..." I stammered.
"Yep! I want to explore that kind of magic too," Twi said way too eagerly.
I face hoofed for the second time in mere hours at her response. We had spent most of the night before satisfying her urges in the hopes her hormones would stay under control while we were here.
"Twi, please tell me you're joking," I desperately begged.
"Have I ever been known to joke about that subject?" she replied.
She had me there. But there was just something a little off by her tone. It sounded more... seductive than usual.
"Twi, would you please turn around so you're facing away from me?" I asked warily. She obliged my request and confirmed something I had feared would happen before leaving the human world: Twi was in heat.
"Are you okay, Sunny?" she asked as I continued to feel a nervous smile cover my face.
"Um, yeah. Nothing wrong," I said with my head in my hooves. "Except for the fact that we're meeting my parents tomorrow and the mirror decided to drop us off here with you in heat!"
Twi didn't have an answer for that. Instead, she joined me on the end of the bed and threw her left foreleg around my shoulders.
"Everything will be fine, Sunny. I can control this," she said, attempting to calm my nerves.
I just stared at the floor, shook my head and sighed. "No, you can't. It's biology. I remember the times I was in heat. I couldn't do anything when a stallion was nearby."
"Is there a magic spell that can help calm my urges?" she asked as I continued to eyeball the floor.
"Not that I know of," I replied somberly. "I asked Princess Celestia the same question the first time I came into heat after becoming her personal pupil."
"Oh," Twi said as she joined me in staring at the floor. "Sooo... what are we going to do?"
I stepped off the train at Canterlot Station with my eyes looking bloodshot and my eyelids feeling like they were going to close at any moment. I had spent most of the night before trying to satisfy Twi's hormones so that she wouldn't try riding my father when we got to my parents' place. Twi stepped off behind me somehow looking fresh as a daisy, even though she fell asleep after I did. I looked at her and saw she was looking around, checking out the sights of Canterlot.
"What do you think?" I asked her as she came to a stop to my right.
"It's... smaller than what I imagined it would be," she said.
"Well, you have to take into account that most ponies are about two feet shorter than humans, so the buildings don't need to be as high," I reminded her as we resumed walking.
"I forgot about that," she said sheepishly while trying to cover her face with her mane. "Where are we going first? Canterlot Castle or your parents' house?"
"Neither," I told her. "I need some coffee from the best donut shop in the city."
"And that is...?" she asked.
"Oh. Donut Joe's," I replied with a tired grin.
"But I thought you only drank tea when you were Celestia's pupil," she asked with a puzzled look in her eyes.
"I did, but only when we had tea together," I clarified. "Most times if I was by myself or with my family I would drink coffee. Celestia thought it fueled my rage and disrespectfulness toward her."
Twi nuzzled my neck as before replying, "Maybe it did. Caffeine has been known to feed anger in humans so it could be possible. Anyway, I looove seeing you on a caffeine high."
"Why?" I asked cautiously.
She moved closer to my ear and whispered, "Because I think it makes you look sexy."
"WHAT?!" I shouted, causing nearly a dozen other ponies to stop what they were doing and stare at the two of us as we walked down Canterlot's main street. I lit up my horn to move my mane over my face to conceal my embarrassment brought on by my hormonal marefriend.
"Nothing!" Twi sing-songed as she bounced a few steps ahead of me.
What the hay am I gonna do with her? I thought. I can't be dishing out all-night sex marathons the whole time we're here. I don't have that kind of-
"C'mon Slowpoke Sunny," Twi called with a mischievous grin, interrupting my train of thought. "I don't know where Joe's place is at."
I trotted up to her, set a hoof on her muzzle, and whispered as quietly as I could, "I know you have raging hormones right now due to the mirror's sick joke but do you think that you can control your language when we're in public? Please?"
She looked around, finally noticing all the attention she brought upon us and slowly nodded her head. "I'm sorry, Sunny. I've just never been in heat before and I'm really having trouble dealing with these hormones," she whispered.
"I understand that," I sympathized. "But you need to try focusing on other stuff besides your loins. Think about the prom or graduation or what kind of cake you would want for our we-, I mean, your birthday."
Twi's eyes went wide as saucers at part of my ramble. "Wait! Our what?! What are you planning, Sunny?"
"Um, nothing. Hey, there's Donut Joe's shop," I said nervously. "You gotta try his strawberry filled, chocolate iced donuts. They. Are. Heavenly."
"Don't change the subject," Twi chided me. "I wanna know what you were going to say!"
"I, uh, maybe we could talk about it over dinner?" I said as I continued to try avoiding the subject.
"I'll think about it," Twi asked flatly. "But you're going to explain yourself at some point before the day is out."
"Deal," I reluctantly agreed before turning my attention to Donut Joe, who was facing away from the counter. "One extra large, extra strong espresso, hold the cream and sugar, please."
"I recognize that order," he said as he turned around. "Sunset Shimmer! How in the hay have you been?"
I scratched at the floor as he made his way around the counter. "I, um, I've been... studying... abroad."
Twi began giggling and said quietly, "Yeah, in more than one way." I turned and shot her a look expressing my displeasure in her little quip, earning me an innocent-sounding "What?"
"How long has it been?" Joe asked as he gave me a hug.
"Geez, almost four years, I think," I replied with a smile.
"I can tell that you’ve definitely changed," he told me.
"Really? How?" I wondered aloud. "I mean, we just came in a couple minutes ago."
"Well for starters, you never said 'please' when you used to order your coffee," he replied. "And this is the first time I've ever seen you bring a friend in here with you."
I felt my face begin to burn at the last part of his comment, temporarily silencing me.
"Umm, yeah, that's my... uh... marefriend, SciTwi," I managed to get out a minute later.
"A marefriend? You really have changed," he said, his eyes wide in surprise. "I would've pegged you to being alone your entire life."
