Twilight woke up to the sounds of sizzling and metal-on-metal scraping. She tried to sit up, but her head started to spin and she groaned loudly, gripping her temple with a hoof as she laid back down.
“Cadance?” she croaked. Her mouth felt like she had been gargling sawdust.
“Good morning sleepy head. You look rough,” Cadance replied.
“Ha ha. You sound way too chipper. You drank more than me,” Twilight croaked again.
“And I’ve been drinking for far longer, hun. Come on, breakfast is almost ready.” Cadance tugged at Twilight’s forelegs and Twilight reluctantly sat up. She groaned when she was finally upright. At least there’s no nausea, Twilight thought.
Twilight strained to open her eyes against what felt like the sun’s entire light for a day compressed to a few seconds. The bright light and the stabbing pain it brought slowly gave way to unfocused shapes and colors.
She blinked several times to clear her vision, and the room began to come into focus. She glanced left and right; she was still on the couch she slept on last night and was therefore still in Cadance’s apartment in the castle. That explains the sounds of cooking food, she mused, Cadance never did like to leave until she made her own breakfast.
Twilight looked directly ahead and a saw a bright pink smile. Cadance tugged on her forelegs once more and dragged her off of the couch to walk her into the dining room and sit her at the table. Twilight still held her head in her hooves and groaned, keeping her eyes closed for the time being.
Cadance brushed a hoof through her hair and kissed her forehead. “We’ll get some breakfast in you and you’ll start to feel so much better. Just you wait,” she whispered softly.
Twilight nodded slowly, and Cadance took her leave to finish off her cooking. More scraping from the kitchen and a few minutes later, Twilight heard a plate slide across the table and liquid being poured into the glass next to her. She opened her eyes and glanced over the spread.
“Toast with peanut butter and raspberry preserves, fried eggs over easy, and orange juice. My own personal hangover cure trifecta. I haven’t found anything else that works quite this well,” Cadance said after she sat down across from Twilight and dug into her breakfast.
“It looks delicious,” Twilight said. She started with the eggs, splitting them with her fork. She watched as the yellow yolks spilled onto the plate before she mopped them up with the rest of the egg and took a bite. “Mmmm.” She swallowed. “Cadance, this is really good. Thank you.”
“No problem, Twi. Thanks for taking care of me last night.”
Twilight smiled, and upon remembering the exact events that led to her sleeping on the couch, looked down and pursed her lips. “We... we still need to talk about that. But after breakfast.”
Silence, save for the clattering of cutlery, took hold. Twilight finished off the eggs and took hold of the toast in her magic, munching on it slowly. When she was halfway done, Twilight noticed that it was now completely silent across the table; Cadance had finished her breakfast and sipped on a cup of tea.
Cadance evidently saw Twilight looking at her, and simply said, “Take your time. There’s no rush. We’ll talk when you’re ready.”
Twilight nodded and returned to her toast. Several minutes later, both the toast and orange juice were gone. She poured herself a cup of tea for herself and Cadance refilled her cup. They meandered into the living room and sat down on the couch where Twilight slept and they kissed the night before.
Cadance took another sip of tea and set her cup on the table at the end of the couch. She turned back to Twilight and leaned against the couch, showing off her long, slender torso unadorned with any regalia. Or clothing, the naughtier part of Twilight’s mind said.
“I want to thank you again for last night, Twily,” Cadance started.
“It’s no problem,” mumbled Twilight, “I’d do it for any of my friends.”
“Friends.” Cadance hung on the word. She paused for a few moments, staring at Twilight with a slight smile. “I still meant what I said last night. I did mean that kiss, drunk or not. And you know I’ve always loved you. It’s just... changed a little. You’re hardly the same little filly I used to babysit. You’re a hero.”
Twilight blushed and waved her hoof dismissively.
“You are! Sure, times have changed and there is a new group of Element wielders.” Cadance looked down and swallowed hard. “And Shining passed away a few years ago. Held on for a good long while, that colt.” Her smile returned and she looked up at Twilight, pressing a hoof under her former sister-in-law’s chin. “But that doesn’t diminish the fact that you’ve saved the lives of the citizens of the various kingdoms so many times over.”
“I... I know you’re sure, Cady, but I’m not. And I love you too; you’ve been my best friend for... ever!” Twilight said as she leaned against the couch as well. She sniffled. “I miss them. All of them. And I know I have you and Celestia and Luna and Spike. And everypony at the school and my own duties as the Princess of Friendship. But goddess above, I miss my friends and parents and Shiny.” A few tears formed in the corners of her eyes.
Cadance reached out her hoof and tenderly wiped them away. She then pulled Twilight into a soft hug, stroking her back and rocking her. “There, there, Twi. Let it out.”
“I want to talk to them about this! Help me figure out what it is I’m feeling. I... I did enjoy that kiss. And I kinda wanted it, too. But I knew—I felt like I would’ve been taking advantage of you if I let it continue.” Twilight wiped away a few of her own tears and then wrapped her forelegs around Cadance’s neck, pulling her in close. Sobs wracked her body and the tears flowed freely.
Cadance held her tighter and stroked her back while she whispered, “Ssh, Twilight. I’m here. I’m here.” She squeezed Twilight once and nuzzled her neck as she held her close until the sobs faded and Twilight just leaned against her, relaxed. When Twilight finally pushed herself back up, Cadance offered the sweetest smile she could as she stroked Twilight’s mane, pushing it over the mare’s ear. Cadance let her hoof rest on Twilight’s shoulder. “Feel better?”
Twilight nodded slowly.
“You know that I’m here for you, always. And I’m still the Princess of Love. If you’re at all confused about your feelings toward me, who better to help you, right?” Cadance giggled.
Twilight sighed. “It sounds cliched, but one of the big reasons why I’m nervous about this is because you are one of my best friends. I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want to get hurt.”
“Then we take things slowly. We wait until you’re sure. A few real dates, like a trip to the bookstore where we write little notes on slips of paper and leave them in our favorite books. And I want you to know, you silly filly, love can hurt, but it’s worth the risk.” Cadance snaked her hooves around the back of Twilight’s neck and leaned closer. “Plus, do you really think I’d let you get hurt? You’re my favorite, Twily. So you have my permission to set Celly and Lulu on me if I ever do hurt you, OK?”
Twilight chuckled and blushed, glancing between Cadance’s magenta eyes and her soft lips. “I think I could give this,” she paused, “us, a try.”
Cadance smiled and closed the distance between their muzzles, pressing her lips ever so softly against Twilight’s and holding the kiss for just a few moments. “I’m glad,” she whispered. “So what are you doing tonight, then?”
