A Lunar Sunset

Chapters

2 - The Agreement
3 - Questions Without Answers
4 - The Past Reaches Out
5 - The Scars of History
6 - Facing the Darkness
7 - Climbing the Mountain
8 - Confessions in the Moonlight
9 - The Morning After
10 - The Fallout
11 - The Confrontation
12 The Challenge
13 - Coming Clean
14 - The Date
16 - Nightmares come knocking
17 - Drinks With the Devil
18 - Consequences
1 - Waking Up
15 - Business as Usual

2 - The Agreement

Sunset roared into the parking lot at CHS and pulled into a spot next to a pale yellow scooter. Fluttershy was just removing her shockingly pink helmet and jumped at the roar of the Mustang’s engine. As her boots hit the ground, Sunset smiled at her quiet friend.

“Oh! Hello Sunset Shimmer!” Fluttershy nearly whispered. She made sure to keep a healthy distance away from the terrifying car. A small white head popped out of Fluttershy’s backpack and glared at the flame-haired girl.

“Good morning Fluttershy! Hello Angel!” Sunset grinned, and gestured at the scooter “New scooter?”

“Oh, yes. I saved up all of my money from working at the animal shelter and bought it yesterday. I just think it’s so cute, and really I don’t need anything too flashy. N-not that flashy is bad by any means. It’s just that, um, it’s not really for me.” Fluttershy was becoming flustered as she tried to explain her comment away.

Sunset laughed. “I know you well enough to know that you didn’t mean anything by it Fluttershy. Besides, I happen to LIKE a bit flash to my ride.” She tipped a wink and a grin to the pink haired girl who relaxed slightly. The bunny rolled its eyes.

“Good morning girls. I trust your summer went well?” Sunset and Fluttershy both jumped, neither one had heard Luna walk up behind them.

“Oh! Vice-Principal Luna. Y-yes, it was wonderful.” Fluttershy stammered.

“I see that you have a new scooter Fluttershy. I do quite approve of the environmentally friendly approach.” Luna smiled at the girl.

“Sunset Shimmer, would you please come to my office once school begins? I would like to go over a few things with you. I have already taken the liberty of excusing you from your first several classes, as I expect this may take some time.”

“O-of course. Is everything okay?” Sunset was terrified. She didn’t think that another crazy event was due to happen for a while yet. She hoped that it would be a long while at that.

“Yes, everything is fine, I just wanted to review a few things with you, and see if you can shed some light on them for me. I will see you shortly.” Luna walked away without a backward glance.

“Was everything quite alright, darling? Did Vice-Principal Luna need something?” Rarity walked up to the two girls with concern showing in her face. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were right behind the fashionista.

“To be honest, I am not quite sure Rarity…” Sunset let the end of the statement trail off

“She asked to see Sunset in her office during first period, and that it may take a while.” Fluttershy filled in the only blank that she could. “She said that she wanted Sunsets opinion on something.”

“Ohhhhh maybe she has a secret crush on Sunset Shimmer and she wants to have coffee and talk about magic and friendship and eat cakes and is on a super secret mission to know everything there is to know about anything and get rid of the sun and loud cars and snuggle and get all dressed up and go out to fancy places…”

“PINKIE!” Applejack shouted interrupting the tirade of the Pink Party Person. “Ah’m sure that y’all are just bein’ silly and letting your imagination run wild there.”

“Oh, well, that could be the case too. But I like my idea better.” Pinkie grinned and started to skip away from the group toward her first class.

“Ah don’t know where she gets those crazy ideas sometimes. Sometimes ah wonder if she has frostin’ between her ears. Class is ‘bout ta start, and I suggest that we all get to gettin’ and worry about Vice-Principal Luna later. Not that ah think there is anythin’ to worry about.”

All of the girls nodded and said their goodbyes. As Sunset walked toward Vice-Principal Luna’s office.

Luna sighed as she walked away from the parking lot. She noticed that she was sighing far more often, and generally when she thought about this particular assignment from her sister. The last thing in the world that Luna wanted to do was dig into more of this magic business. If she had her way, she would have just closed the book on the whole mess, and left it at that. But Celestia was a curious sort, and couldn’t leave well enough alone.

That thought found Luna stepping into the dimness of her office and pressing the button to start her coffee maker. The appliance in her office clashed terribly with the sedate colors. It was an office-warming present from Celestia, who thought that she was was truly worthy of the comic stage. The coffee maker had been set with her “Best Vice-Principal” mug, but while the mug itself was a lovely shade of blue, the coffee maker was distinctly garish in shining white and gold. Celestia laughed herself silly when Luna had put together the intent. While she may be the Vice-Principal, it was Celestia who was in charge, just as the coffee filled the cup. Luna took the mug home, but left the hideous coffee maker in her office, simply for the fact that she refused to have it in her kitchen.

A knock at the door interrupted her thought. “Come in.” she said, loud enough to be heard through the door.

Sunset Shimmer opened the door, obviously a little intimidated, and stepped into the dimly lit office.

“Close the door please. Would you care for some coffee, I’ve just made a fresh pot.”

Sunset’s eyes went wide. “Yes please, that would be wonderful.”

Luna nodded and gestured to the small sofa at the side of her office, indicating that Sunset should take a seat. Given what they were going to be going over, she wanted to put Sunset as far at ease as she could.

“Cream or sugar?”