"Was she really that selfish when she was younger?" Twi asked in awe.
"Selfish, rude, a pain in the flank, but also one of my most loyal customers," Joe told her with a smile. "So how about you two grab yourself a seat and I'll bring your coffee and the usual donut platter in a few minutes."
"Sounds perfect," I said as I led Twi to the booth I would always sit at when I was younger.
A couple hours later, Twi and I left Donut Joe's with a baker's dozen of Twi's new favorite donuts and headed to my parents' house. As the house came into view, I felt my legs begin to lock up.
"Sunny? You okay?" Two asked me as she waved her right hoof in front of my face.
"Uh, yeah. Sure. Nothing... wrong," I stammered. "It's just, well... let's go back to Joe's to get some more donuts and then head back to Ponyville."
"Sunny..." she said in a serious tone. "What's wrong?"
I gave her a nervous smile before replying, "I never told my parents about being dismissed as Celestia's pupil. Or told them I planned to run away to another dimension."
"Okay, well use this time to explain what happened," Twi reassured me. "They've probably been worried sick for the last four years, wondering where you've been."
"Yeah... I hope so," I said quietly as we finally made our way to the door.
After a couple minutes, Twi finally broke the awkward silence that was hovering in the air between us.
"So are you going to ring the bell or am I gonna have to?" Twi asked me.
“Ummm, it doesn't look like anypony's home,” I stalled nervously.
“Ugh, just ring the bell, Sunny.”
I pulled the rope that was connected to the doorbell and immediately turned around to walk away. “Oh well, no one's home,” I said quickly.
Just before I reached the street I heard filly call out, “Shimmy? Is that you?”
I slowly looked over my shoulder to see an aqua unicorn with tears in her eyes. My little sister, Breaking Dawn, that I hadn't seen or even spoke to in nearly four years had a look on her face that expressed both confusion and joy. I felt my own eyes begin to water as I nervously made my way back to the front door.
"Yes, Dawnie," I said solemnly. "It... it's me."
After another minute of looking at each other, Dawnie galloped as fast as she could and wrapped both forelegs around me. Nothing was said between us, but there wasn't any way for us to speak due to the both of us crying. I managed to catch a glimpse at Twi through my tear-filled eyes and saw her nod in approval with a small smile on her face.
"Dawn?" I heard a stallion call from inside the house. "Who's at the door sweetheart? Dawn?"
As the hoofsteps grew closer, I heard an audible gasp of surprise. I did my best to look in the doorway but all I could see was a large orange blob.
"Misty, come here," he shouted. "Quick!"
Dawnie and I finally settled down and I wiped her tears from her face before cleaning my own. However as soon as my vision was restored, it became blocked once more as my parents Sunfire and Misty Dawn embraced me as tightly as they could at the same time.
"Oh Sunny, we've missed you so much," said mom, trying to hold back her tears. "Thank Celestia that you're safe."
The feeling that I was missing for years finally returned to me as I stood up on my hind legs and put a foreleg around each of my parents. I couldn't get the words to form in my mouth as to how I felt, temporarily rendering me mute. Silence filled the front yard as I looked at the clouds with tears returning to my eyes, broken only by the sound of me beginning to cry.
"You... you're not mad at me for leaving without a trace?" I whispered through my sobs.
"No, Sunset," dad answered as he and mom let me go.
"We were more worried than anything else," said mom, wiping my tears away. "Let's go inside so we can talk about it and you can introduce us to your friend."
As we walked into the house, Twi discreetly nuzzled my cheek and in response I whispered, “Thank you, babe.”
My parents and sister led Twi and me to the den where we could sit comfortably and have some tea while we caught up.
"Before we start catching up I'd like to formally introduce my, umm, uhh..." I stammered slightly.
"Her girlfriend," Twi finished for me. "SciTwi Sparkle, a distant cousin of Princess Twilight Sparkle."
"Girlfriend?" Dawnie asked with a look of confusion. "Is that like someone you're in love with?"
"That's exactly what she is. It's a long story, to be honest," I explained as mom entered the room and began pouring tea for everypony.
I waited for mom to settle down next to dad before I began telling my story. I told them about how conceited, arrogant and selfish that I had become. Then about the mirror that led me to the human realm and how I turned everyone at Canterlot High against each other. As my story progressed, my voice got noticeably quieter as the shame and embarrassment of what I did set in. As I looked into my parents' eyes I began seeing the disappointment on their faces.
"Sunset, what caused you to do all of this bad stuff? You've always been kind and respectful towards others before you became Celestia's personal student," dad said as tears began filling my eyes once more.
"I... I don't know," I cried. "I'm so sorry I let the both of you down. You wanted me to be a positive influence on Dawnie and I... I blew it."
Twi scooted closer to me so that our bodies were touching before nuzzling the underside of my jaw. I closed my eyes in a futile effort to stop the tears from flowing. The amount of shame I was feeling at the moment was overwhelming but I knew that I needed to finish telling the rest of my story.
"After thirty moons had passed, I returned to Equestria to steal the Element of Magic from Princess Twilight," I continued once my confidence returned. "I had planned to enslave the students of the school to help overthrow the princesses and become ruler of Equestria."
"What changed your mind?" mom asked after taking a sip of her tea.
I let out a sigh before replying, "Princess Twilight and her friends from the other realm were able to summon powers and hit me with a magical rainbow laser beam."
"I thought you said that place didn't have any magic," mom said.
"It didn't until I brought Princess Twilight's crown into that world," I replied. "Well, it kinda didn't. I'll explain that in a minute."
"Okay then," she said in response.
"Um, Shimmy? What happened to your legs?" Dawnie asked pointing to my scars from last year.
"I'm getting to that part," I told her. "Anyway, the princess returned to Equestria and left me there to learn the ways of friendship."
"Why?" dad asked. "I would think that she'd bring you back with her since you're from Equestria."
"I haven't got a clue," I answered. "While I was crawling out of the crater the rainbow laser made, with my vision blurred by the tears flooding my eyes, she told me that her friends would be able to teach me about friendship."
Mom and dad looked at each other in confusion about what I had said. Not that I blame them. I'm personally still confused to this day about the post-Fall Formal events regarding me and Twilight.
"So is that when you got your scratches?" Dawnie asked, obviously focused on my scars.
"Not exactly," I said as I began explaining the story behind the Sirens and how they got to the human realm. I also told them about my activities (or lack thereof) between the Fall Formal, when the Sirens arrived at CHS and Twilight returning to help defeat them.
"So that leads me to these," I said, motioning toward the scars. "Humans suffering from depression will sometimes intentionally cut their bodies to defer the emotional pain in their head to physical pain. And..."
"You felt the need to see if it worked?" dad finished.
"Yes," I confirmed. "It did work as long as I could see the blood coming from my arms. Once it scabbed over, I felt the emotional hurt return."
"Why didn't you talk to your friends about how you were feeling?" dad asked.
"I didn't know how to bring up the subject. I was still unsure about where I stood socially with them."
"Do they still hurt?" Dawnie asked as she reached out to feel the scars.
I shook my head, signaling that it was okay for her to feel them. I resumed my story from the Battle Of The Bands welcome party until my talk with Twilight at Pinkie's house when I brought the number of cuts up to eight.
"How many more times did you cut yourself, Sunny?" mom asked with worry in her eyes.
"Seventeen if you don't count the cut from..." I trailed off, unsure how to explain that I attempted suicide in the school bathroom.
"From what?" dad asked.
I looked at Twi and she nodded after realizing what I wanted. I didn't have it in me to admit to my family that I was minutes from ending my life in an alternate world.
“It was before we met, but Sunny told me about how she came extremely close to committing suicide,” Twi told them.
You could feel the shock move through the room as the truth set in. I was in tears as well as my mom and sister.
Dad managed to get his voice back first between the three of them and asked me, “How close, Sunset?”
I wiped my eyes, swallowed the knot in my throat, took a deep breath and replied, “I… I was in the process of cutting the primary vein in my arm when Twilight found me by accident.”
“By accident? What do you mean?” Dad asked gently.
“She happened to come into the restroom for a quick breather from all the stress just as I was beginning to draw blood,” I explained. "It was a very intense couple of minutes. She reminded me of the mental strength that resided within me and promised to be there for me whenever I needed somepony."
"Shimmy that's so sad that stuff happened to you," Dawnie said as she squeezed between me and Twi in order to give me another hug.
"So what happened after Twilight saved you?" mom asked.
I responded by telling them about my involvement in the Battle Of The Bands, the task of figuring out what was causing the girls to randomly pony up and how me and Twi met.
"The first few weeks were kind of rough between us," Twi said, joining the conversation now that we were at a point where she knew what was going on. "My first sleepover was at Sunny's apartment with the others and I found her in the bathroom with her last four cuts in the middle of the night."
"What was the reason for those, Sunny?" mom inquired.
"I was feeling guilty about how poorly I was treating Twi as a friend," I told her. "I had a dream that night that reminded me of how I was treating Twi wasn't any different than how I was treated a few moons earlier."
"Even though I had been feeling hurt, I managed to comfort Sunny enough that she was able to lay down and go back to sleep," Twi added. "Even though I got in trouble the next day by my mother for having her blood all over my brand new pajamas."
"I think the more important part of that situation is you were there for Sunny when she needed you, regardless of what happened with your clothing," mom told her.
"My mother said something similar after I explained where the blood came from," Twi responded.
"Sounds like your mother is a wise mare," mom said.
"Woman," I corrected her and proceeded to give the human equivalent term of each gender, adult, and child.
"So is there any more to your life in this other world or universe or whatever you want to call it?" dad asked me.
"Well... should I tell them about all the events of Camp Everfree?" I asked Twi with a nervous smile.
"What do you mean by 'all the events'? Sunset, what did you do?" dad asked with a raised eyebrow.
I let out a nervous chuckle before replying, "I may or may not have tried to seduce Twi on the second day of camp."
"What does that mean?" Dawnie asked enthusiastically.
"Umm, I, uh... perhaps a, uh, crash course in, um, human anatomy would be needed to, um, explain this part," I said as I felt my face beginning to blush heavily.
"How about we skip that part of the story," Mom suggested, much to my relief.
Me and Twi each told my family about what happened during our time at camp before Gloriosa turned into Gia Everfree (minus Twi getting an eyeful of my breasts, of course).
"After camp we, well our friend Pinkie Pie, threw a, ahem, unique party for another one our friends," I told them. "If it's okay, I'd prefer to leave those details out while Dawnie is in the room."
The mention of Rainbow's "Loss of Virginity" party seemed to reignite the flame that was currently residing inside Twi's reproductive system. Her eyes lit up and I knew exactly what was on her mind as she attempted to kiss me.
"Later," I whispered quietly in her ear before returning to the tale. "Anyway, we continued our friendship until Valentine's Day when this little minx tricked me into revealing my feelings for her in front of the entire class at school.”
"What's Valentine's Day?" Dawnie asked.
"It's the human equivalent of Hearts And Hooves Day; although humans tend to get more, what would be the best term, intimate than ponies do," I said as the twinkle in Twi's eyes continued to get brighter.
"How about we cut off the storytelling there?" dad suggested.
"Oh thank you," I sighed. Honestly, I was beginning to get a little horny from those memories and I think my parents could tell. Meanwhile, Dawnie was protesting the decision to keep the rest of our "adventures" to ourselves.
"So how long will you two be staying in Equestria?" mom asked, changing the subject. "And do you have a place to stay while you're here?"