“No, thank you. I’m a black coffee kind of girl.”

Luna grinned to herself. Common ground was a good place to start.

“I also take my coffee black. I do hope that you enjoy it strong.” Luna implied the question as more of a challenge.

Sunset rose to the bait.

“Is there any other way?”

“Certainly not, Ms. Shimmer. I think that we are quite in agreement on that point. Please do relax, I would like to keep this as informal as possible.” Luna passed Sunset a plain blue mug and sat down in the chair across from the girl, relaxing into the cushions.

“Vice-Principal Luna, if you don’t mind me asking, I’m sort of confused on why I am here.” Sunset sipped her coffee and nodded to herself. The older woman had good taste, for a school administrator.

“Please, let’s drop the formality in here Sunset. Just Luna if you would be so kind. Now, as to why we are here - the short answer is that my sister can’t leave well enough alone, and has delegated to me the task of finding out what all of this magic nonsense is about.”

The teen was shocked at the bluntness coming from Luna.

“You don’t sound excited at that. I would think that as a teacher, you would be chomping at the bit to learn something new.”
“Let me explain my background to you Sunset. I was an English teacher. I dealt with other people's ideas AFTER they had finished with them. I enjoy the written word. I am by no means a scientist, nor am I a researcher. But Celestia has tasked me with this, and now here we are. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t be prying into your private affairs, but answers must be produced in order to maintain the safety of the student body, and at the center of each of those questions, you stand like a beacon in the night.”

Sunset was dumbfounded. She had never found someone so bluntly spoken. Not even Applejack was this clear in her opinions.

“All of that being said, Sunset. If you would, I am asking for your help in this. Not only to get the answers that my sister is looking for, but also to maybe bring a little bit of peace back to the school.”

“Wow Vic…. Luna. I suppose I could help. But I don’t really know much about it myself. To be fair, the other Twilight might be the right person to talk to about all of this. She was there too, and she knows WAY more about magic than I do.”

“That’s as may be Sunset, but having the Twilight Sparkle from the other world here is an exercise in luck at the best of times. We don’t have a way to have here here in a time that is convenient, nor do I think that she is as involved in this as you may be. Between the Friendship Games, as well as the issues this past summer at Camp Everfree, you remain the only constant across all instances.”

Sunset held her coffee close, and bowed her head. Everything that Luna had said was true. Twilight from Equestria wasn’t really involved in the last couple of issues. Sinking further into the sofa, Sunset resigned herself to the fact that she was the issue, and that helping Luna was best for everyone.

“Okay, I’ll do it.”

“Wonderful. I do appreciate your help Sunset. While I may not enjoy the thought of doing this, knowing that we are not going to be at odds over this makes it immensely easier. Now, as to the times we can discuss this. I would rather we didn’t have to detract from your classes as I noticed that you are taking quite the impressive course load. Would you prefer that we meet after school? Being that you are coming into this willingly, I would like to minimize the inconvenience to you as much as possible.”

Pinkie’s voice echoed inside of Sunset’s head. The hyperactive girl was partially accurate in her tirade from earlier. SUnset was thankful it was not brightly lit in the office, as a blush crept up her neck.

“Uh, if we are going to be digging into magic, I do have a library on the subject at my house. It may help us get to the bottom of this, if you are okay with that? Some of the books are kind of rare, and some are from Equestria, so they may offer different things to look into.”

“You had me at ‘Library’ Sunset. If you would be willing, I would like to schedule time this Saturday. Would later in the day work for you? I am not much of a morning person.”

The student laughed. “I would happily prefer later in the day.”

Luna breathed an internal sigh of relief. She managed to avoid the early mornings on this extra project.

“Wonderful, I will see you on Saturday then. Oh, and Sunset, one more thing if we could please?”

Sunset stopped with her hand on the door, ready to open it. She raised her eyebrows at Luna.

“I understand that you are close with the other girls, but for the time being, I would ask that there be some discretion shown with this.”

“Of course… Vice-Principal Luna.” Sunset smiled as she closed the door behind her.

Author's Note

The deal is struck

3 - Questions Without Answers

Sunset Shimmer walked down the hall to the school entrance. The first meeting with Luna had taken less than an hour, and she was already excused from her first class. Stepping through the front entrance, Sunset made her way to the parking lot, and a beeline for her car. There was a lot of information to process through and she had nearly an hour to kill before moving on to her next class.

Getting into the car, Sunset rolled down the windows and turned on the stereo. Despite all appearances, the young woman enjoyed the sounds of a time long past and tuned the radio to a local jazz station for their morning programming. The music flowed out of the aftermarket sound system, and Sunset leaned back in the seat, closing her eyes.

Principal Celestia wanted Luna to find out more about magic. Luna obviously didn’t want to, but was concerned for the greater good. Could Sunset do any less? Once she committed herself to being a better person, the moral dilemmas came along with relative frequency. Over the last year, things had settled down and became easier for her to align her moral compass. Where Sunset was concerned, the Pandora’s Box of her being a troublemaker had closed. Now she was being asked to re-open it, and take a hard look at her own personal shame.

The thought was discomforting to say the least. Normally she would have gone to her friends to find some kind of idea on how to handle this. But Luna had asked that she keep this under wraps for the time being. While she didn’t necessarily agree with the fact, Sunset did respect the elder woman’s decision in the matter. She knew all too well how things tended to get out of control at CHS when magic was involved, and involving more people than were necessary was just asking for trouble.