"We have a hotel room booked for us to stay for the next three days," I replied.
"No, you don't," dad said sternly.
"What?! Why?" I asked.
"Because you're going to stay here instead," he said.
"We still have your room set up from when you still lived here, except for the bed. We figured if you ever came back you would need a larger bed to sleep in," mom told us. "And yes it's big enough for the both of you."
I saw the excited look on Twi's face when mom said that.
“Mom? Dad? Since Twi and myself are grown adults, would it be okay for her and I to, umm, you know,” I said my face felt like it was on fire from embarrassment.
Mom and dad both blushed slightly at what I said but understood what I meant.
“It'll be fine as long as the door stays locked and you cast a soundproofing spell so the rest of us won't hear you two, umm, play,” mom said with a small smile. “We understand that certain… activities need to take place when a mare is in heat.”
"How did you know Twi was in heat?!” I said in shock.
"I picked up her scent as we were coming in the house,” dad admitted.
"Please don't tell me you want to mount my marefriend, dad," I begged.
"As attractive as she is, I'm married to your mother and I'll always be faithful to her," he reassured me.
"Bummer," I heard behind me. "I kind of wanted to… Phunny!”
I quickly made my way back to Twi just in time to cover her muzzle so Dawnie wouldn't hear something that she probably wouldn't need to.
"Hey, babe. I have an idea," I told Twi. "How about you and Dawnie take your things up to my room?"
After thinking for a moment, she agreed and gave me a kiss. When I was sure she was out of earshot I asked my parents to move in close so I could talk to them quietly.”
"There's something that's been bothering me for a while," I said. "And it's about my relationship with Twi."
"Do you think the soundproofing spell worked last night, Sunny?" Twi whispered softly in my ear as I blinked to adjust to the sunlight coming through the window.
"I hope so," I said, nuzzling her cheek. "If not, we'll hear about it at the breakfast table."
Twi rolled her eyes and let out a groan at my bad pun as I tried not to laugh.
"What's on the agenda today?" she asked a minute later.
I rubbed the back of my head, pretending not to know what was going on. When in all actuality, it was the day I had been putting off seemingly forever. My meeting with Princess Celestia.
"I'm, uh, I'm not entirely sure, Twi," I blatantly lied. "We're going to have to check the, uh, itinerary to find out."
"Uh-huh," said Twi, obviously not believing me. "If I remember correctly, today's the day Princess Twilight arranged a meeting for you and Princess Celestia."
"Do I have to?" I whined.
"Yes!" said Twi, doing her best impression of Fluttershy's 'stare'. "And it has to be today. No stalling."
"But I'm still sleepy from last night's activities. I'm going to go back to sleep for, I don't know, four more days," I said as I rolled over and pulled the covers tight.
"Sunset Shimmer! Get your, um, flank out of bed this instant. You are going to the castle today after breakfast and that's final."
"Yes, mom," I said sarcastically from under the covers.
The next thing I knew, the covers were being removed from my body and when I looked at Twi, she had the sheets in her teeth accompanied by a smile as big as her face would allow. I stood up on the bed, shifted my weight to my back legs before springing forward toward my lavender girlfriend.
"You missed!" she teased as I landed on the floor with a thud. "I'm up here."
I stood up and launched myself at her a second time and again missing the mark. We chased each other around the bedroom for at least five minutes, if not more. We were laughing, hollering, jumping on and off the bed like we were little fillies. That is until Dawnie opened the door and saw us goofing around. She took off running down the hallway and then down the stairs.
"Mom! Dad! Shimmy and her girlfriend are jumping on the bed!" I heard her shout.
Me and Twi stopped fooling around for a moment to stare at each other while we waited for my parents' response. Twi was on the verge of splitting open with laughter while I was quasi-worried about what my parents were going to do. I didn't have to wait long though because I heard my dad call me by my full name.
I slowly walked out the door with a snickering, bespectacled mare behind me.
"What? They're not going to yell at you," Twi said, trying to keep me levelheaded. "You're a grown adult-"
"Mare," I corrected as I started down the stairs.
"Okay, grown mare. There's nothing you need to be worried about."
"You don't know my parents when it came the Dawn tattling on me," I pouted.
"I still think you're-" Twi abruptly stopped as we saw the look on my parents face.
My parents had the look all parents have on their face when their kids screw up. The only thing I could think to do was flatten my ears against my skull, lower my head and stare at the floor.
"Young filly, you are... pffft... ha ha ha!" Neither one of them could keep a straight face after seeing my reaction and fell to the floor, laughing their flanks off.
"See? You were overreacting," Twi said as she hid her smile behind her hoof.
"You're not going to yell at her?" Dawnie asked in protest. "That's not fair! The instant you hear me jumping on the bed, I get yelled at but Shimmy and SciTwi are allowed to do the same thing?"
Dawnie then stormed off to her room and slammed the door. Mom and dad began laughing harder after that with me and Twi joining them. Moments later we all heard the unmistakable sound of a filly jumping on the bed. The fact that they were laughing at me and Dawnie's reactions to the situation, I don't think my parents cared at that particular time.
"Oh brother," dad said after we calmed down. "The look on your face was priceless. You looked like a little filly that broke a vase."
"Oh haha," I said to them before turning my attention to Twi. "This was a pretty elaborate prank you pulled off."
"I swear I had nothing to do with it," Twi insisted. "There's no way I could've pulled this off anywhere near this great. But it was hilarious."
I just rolled my eyes while mom called Dawnie down to breakfast.
"Have you ever had hay pancakes?" mom asked Twi.
"Can't say that I have but I'll give them a try," Twi replied.
Twi moaned as she walked beside me down the sidewalk after the carriage arrived to take us to the castle. I took the time to get a laugh in at her expense in retaliation for all the laughing at me that she had done in the last couple days.
"Oh shut up," she grumbled. "I didn't realize how good hay tastes in this body."
"I told you to pace yourself," I said, still snickering.
"But... oh never mind," she said as the coachpony opened the door to the carriage for us.
I felt something snap inside me as soon as we sat down. My mood went from silly to terrified in an instant. I knew why I suddenly became a nervous wreck. It was because I've had been having the same dream every night about Celestia banishing me from Equestria after our meeting.
"Hello? Sunny? Anypony home in there?" I heard Twi say suddenly. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah... I'm, well, no. I'm not okay," I said nervously. "I'm terrified."
"Why? Everything's going to be fine," Twi said as she nuzzled my cheek. "You'll see."
"What if she does banish me though? How will I be able to see my family again?"
"I don't think she'll banish you. However, if she would, I'm sure she would work out something so that you can see your family."
"Thanks, Twi," I said as tears began forming in my eyes.
"Do me a favor, please."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Save your tears for Celestia. I have a feeling you're going to need them."
I nervously made my way through the main corridor of Canterlot Castle with Twi at my side. As we drew nearer to the royal chambers, I felt my legs lock up in a fit of panic. I wanted to clear the air with the princess but I was just so terrified of what she would say.
"Let's... go... Sunny," Twi grunted as she pushed me forward against my will. "You... promised... that... you'd... do... this... today."
"I know," I said weakly. "I'm just... afraid."
Twi stopped pushing and walked around to face me eye-to-eye.
"There is nothing to be afraid of. If what Princess Twilight told you is true, Princess Celestia has been worried sick about you," Twi said softly. "Remember, I'll be right outside the chambers waiting for you."
I looked into her eyes and saw a confidence that I was lacking. My body relaxed and I gave Twi a hug; thanking her for her support. I sat down in front of the chamber doors and took a few deep breaths.
Everything will be okay. There is nothing to worry about. You can do this, I told myself right before surrounding the door handle with a teal aura and pulling it open.
I slowly peeked inside the chambers and saw Princess Celestia on the center throne and a second alicorn, who I had assumed was Princess Luna at the time, seated to her right. The two of them were discussing something but it was quiet enough that I couldn't make out what they were talking about.
"Lieutenant, can you please escort the next petitioner into the chamber, please?" I heard Celestia say.
"Yes, ma'am," the guard said before approaching me. "Follow me please, miss," he told me.
I stared at the floor as I slowly followed him to the throne.
"I shall leave this one to you alone, sister," Luna said before walking past me toward the doors.
I heard the hoofsteps approach from the throne and saw a shadow cover my body. I couldn't tell if it was from fear, shame, regret or some combination of the three, but my legs completely gave out from beneath me. Once I hit the floor, I covered my head with my forelegs.
"Sunset," Celestia whispered. "There is no reason to be afraid of me."
"I... I'm so sorry," I whispered back. "I... I failed to apply what you tried to teach me."
I could feel her lay down next to me and drape a wing across my back.
"My dear Sunset. You have not failed. I have heard of your accomplishments from Princess Twilight. I am proud of you. If anything, I should be apologizing to you."
"To me? W-why?" I asked, raising my head to reveal a pair of tear streaks on my cheeks. "What have you done to me?"
"By showing you the crystal mirror, I was responsible for you fleeing Equestria. I did not ask Twilight to bring you home the first time she went to the human world. Because of that, I am responsible for these scars on your forelegs. Sunset, I am sorry for what you had to go through. I hope that you can forgive me," Celestia said as she did her best to keep her composure.
"I forgive you," I whimpered as I buried my face in her pristine white fur. "Do you forgive me?"
"I've always forgiven you, Sunset," Celestia said as her voice began to waver. "No matter how angry you had made me, no matter who was to blame, I have always forgiven you in the end."
"Thank you... *sniff* ...so much. I... I love you, Princess," I cried.
There were no words spoken between us for about five minutes or so as I was held tightly against my former mentor, both of us crying. The fear that had been building up over the last two weeks melted away into love as the rivers from my eyes continued to flow.
Celestia was the first to break the silence between us. "Why were you so afraid that I would banish you from Equestria? This is your home."
"I... *sniff* ...I figured that as angry as... *sniff* ...you were when I jumped through... *sniff* ...the mirror that you..."
"Shhh. Yes, I was angry. We both were. The events that transpired four years ago were fueled by a lot of negative emotions. Things were said by both of us that shouldn't have been said."
"I deserve to stand beside you as your equal if not your better. Make me a princess NOW!"
"This is the biggest mistake you'll ever make."
Two of the last things I had said to her prior to making my through mirror began echoing in my head. I felt the pain of those words stinging me in the heart as she continued to hold me tight.
"Sunset, there is something else I would like to discuss with you," said Celestia as she gently lifted my chin so that I could look into her own tear-filled eyes.
I walked out of Celestia's personal chambers filled with a feeling of relief after making up with the princess. There were still a couple of dark lines on my cheeks from where I had been crying off and on for the last few hours. I closed the doors behind me and found Twi curled up in one of the sofas asleep. I couldn't help but laugh at her as she had a small puddle of drool underneath her chin.
"Hey the pancakes are burning," I whispered in her ear.
"Ohmygosh! I can't believe I fell asleep with them..." she stopped abruptly as soon as she saw me grinning from ear to ear.
"Payback's a bitch. Isn't it?"
Twi didn't say anything. Instead, she hopped off the sofa and smacked me in the face with her tail. I can only assume that the fact I was still snickering annoyed her even more because I got smacked in the face a second time. We continued on to the castle library that I promised her that we would visit while we were there.
I gave her a kiss on the cheek as we exited out of the main building into the courtyard. "Hey, I want to show you something in the flower gardens real quick."
"It's not going to jump out and attack me is it?"
"No it's something special that's connected with my cutie mark," I said with a smile.