“Ugh. What have I gotten myself into?” Sunset asked of nobody in particular.

“I don’t know, what HAVE you gotten yourself into?”

Sunset jumped out of her seat, and smacked her head on the roof of the car. Pinkie Pie was lying on the roof, and her head was hanging upside down in the open driver side window. Her mop of pink hair was totally unaffected by gravity.

“PINKIE! What in the… how… why are you on my car?”

“Oh I was just walking by because I got to class and then I realized that I don’t have class until second period so I thought that I would come outside and enjoy the sunshine and see what people were doing and you came out and I called to you but you didn’t answer and I saw you turn on the music and I wanted to listen too and I didn’t want to interrupt you so I decided to just listen and then you asked your question and here we are!”

Sunset just stared at the inverted head in her window.

“So what have you gotten yourself into? Is Vice-Principal Luna okay? What did she want to see you for? OH NO! THE BELL!”

Pinkie Pie zoomed off toward the school without even waiting for an answer to her questions. Sunset turned off the car and made a more sedate pace back to the school building.

The remainder of the day passed without incident, and Sunset was glad to think about heading home. As she walked out among the other students, she noticed the rest of her friends waiting around her mustang. Smiling to herself, Sunset walked over.

“I suppose you all want to know how things went this morning?”

“Um, DUH! Like, why in the world would you be called into a secret meeting with Vice-Principal Luna and then expect us to NOT want to know what is going on?”

Rainbow Dash was obviously impatient. She was standing still and focused totally on Sunset.

It took only the briefest of moments to decide what to do. Sunset refused to lie to her friends, but she also couldn’t reveal the truth because Luna had asked for her not to.

“I was asked to not discuss it for-”

“Oh! COME ON! That’s totally lame!”

Rainbow was clearly frustrated, and Sunset couldn’t blame her for it. But if what Luna had said was the truth, she also didn’t want to put her friends in danger. Magic was unpredictable at the best of times, and at CHS it had shown to be downright hazardous.

“C’mon now Rainbow, ahm sure there is a reason that Vice-Principal Luna asked Sunset to keep a lid on it.” Applejack was much more subtle about her prying into the matter, but no less curious.

“Vice-Principal Luna asked that I do some research with her, and that for now it needs to remain private. That’s about as much as I can say. “

“Oh COME ON!” Rainbow allowed her frustration to boil over.

“Rainbow Dash, we really ought to not put ourselves in the middle of Vice-Principal Luna’s business. Really, darling, some privacy is to be expected.”

Sunset shot a thankful glance at Rarity for the save.

Rainbow Dash grumbled but let the matter drop. The relief on Sunsets face was evident.

“So, when are y’all meetin’?” Applejack was forthright in her question, though the subtext was clear - if they couldn’t know WHAT was going on, they darn sure would try to know everything else.

“She is coming to my house on Saturday morning. I have some books available that might make this go a little easier.”

The information was so suddenly dropped that the other five girls just looked shocked. Even Pinkie Pie had stopped her bouncing and looked on in surprise.

“My dear, you are having Vice-Principal Luna, the second highest authority in our school, over to your home, on a weekend. Isn’t that a little… unusual?”

“Yes, Rarity, it is. But given the circumstances, I don’t think that there is any other choice.”

“Um… Sunset… If you don’t mind, can... is there anything at all we can do to help? I know that we are asking questions that you can’t really answer, but, um, is there anything you can say?”

Fluttershy asked the question more to the hood of the car than to Sunset, but the whispering from the pink-haired girl had the desired effect of changing the subject.

“I honestly don’t know yet. To be perfectly clear, I don’t even know all of the details of what we are looking into or how I can help. But I will ask Luna on Saturday, does that sound good to you?”

Fluttershy nodded and smiled.

“Wait. Did you say ‘Luna’? Awwwww yeah, getting all chummy with the VP, you go Sunset Shimmer!”

Rainbow Dash latched onto the wrong bit of information while Sunset put her face in her hands and blushed furiously.

“Any luck with that little project I asked you to take on?”

Celestia leaned on the doorframe of the office, without knocking of course. The woman thought that the world was hers to command.

“I met with Miss Shimmer this morning. We will be meeting on Saturday at her home, as she apparently has a number of books that may prove useful on the subject. Given the nature and how volatile magic has shown to be, I think it might be in the best interest of safety to keep any research away from the general student body. And, the privacy of her home should lead to more honest discussion since she may be more at ease there.”

Luna didn’t even bother to look up from the paperwork in front of her. If Celestia wanted to play high-and-mighty ruler, Luna wasn’t going to buy into it.

With a final signature on the paperwork, Luna packed it away into her files to send off to the school board tomorrow. Another request for funding for her own pet-project. It would be nice to have an expansion to the library, and Luna was bound and determined to see that it happened. While she may be an administrator, she was a teacher before anything else, and you couldn’t teach without proper books. The penchant for technology in the classroom rubbed her the wrong way.

Celestia cleared her throat. Luna had all but ignored her.

“I’m sorry, was there more to the Sunset situation that I neglected to cover with you?”

Celestial rolled her eyes. Her sister was an expert at snark when needed, and Celestia knew that the project was not an appreciated burden.

“Just, be careful sister. With your own temperament, as well as Sunset Shimmer having a history of being a…. Volatile young woman, I worry. And let’s not forget that you have your own history of volatility.”