"Sooo it's a killer plant?"
"Oh ha ha. Just follow me."
I led her to a group of bushes that had flower buds on them. The puzzled look on her face told me that she wasn't impressed. Not yet, anyway.
"So a group of bushes is what you got your cutie mark from?" asked Twi flatly.
"It's not the bushes. It's what I can do with them."
I moved to the western side of the bushes and closed my eyes to focus on the difficult spell that I had only performed a half dozen times. The teal aura that accompanies my magic started to surround my horn. As the power grew, I felt the sensation of my cutie mark begin to glow as well.
"Oh wow," Twi said excitedly. "They're beautiful. Are they...?"
I finished the spell and opened my eyes to find the group of about twenty or so rose bushes had blossomed. I took a minute to get my bearings before receiving a smooch square on the muzzle. But I wasn't done quite yet.
"I need to talk to you about something serious for a moment, babe," I quietly told her.
"Really? What?"
I levitated a pair of scissors from my saddle bag, snipped off the largest blossom I could find and gently weaved it into her mane.
"We've been through a lot over the past year," I said as I snipped a couple more roses and began weaving those into a crown. "The Friendship Games, Camp Everfree, Juniper Montage and quite a few unique parties from Pinkie. Well, we almost had one more thing to add to the list."
"Almost?"
"Yeah. Celestia offered to ascend me to an alicorn princess while we were making amends."
"You didn't take her up on the offer, did you?"
"No, I didn't," I said lowering the volume of my voice.
"But why? That's what you always wanted. Wasn't it?" Twi asked softly.
"Yes, but it would mean I would have to stay in Equestria." I took a deep breath before continuing. "I have something I want to ask you."
"Okay, what is it?"
"You know how we're going to the final day of the Crystal Fair tomorrow?"
"Yeah, why? Is there a change in the itinerary?"
My breathing started getting shorter as my chest felt tighter. "Would you be willing to accompany me to the fair as the future Mrs. Sunset Shimmer?" I levitated a box out of my bag and opened it in front of her.
"Sunny... are you...?" Twi sputtered quietly as she stared at the ring sitting in the box.
"Yes. Twilight Sparkle will you marry me?"
Twi stood there speechless with tears slowly building in her eyes. Her lip began quivering causing me to wonder if I was going to be rejected. However, after a minute or so, Twi wrapped her forelegs around me and gave me the answer I was longing to hear. "Yes! Oh my gosh! Yes!"
I looked toward Celestia's western balcony and saw Celestia and Luna looking down at us, smiling.
"What are your parents going to think when they see this monster of a rock on my horn in the morning?" Twi asked me while we walked up the door of my parents' place.
"To be honest, I don't have a clue," I said, opening the door. "But I hope we don't catch Tartarus for getting in this late."
"We're grown, um, ponies, Sunny," she whispered. "I don't think they're going to be waiting at the dinner table to ask us why we're sneaking in after midnight."
We set our saddlebags on the floor and walked toward my bedroom as quietly as our hooves would allow. We passed the dining room and nopony was there. "That's one hurdle."
"Why are we sneaking around here anyhow?"
"Because I want the first time they see the ring to be when the morning sunlight hits it."
"What happens then?"
"It's enchanted so that any sunlight in the morning will cause it to change properties from ruby to amethyst," I whispered excitedly. "And yes it works in the human world."
I saw the wonder in her eyes as she processed the magical properties in her engagement ring. "Really?"
"Would I lie to you about something that involved magic?" I said as we entered my bedroom.
"No. I suppose not. Now let get celebrating," she said as she knocked me over onto the bed, catching me off guard as my back hit the sheets. The heat of the moment caused me to completely forget about locking the door and the soundproofing spell.
Me and Twi stepped off the train at the Crystal Empire station and the view was beautiful. The top spire of the palace was radiating all colors of the rainbow throughout the sky. The walls of the palace seemed to serve as a prism for the sunlight. We walked up the dirt road leading to the city and began to hear the music and cheering from the fair going on around the outside of the palace.
"What kind of activities do they have here?" Twi asked me.
"I have no idea," I said. "I would imagine that it has the usual stuff a fair has."
"Well let's walk around and see what kind of stuff they have," she said with her right foreleg wrapped around my neck.
The booths throughout the event were an upscaled version of most fairs I had been to as a filly; petting zoo, face painting, all those sorts of things. While waiting in line for some crystal berry pies, I noticed a sign off to the side of the booth that I felt the need to point out to Twi.
"Hey, there's going to be a pie eating contest in a few hours. Wanna enter?" I asked with a smirk.
"Sure, but I know for a fact I'm going to win."
"And just how do you know that?" I asked with my eyebrow raised.
"Duh! It's because I eat more pie than you do," she quipped.
"You might eat more pie but I'm better at it," I shot back.
"You wanna make a bet?"
"Five bits says that I can beat you," I said, producing five gold coins from my bag.
"You're on."
We got to the front of the line and rather than buy anything, we signed up for the contest.
Four hours later, we slowly made our way off the stage with our mouths stained blue from the crystal berry pies. True to her word, Twi ate me under the table and left everypony else to wonder what happened.
"I can't believe you ate seventeen pies in five minutes," I moaned.
"I guess being a lesbian has its advantages," she replied with a giggle.
"Oh my-" I said, facehoofing. "That line doesn't quite work in Equestria because most of the ponies are, at the very least, bisexual."
"Oh. Oops," Twi said with a nervous laugh.
"It's fine." I wiped some of the leftover pie crumbs off her cheek. "But seriously, we should probably get cleaned up. If the position of the sun is right, the Crystal Heart ceremony should be starting soon."
We found the nearest wash basin, got cleaned up and then got some gifts for our friends back home. A crystal flugelhorn for Pinkie, a replica jousting shield made from crystal for Rainbow Dash, a crystal necklace for Rarity, crystal berry fritters for Applejack and a crystal plush bunny for Fluttershy.