“That was quite a long time ago Celestia, and I believe that we had agreed to leave that particular matter behind us.”

Luna’s tone was sharp enough that it stopped her sister cold in the middle of her thought. Luna disliked recalling that particular incident, and every time it was brought up by her sister, it was shut down quickly.

“I know, sister. I just worry. Can you blame me?”

“Enough Celestia! You have assigned me a task, and I shall see it through, despite how ludicrous I believe it to be. Unless you wish to rethink this task and leave well enough alone, I will continue as you have requested, and that will be the end of it. Now, if there is nothing else, I have my own business to attend to.”

Without waiting for a response, Luna pushed past her shocked sister and left the school. Going home was probably best at this point, as she was very suddenly pushed into an attitude of anger and self-destruction.

Every time Celestia brought up the past, it angered Luna to no end. The fact was that Luna struggled every single day to reign in that darker side of herself. And if she were to examine the truth of the matter, Celestia’s concerns were well founded. That was the cold fact that truly caused her to second guess this project.

Turning toward home, Luna decided to make a quick pit-stop for dinner. Take out was preferable to dealing with cooking tonight. And Luna didn’t trust herself around the kitchen knives.

Author's Note

This is an interesting twist!

Luna has her own darkness to contend with, and we take a glimpse behind the curtain.

4 - The Past Reaches Out

The red numbers on the alarm clock said 3:57 AM.

After the first week back at school, Luna was ready to go back to summer vacation. The work itself was nothing more or less than it had ever been. No, the real issue was this Sunset Shimmer problem. Though to be fair, it was more of a Celestia problem than Sunset Shimmer. Luna had to assume that the girl would rather not see magic again in the near future, considering how many times it had put her life on its head.

No, the current unrest was all because of her sister. Luna knew that Celestia meant well when she had brought up her own past, but the rest of the week was spent in a downward spiral of emotions.

It was no use, Luna was wide awake, and alone with her thoughts. Again. Still. Whatever.

One of the nice things about living on her own was that she could deal with her emotions and the related issues in her own way. The other side to that though was that when the darkness was overwhelming inside of her own head, she was left with that as well. And because of the continued comments from her sister, Luna spent most of this week in her Dark Place. It wasn’t anything overt, but when Celestia would ask her how she was doing, and then check again in an hour, it got to be overwhelming.

4:06 AM. Luna was awake. There was no changing that fact by now. Tossing the blanket off of her, she grabbed her robe and went to make coffee. Once the steaming mug of goodness was in her hands, she made her way out to the balcony.

The chill early morning air was crisp and felt clean against her face. Holding her coffee close, Luna curled herself up on her chair to enjoy the remainder of the night.

Perhaps the coffee, the moonlight, and the cool air would clear her head before she went to see Sunset Shimmer later this morning.

Sunset Shimmer was sitting in her library looking at a stack of books relating to Equestrian magic. She had also pulled everything that she had on teleportation, and unicorn biology. The stack was woefully small, but it was a direction to look into at least.

Her coffee cup sat on the table with a pad and pen, as well as pages of notes and thoughts. Anything that she could do to get ahead of the game, and possibly end this little project quicker.

The fact that she had been awake for hours already might have also played a role. Once the clock hit 6:00 AM, Sunset was wide awake and unable to go back to sleep.

Looking at the half-empty mug she smiled - her coffee maker had certainly earned its keep today already, and Luna wasn’t due to arrive for another 30 minutes. Sunset debated putting on something more than sweatpants and a tee shirt, but the thought of doing anything more than her shower this morning didn’t appeal enough to her sensibilities. She had showered, her clothes were clean, the house was clean - if Luna really cared that she wasn’t all dressed up, that was her problem.

At 10:00 AM precisely the doorbell rang. At least the administrator was punctual. Opening the door, Sunset was greeted by a shockingly less formal Luna. Who also happened to have a box of doughnuts from Joe’s down the street.

“Good morning Sunset. I assumed that doughnuts would be acceptable?” Luna smiled over top of the box.

“You know the way to my heart apparently. I could never resist a good doughnut! Please come in. I just put a fresh pot of coffee on.”

Luna walked into the entryway and looked around as they made their way to the kitchen.

“You have a very nice home Sunset. It is very welcoming.”

“Thanks. I got lucky after I got here from Equestria, and the price was well worth it. The seller even came down significantly when I offered to buy it outright with cash.” Sunset took the box of doughnuts and set them on the counter.

Luna raised her eyebrows at that.

“If you don’t mind me asking, Sunset, how is a teenager able to afford that?”

Sunset chuckled. If they were going to be digging into equestrian magic, these details might have to come out sooner or later.

“To be honest, I’m not a teenager at all. I’m 25. When I came through the portal into this world, I found the difference between pony maturity and human maturity, physically speaking, are quite large. It makes things much easier for me to explain if people assume that I am a teenager. As for the money, when I left Equestria, I brought everything that I could carry with me - including my life savings. While gold is fairly commonplace in Equestria, when the money was converted by the portal, it was not exactly an insubstantial amount. With some good investments and a little bit of frugality, I can live comfortably as long as I keep things modest.”

As the girl was speaking, Luna looked around the kitchen. Everything was well maintained, and of good quality. But some things showed signs of being secondhand if one looked closely enough.