"What about me?" Twi whined playfully. "Don't I get anything?"
"Um... Twi...?" I said pointing to her horn.
"Oh. Right."
It was about then that Princess Cadence stepped out onto the balcony to begin the ceremony. Shining Armor was to her left holding Princess Flurry Heart.
"That's what Cadence looks like as a pony?" Twi asked in amazement.
"I guess so. This is the first time I've seen her in Equestria."
"I never would've guessed that the tips of her wings would be purple."
"I know. That the first time I'd ever seen a pony with multicolored wings."
"Fillies and gentlecolts!" Cadence finally announced after a short trumpet fanfare. "This week has been the most successful fair since I've been appointed the ruler of the Crystal Empire. The Crystal Heart has been radiating with love and hope more than it ever has been. I would ask that you now focus all the love in your heart toward powering the heart for the next year. The love for your family. The love for your friends. The love for your neighbors. The love for your enemies. Whatever the love you are feeling, use that love to power the heart.”
I closed my eyes and bowed my head so that I could focus my energy toward the center of the city. While doing this I saw myself and Twi locking arms at our wedding after saying our vows. All our friends were there with us as was my family. I continued to enjoy the subconscious vision until I felt somepony rubbing my cheek.
“Sunny, you're… beautiful,” Twi said as I opened my eyes. I probably shared the same look she had on her face when I saw that her body had turned to a crystalline form.
“So are you, babe,” I replied, kissing her on the lips. I levitated our camera out of my bag and asked one of the crystal ponies to take a picture of us.
"We are going to make Rarity so jealous," Twi said, eliciting a giggle from the both of us.
“Oh my head,” I moaned as I woke up the next morning and rubbed my eyes. There was a familiar damp spot on my shoulder from Twi drooling on me in her sleep. “You awake?” I asked.
“Five more minutes,” Twi mumbled.
“Sounds good.”
“Did last night really happen?” asked Twi quietly.
I looked around the room and noticed a pair of black vinyl outfits laying on our saddlebags.
“I'm ninety-nine percent sure that last night did happen. The proof is laying on our bags.”
Looking at bags, Twi asked, “What are we going to do with those?”
“I don't know,” I sighed. “We can't leave them here because of Dawnie.”
“And we probably can't take them home because they'll more than likely expand to human sizes,” added Twi.
I took a couple minutes to try thinking of a solution while Twi began to massage my back with one of her hoofs.
“I got an idea,” I said excitedly.
“Do tell.”
“Why don't we keep them at Twilight's Castle? She's got a room specifically for us so we can hang them in the closet.” I said as Twi continued to massage my back.
“Sounds good. But what are you going to tell Princess Twilight when she asks where we got these?”
I felt a mischievous smile appear on my face just before answering. “Let's tell her the truth and get a laugh from the obvious freak out she will have from it.”
“That's kind of mean,” Twi scolded.
“I know but I haven't-”
“SUNSET SHIMMER!” shouted mom from the bottom of the stairs. “YOU AND SCITWI BETTER GET DOWN HERE IF YOU WANT BREAKFAST BEFORE YOU LEAVE FOR PONYVILLE!”
“Coming, Mom!” I shouted back.
“Too bad you weren't,” Twi said before giving me a kiss.
“What am I going to do with you?”
“Love me forever.”
So we got out of bed, got everything packed in our saddlebags and slowly staggered down the stairs. We hadn't even got seated before Dad started up.
“Nice to find out there wasn't any adult language coming from your room last night,” he said with a smirk.
“We just came in and went to bed, Dad,” I replied. “The fair took a lot out of us and then the dinner at the palace took longer than we planned.”
“I see,” he responded, still smirking.
I just rolled my eyes and groaned as Mom levitated a three-course breakfast to the table.
“So there's a couple of things I, er, we'd like to discuss with the two of you before you go home,” Mom said.
“What's tha-” I started before she interrupted and began a line of questioning that would put some of Pinkie’s ramblings to shame.
“So when is the wedding? Are you having it in Equestria or the other place? Will you both be wearing dresses? Where do you plan on having the honeymoon? Are you going to have foals? If so, are you going to adopt? When can we expect the grand foals?”
I felt my face turn to fire as I buried my head in my hooves as the rapid-fire questioning continued. Twi was also red in the face but at the same time giggling like a school filly.
“Hun?” Dad finally interrupted after what felt like hours.
“Yes?”
“One question at a time. You've got Sunset so embarrassed that she can't even look at us.”
“Thank you, Dad,” I mumbled through my hooves.
“Sorry. I probably would've done this yesterday but we were upset about the fact that you forgot to cast a certain spell the night before,” Mom explained.
“We're really sorry, Mrs. Dawn. It's actually my fault because of… you know,” Twi said sheepishly. I managed to lift my head enough to see the adorable sight of her blushing as she continued. “I've never had to deal with, well, urges this strong before plus the excitement of becoming engaged mere hours beforehand and-”
“Please dear, I understand,” said Mom as she walked around the table to comfort Twi. “It happens to me a few times a year as well. And please call me Mom. Okay?”
“Sure.”
“Now that that’s out of the way, let's get back to the subject of grand foals,” Mom said with a grin.
“Mom, please!” I begged as I lifted my head to face her. “We haven't even discussed the wedding yet. Heck, we haven't even graduated for that matter. One thing at a time. I beg of you.”
Twi was busy snickering the whole time, as were Dawnie and Dad. While they had their fun, I could only cover my face with my hooves and mane to hide the mortified look that I knew was on my face.
“At least she didn't get the baby pictures out,” Twi whispered in my ear.
“Please don't give her any ideas,” I groaned from under my mane.