“You seem to do quite well for yourself.” Luna accepted the coffee mug that Sunset passed to her.

“This is delicious! What sort of coffee is this?” the older woman asked, taking a second drink of the heavenly brew.

“It is from a local roaster down next to Sugarcube Corner. They just opened last month, and I am a sucker for the freshness. Would you like the tour before we dig into the books?”

Luna nodded as they walked out of the kitchen. The tour was brief, as the house only had a few rooms. Every room was tastefully appointed and decorated with the unique style that could only be described as Sunset Shimmer. The wood floors were all warmed by plush rugs, the walls all painted using warm colors. The last stop was the library, and that stopped Luna in her tracks.

“This is an amazing collection, Sunset. I have never met a young woman with such an extensive collection outside of my own.” The library was lined with shelves, and a large table dominated the center of the room. There were several stacks of books on the table, each with numerous bookmarks in them, as well as a sheet of handwritten notes tucked in the inside cover.

“I have been trying to find some of the most relatable books that I could think of. Trying to get a bit of a head start on this, so that we can get to the bottom of it. But before we get started, I wanted to talk with you about something that I found that concerns you very directly.”

Sunset gestured Luna to one of the comfortable looking chairs at the side of the room. With more than a little anxiety, the older woman sat expectantly.

“What do you know about Equestria?” Sunset asked.

“Very little I’m afraid. I know that for every person, it seems that there is a like being on the other side of the portal in your world. I know that magic is a common tool there, and that somehow when you came to this world, magic came with you.” Luna was on solid ground when discussing facts. So far, this was a safe conversation.

“Almost all true. Where this world is concerned, there is very likely another Sunset Shimmer somewhere, and that so far as we know, every being here is also accounted for in Equestria. Including you. Magic, on the other hand, may not have come through the portal with me. If you recall at the Battle of the Bands, Adagio and her sisters had been here and using magic for hundreds of years. I suspect that it may have intensified with my coming through, but we can only speculate.

“Knowing all of that, I want to let you know about your counterpart in Equestria, because some of these texts mention her very specifically.”

The pit fell out of Luna’s stomach. “Please, Sunset, just tell me.”

“In Equestria, you are a princess. One of the most powerful beings that is known about, second only to your sister. Your other self is co-ruler of the land, and you hold full domain over all things in the night.”

“That’s… unbelieveable…” Luna could barely grasp the information, let alone assimilate it.

“Unfortunately, that is only a part of it. Over a thousand years ago, the Equestrian Luna let her dark desires overtake her, and she attempted to overthrow Equestria and bring about eternal night. Her sister, Princess Celestia, was able to banish Princess Luna to the moon for a thousand years. She has only recently returned from her exile and is becoming a much better pony. At least, that’s what Twilight Sparkle tells me.”

Sunset Shimmer looked at the older woman with apprehension. As someone who had grown up with stories of Princess Luna, seeing Vice-Principal Luna was only a minor shock. But the Luna from this world had no idea about her other self, or the power and status that she held in Equestria. Saying that it was likely a lot to digest was an understatement.

“That is certainly… I… Please, give me just a moment to collect myself. May I get you some more coffee?”

Luna stood and took the empty mug from Sunset, making her way to the kitchen.

A princess. Her other self was a princess. Not only that, but a princess that had gone power mad, was exiled, reformed, and was now working through her own redemption. The parallels to her own life were uncanny, and more than that, they were unsettling.

As she poured the dark coffee into the two mugs, Luna noticed her hand shaking. The only conclusions that she could draw from this were surely undeniable. She knew her past. She knew her own Darkness. Setting the coffee pot back into the machine, she reached her hand up to feel the inside of her right arm. Right at the elbow, she could feel the small, hard knot of scar tissue. Reminding her of her own madness.

Luna shut her eyes, trying to block out the memory. The rage, the fear, and the overwhelming sense of being nothing. The blackness of her closed eyes only allowed the blackness of her Darkness to come up and swallow her.

As Luna crumpled to the floor, her arm swept one of the mugs off of the counter, shattering on the hardwood next to her unconscious form.

Author's Note

The world has been built, and now plunged into darkness.

We are going to get into the meat of things here shortly, and it is only going to get more intense.

5 - The Scars of History

Sunset shot out of the chair and toward the kitchen with the sound of the shattering mug. She couldn’t see Luna through the opening of the breakfast bar. Tearing around the corner, she stopped dead in her tracks. Luna was unconscious on the floor

“Luna? Luna!”

Sunset kneeled down next to the older woman, lifting her head up and cradling it in her lap, the cooling coffee soaking into the fabric of her sweatpants. A problem for another time.

“Please wake up!”

Sunset stroked her hand over Luna’s forehead, pushing the dark hair out of her face. Luna exhaled slightly and inhaled agian. Breathing. Breathing is a good thing.

“Oh hell! Luna please wake up. Celestia would kill me if anything happened to you here, I know it!”

Luna’s head shook slightly and her eyes fluttered.

“Luna? Please come back to me!”

Blue eyes finally opened fully, if a little slowly.

“Oh thank goodness! Luna, are you alright? What happened? I was so scared!”

Sunset Shimmer hugged the older woman close to her chest, stroking her hair as tears ran down her cheeks.

“Sunset? What in the world happened?”

“I don’t know. We were talking, then you needed a moment to yourself, and you came in here for more coffee. The next thing I knew I heard one of the mugs fall and break, and I found you in here on the floor. Do you need a doctor? Should I call someone?”

Sunset was becoming more agitated the more questions she asked.

“Can you help me up please?”

The younger woman helped leverage Luna upright so that she could lean on the counter, and then stepped back to give her some space. Sunset knew from experience that sometimes having people inside your personal bubble was not as helpful as it was intended.

“Thank you Sunset Shimmer. I’m sorry about the mess, Do you have a broom, I can clean it up…”

Of all the things to be worried about, Luna was concerned about the mess and not the fact that she dropped unconscious like a stone.

“Don’t worry about that Luna. I will take care of it in a moment. What I’m concerned about is the fact that you passed out in my kitchen. “

“I understand Sunset. It is a very… complicated matter. I do feel that I owe you an explanation though, yet I am unsure of how to frame it.”

Luna hugged herself and looked at the floor before realizing that her shirt and jeans were soaked from the spilled coffee.

“I know this may sound awkward, and like I am deflecting giving you an answer, but would you mind terribly if I used your shower and laundry? I seem to have soaked up most of the coffee.”

Luna grinned slightly, and Sunset responded in kind.

“Of course. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Sunset led Luna to her bedroom and dug out a pair of pajama shorts and a tee shirt before gesturing the soaked administrator toward the bathroom.

“There are clean towels stacked in the cabinet in there, feel free to use whatever you need. If you pass me your wet clothes I can start them in the wash.”

Luna nodded

“Thank you Sunset. I know this is a terrible imposition, but I promise answers to you as soon as I am done here.”

“I will hold you to that. And if I hear anything hit the ground, I am coming in after you, deal?”

Luna grinned honestly at that.

“Agreed.”

As the door closed behind her, Luna quickly got out of her wet clothes and wrapped herself in the overly large towel. It was soft, and smelled clean and a little spicy. Like someone had baked a pie and covered it with the towel.

“Sunset?”

Luna cracked the door open to pass out her wet clothes. Sunset was leaning against the door frame waiting patiently.

“Thank you for this. I should be out shortly.”

“Take all the time you need. Don’t worry about the hot water, I can honestly say that I have never run out no matter how hard I’ve tried.”

Sunset took the clothing and headed out of the room to put the clothes in the wash.

With the door shut behind her, Luna cranked the hot water up until the bathroom was obsucrred with steam. She needed the heat to try to burn off some of the mental debris.

As the water poured down her, Luna looked at her body and reflected on the past. Her other self was in a position of power, much like her. Her other self had gone through a massive power struggle with family and been exiled.

Luna looked at her thighs, and ran her hands over the thin tracery of scars. She had her own battle with family, and had been through her own inner trauma. While the pony Luna had been fighting with and attempting to master the world, the human Luna had been fighting herself. That fighting had left its mark. And while not the moon, by any means, her exile to Shady Acres had been just as damning.

It had been years since Luna had hurt herself. If living in that sterile world had shown her anything, it was that showing your Darkness to the world never ended well. She wondered if the Princess had learned the same lesson.

Taking her hands away from the proof of her own Darkness, Luna started to clean herself up, and think about what happens next.

A part of her wondered if she should share this history with Sunset. Surely the younger woman would know what it was like to fight those battles. She had, after all, turned into a raging demon and tried to enslave the school. Who better to open up about Darkness to, than someone who had tried to embrace it already?

Turning the water off and grabbing the towel again, Luna eyed the loaner clothes. The choice to open up seemed to have been made for her. Grabbing the pajama shorts, Luna slid them up her legs, and saw that there was no hiding the marks of her past. Not all of them at least.

With the shirt on, Luna opened the door to the bedroom, and found Sunset sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for her, two fresh cups of coffee steaming on the bedside table.

Luna walked over and sat next to Sunset Shimmer.

“We need to talk, Sunset…”

Author's Note

This one is a bit on the short side. I debated seriously making this one longer, but in the end, my own personal scheduling dictated that this one be trimmed in order to give Luna the proper attention for her story.

If you hadn't already guessed it - Luna was placed into psychiatric care for self-harm, among other things that will be expanded in the next chapter.

6 - Facing the Darkness

Accepting the fresh mug of coffee, Luna sat next to sunset on the bed, keeping her eyes firmly on the floor.

“The similarities in our worlds, it seems, run deeper than just a pony and a human with the same name. I am going to ask you to bear with me while I try to sort this story out, Sunset, because I have not told it to anyone before. But If you know of my counterpart, and her history, then you need to know mine as well.

“Celestia and I were raised in a very traditional family. We were deeply involved with our church starting at birth. Celestia was always the star of our family, and did everything right - to this day, she is still a pillar of that community. I, on the other hand, was… a disappointment to our family. I learned at a very young age that I preferred the company of girls and women, rather than boys. As I grew, I developed feelings for another young woman in our church. When I discussed this with my sister, she immediately went to our parents. What happened next, you have to understand, was common in the time.

“Our family tried to intervene in what was considered to be my wickedness and sinful ways. With the church overseeing, I was sent first to a camp that was supposed to help purge the ‘unnatural longings’ from me. They were very… harsh about their methods. I know that you have heard about some of these camps, where they try to re-train the mind away from such things using barbaric and cruel tactics.”

Luna took Sunset’s hand and guided it to the left side of her head.