Almost on cue, I heard a thump on the table along with the accompanying vibration. I hope that's not what I think it is, I thought.
“Before you girls leave, we need to show you something, SciTwi,” said Mom enthusiastically.
“Don't. You. Dare,” I fussed.
I heard the scraping of the chair as Twi got down from the table and the subsequent hoofsteps as she walked around it.
“This is Sunny when we brought her home from the hospital for the first time. Wasn't she a cute filly? Oh, oh, here she is levitating her very first book. We were so proud of her that day…”
I tried my best to teleport out of there but the embarrassment was too much for me to focus. I knew then how Twi felt almost two months prior when her parents did the same thing to her.
The train ride back to Ponyville was the longest trip I ever took. The awkward silence between me and Twi finally ended after my fiancé attempted to make small talk.
“So, um, nice weather we're having,” she said nervously.
“There's no need to be cliché, babe,” I responded. “I'm just still mortified from my parents. That's gotta be close to how you felt when your parents did that.”
“Not really. I mean, sure I was a little embarrassed but I saw them do the same thing to Shining Armor when he started dating Cadence so I was kinda prepared for it. What?”
“I was just thinking.”
“About what?”
“Something Mom asked about.”
“Children?”
“Yes. I mean, I wanted to wait until after the honeymoon to discuss that subject but after her Pinkie Pie-ish rambling and my baby pictures, I started wondering if I wanted children or not.”
Twi rubbed my back and softly nuzzled my cheek as she answered, “Like you told your mom, one thing at a time. Let's get the prom and graduation over with then we can focus on the wedding and everything else after that.”
“Thanks, babe,” I said, returning the nuzzle. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Sunny Wunny,” she said in a tone that you would talk to a baby in. “You were just the cutest wittle fiwwy wiwwy in all of Equestwia. Weren't you?”
I furrowed my eyebrows as she began giggling at her own joke. I loved her more than anything and nothing would change that. Not even an eternity of embarrassment from my family. As I continued to think about the questions Mom had barraged me and Twi with, I gazed into Twi’s eyes, reached my hoof behind her neck and pulled her into long, passionate kiss.
“How was your trip to Canterlot and the Crystal Empire?” Twilight asked when we entered the castle library.
“Pretty good for the most part,” I said, giving Twi a wink.
“Great to hear. I'm assuming you did everything you wanted to since there's a ring on Twi’s horn.”
Twi pressed her body against mine and nuzzled my chin as she replied, “We met Donut Joe, reconnected with Sunny's family, enjoyed the Crystal Fair and each other, looked at baby pictures and made out with Princess Celestia.”
“You mean made up, right?” Twilight asked, cringing.
“Well…” I said, trying to stall.
“You honestly didn't do… that with Princess Celestia,” Twilight said as a noticeable panic began to build.
Twi and I looked each other and began to laugh at Twilight's breakdown, knowing that it was about to get worse.
“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! YOU… YOU… how could you…? She was your mentor for pony's sake! I… Oh no… I will not be hearing the end of this,” Twilight panicked as her veins showed through her coat and her left eye began twitching uncontrollably. “I can't believe this. This is just another prank, right? Right?”
“I… I... I wish it… wish it was,” I said as me and Twi were rolling on the floor laughing.
“You… you want to… to know what else?” Twi asked.
“What else is there to know? What could possibly be worse than this?” Twilight continued.
Twi composed herself just long enough to answer her doppelganger. “She. Liked. It.”
“WHAAAAT?!?”
I was howling with laughter by this point. I had tears pouring down my cheeks from laughing so hard. Sure I was against the whole idea of an erotic night with Celestia initially, but after we received our outfits, I reversed my stance on Twi's plans.
“Ummm, everything alright in here, sugarcube?” pony Applejack said as she poked her head in the library.
“Yeah. Sure. Nothing the matter at all. Just having a talk with Sunset and her girlfriend,” Twilight said in an unconvincing tone.
“Y’all sure? Yer eye is twitchin’ pretty bad there.”
“Yep. I mean, it's not like I just found out that my mentor had a sexual encounter with two of my friends sometime within the last twenty-four hours. So everything is just peachy.”
Applejack stared at us for a moment and then looked back at Twilight before joining in the laughter. I don't know if she started laughing at me and Twi's antics or Twilight's meltdown.
“Oh wait ‘til Dash hears about this,” Applejack said after settling down.
“No, no, no! No, no! No! Please don't do that! All of Equestria will know about it within hours,” Twilight begged as sweat began running down her face.
“Ah’m just pullin’ yer leg, Twilight. Ah wasn't gonna tell anyone. Y’all ain't got nothing ta worry ‘bout,” Applejack reassured.
While Twilight moved to the next level in her breakdown, hyperventilating, the journal that was connected to mine began vibrating. I wiped the tears from my eyes, levitated it in front of me and opened it to the most recent message.
Everyone's here at the statue waiting whenever you're ready to come home and we have a big surprise to show you when you get here.
-Fluttershy
“Well, I think it's time to wrap up this meltdown, Twilight,” I said as a few errant chuckles still escaped my lips.
“What? Why?”
“Because everyone's at the statue waiting for us to return,” I replied before turning my attention to Twi. “Can you put our ‘royal outfits’ in the closet of our room while I reply to Fluttershy, babe?”
“Royal... outfits?” Twilight said weakly before finally passing out.
“Y'all probably should get going so ya don't keep yer friends waitin’ too long,” Applejack said. “Don't worry about Twilight. Me an’ the girls will make sure she's a’ight.”
Twi went to store our mistress outfits in the closet of our castle bedroom while I went to the mirror room to get the portal set up. I lucked out in the fact that all I had to do was set the original journal that used to belong to Princess Celestia in the tray above the mirror to activate it. A few minutes later I was joined by Twi and after a quick kiss, we held hooves and stepped through the mirror.