“If you feel right here, you can feel some of the scars from the electrodes that were used. Electroshock therapy was not uncommon for the particularly… tough cases such as myself.”

Sunset’s eyes went wide, and her breath caught. Luna was still speaking to the coffee in her hands, rather than the girl to her side.

“After three months of my refusal to bend to their will, I decided that I would rather not endure another day of those tortures. I tried to take my own life.”

Luna extended her right arm, showing Sunset the knot of scar tissue.

“When they found me, I was rushed to the hospital. The doctors there were very good at dealing with trauma injuries, and they worked… very closely with the camp to ensure that only the barest of documentation was taken. It wouldn’t do to have the authorities see children being intentionally inflicted with these kinds of wounds, after all.”

The tears were coursing unchecked down Luna’s face. Her hands were shaking again, and her breath caught as Sunset scooted closer and placed a reassuring hand onto the older womans wrist.
Luna pressed on.

“Once the doctors had patched me up, they sent me to Shady Acres. It was a psychiatric hospital on the outside of our town, and because the whole town was so active with the church, they were also very large benefactors of the institution. I was wrong to think that it couldn’t get any worse than the camp.”

Luna took a deep breath, and leaned into Sunsets shoulder slightly, taking strength from the physical presence. She hadn’t told this story in its entirety to anyone before, even Celestia didn’t know how bad it got at Shady Acres.

“Shady Acres was where they sent the ‘hopeless cases’, those that the camp couldn’t fix. The details are… painful. The hospital employees were chosen more for their ability to maintain order and compliance, more than their ability to provide psychological care. It was here, more than anywhere that I became aware of my… distaste for men.

“One of the guards had a particular… fondness for teenage girls. I will spare you the details, but for months I was ra… assaulted by him.”

Luna shuddered and her voice cracked. Sunset wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, stroking her hair. The older woman stopped her story as the sobs slowly started to come through.

Sunset was at a loss.

All she could do at this point was hold Luna close and let things run their course. She really didn't have any other ideas. With one hand stroking the blue hair, Sunset gently pulled the coffee mug out of Luna's hands and set it on the bedside table. As soon as the lifeline of the mug was removed, Luna flung her arms around the younger woman and sobbed harder.

“Oh Luna. Oh sweetie.” Platitudes aside, Sunset kept her tone soft. She knew enough about the world to know that sometimes you needed to just be there until the tears stopped.

Throughout the whole process, she kept her grip firm around Luna's shoulders, allowing the administrator to just cry it out while Sunset made comforting noises. Internally, she thanked Fluttershy for showing her how to care for animals that had been injured and were extremely skittish. A calm tone was worth more than the words it conveyed.

Eventually the racking sobs quieted. Slowly, Sunset leaned her head back from its position resting atop the blue hair of Luna. Looking her in the eyes, and pushing an errant strand of hair out of the older woman's face, Sunset made a reassuring smile.
“I can’t even imagine what you went through, Luna. It’s not something that makes sense to me how someone could do that to another person. The only thing I know how to do is be here for you right now.”

Luna nodded silently as she wiped her cheeks.

“That’s what I need right now I think.” The older woman looked abashedly at the damp spots on Sunset’s shirt and gestured toward them.

“I’m sorry Sunset.”

“Don’t even worry about it. It can be washed, and there are more important things than a damp shirt.”

“Thank you for being here for me. I think this has been weighing on me for longer than I thought. I will be honest, I thought that I had closed the door behind me on this. Between the concerns about this whole magic mess, and my sister reminding me every few hours that I have my own demons…”

“It’s rough.” Sunset finished the sentence as it trailed off from Luna.

“I know all about people judging you because of your past, and watching you because of it. To be honest, when we first talked about meeting, I thought that was where this all came from.” Sunset stood as she spoke, and walked to the dresser to retrieve a fresh shirt.

Luna averted her eyes as Sunset casually swapped to a dry shirt, but not before seeing a soft hint of crimson running across the younger womans back and shoulders.

Blushing as she turned around, Sunset realized what she had just done.

“I’m sorry, I’m not used to having company, and after all of this, I am a little edgy. I can’t even imagine what you are feeling.”

Luna nodded quietly.

“I think that any chance of research today is shot. But it is still early. I know this may be a little awkward, with me being a student and all, but do you want to just order some take-out and have a girls day in? Just relax and forget about any responsibilities?”

Sunset made the offer without really thinking it through. But once the words were out, it all seemed like the right idea.

“I would like that, though I had planned to go out to the mountains this evening to watch the moon rise. I like to do that on the weekends.”

“Why don’t we do that. Your clothes should be clean by now. We can get changed and go see the sun set.”

Luna smiled, not bothering to acknowledge the slight freudian slip.

Author's Note

This one was a pain and a half to write. I worked on it every single day for the last week. I don't honestly think that I have deleted and re-written as much as I have on this chapter alone. In the end, I wanted to keep this chapter strictly to Luna's trauma. I thought that dedicating it to its own chapter was the right thing to do, and allowed to do it the justice it needed.

Now, I do want to address something important here:

I know that this story is not for everyone, I understand that the subject matter is sensitive. I don't want to shy away from it, and I don't want to cover it up. This is important.

I know that the material may be emotionally triggering for some, and I want to acknowledge the fact that if you have those triggers based on personal experience, it is a horrible thing to have to have gone through, and I do not intend to make light of it in any way.

If you or someone you love struggles with mental health issues, suicidal thoughts, or have been/are being abused please reach out to a professional. There are people out there who are very well trained and educated and available to help YOU. There are so many resources, and you do NOT have to suffer in silence.

7 - Climbing the Mountain

As Luna changed into her clean and dry clothes, she reflected on the past couple of hours. Nobody else knew the truth of what happened to her. Even Celestia thought that she left Shady Acres a changed person after the government shut it down. Maybe not cured, but certainly less prone to flaunt her… preferences.

The truth was that one of the more sadistic guards had accidentally caused the death of another one of the girls. The nursing staff was paid well enough to look aside from minor injuries or bruising, but that was too large to ignore. They forced the local police to make a full scale investigation, and the whole place was shut down faster than anyone could imagine.

Luna was content to let Celestia labor under her delusion, she was still very involved with the church, and it was just easier that way.

Pulling a brush through her hair, Luna looked at the rest of the afternoon. This was certainly a far cry from the original plan of looking into magic, but her mind really wasn’t on the task at all. After the events of earlier today, Luna was even more reserved about digging into things blindly. After all, if just talking about her equestrian counterpart caused this in her, what would happen if Sunset were to return to being a she-demon? The risk wasn’t worth it in her estimation.

Sunset was waiting in the kitchen, a cooler next to her. She had changed from her comfortable clothes into a pair of shorts and hiking boots.

“If we are going to take a hike, I figured that we could use some snacks while we are at it.”

Luna nodded at the forethought, and Sunset led them to the garage.

“Do you mind if I drive? I don’t do well as a passenger.”

The mustang beeped as it unlocked. Sunset put the cooler into the back seat as the garage door opened. Getting into the car, she hit the button to lower the top of the convertible.

Luna smiled as she got into the passenger seat. The gir certainly had style, and seemed to be taking the events of the morning in stride.

As the car roared to life, Sunset pulled out of the garage.

“Where to?”

Luna pointed to the west.

“Lookout Mountain please. There is a perfect spot, and we should be able to make it in time to see everything.”

Without another word, Sunset eased the car onto the road and headed to the highway. Both women's hair streaming behind them.

“Do you mind some music?”

At a negative shake from Luna, the younger woman turned the stereo on to an upbeat jazz number.

“I never figured you for a jazz person, Sunset.”

“I love it. I think that the music is just so freeing, and the players do it because they want to, not because they can sell a million albums. People anymore want to hear the same songs over and over, and I just want to hear someone loving the music that they make.”

The dark haired administrator nodded at this. Maybe there was something more to this young woman than just rock and roll, flaming hair, and rampant magic.

Both women listened in silence for nearly an hour before the turnoff for the hiking trail came up.

“Exit here and take your first right. The road isn’t marked but it is the best spot. Once you turn off, just follow it to the top.”

Sunset nodded and followed the directions, turning onto a dirt road that led up the mountain.

“You may owe me a car wash after this.”

Luna was about to respond until she saw the joking grin that Sunset flashed at her. She stuck her tongue out at the redhead, and was greeted by laughter.

As they pulled up to the flat plateau near the top of the mountain, Luna was happy to see that they had made it with enough time.

“This is the second best place to watch the sun set in the whole city. I like to come up here on Saturdays and just watch the night fall. It has become somewhat of a weekend ritual for me in the last few years.”

“Any particular reason?” Sunset inquired.

“As a teacher, you may think that our days end with the last bell, but to be honest, we work many hours extra during the week. When I became the Vice-Principal, that workload only increased. I found myself also working on Saturdays. I have been coming up here at the end of my Saturdays so that I can just let the tension of the week go, and enjoy the beginning of my single day off. It may sound crazy to you, but I feel that I am more alive during the night, that that is when I am most at peace. Though after hearing about my Equestrian counterpart, that makes more sense. Thinking about it now, I suppose that it wouldn’t sound crazy to you at all.”

Sunset smiled as she pulled the small cooler out of the back of the car.

“You’re right. It is actually something that I wondered about. It seems that the similarities between you and Princess Luna are fairly far reaching. I suspect that you may be a bit more personable though.”

Sunset opened the trunk of the car and pulled out two of the folding chairs that she kept in there for emergencies. Silently she passed one to Luna, and set the cooler on the ground between them as they took their seats, watching the sky darken from blue to orange.

“More personable? How do you mean, exactly?”

Sighing, Sunset reached into the cooler and grabbed a bottle of water and a sandwich, offering them to Luna.

“From everything that I have heard, the Princess is cold, and intimidating. I understand that she is feared by everyone more than she is loved. With you, here, I feel like this is a natural conversation. I haven’t ever felt like you have been an off putting presence in the school, and everyone who ever speaks to you has nothing but good things to say. Even when you spoke to Fluttershy last week about her scooter, it seemed like you were being fully genuine, not just trying to make yourself out to be more approachable.”

Opening her water, Luna nodded slowly.

“I like to think that I am still quite close to the students. I may be older, but I think that their problems are more relatable.”

“How So?”

“As with most things in my life, that comes back to my sister. Celestia was raised and still believes in the iron rules of the church. While she may be a wonderful educator, in her heart she still sees things through that very black-and-white view. I feel that that lense was broken for me. I know that there is more in this world than what the church tried to instill in me, and that nothing is ever as simple as we try to make it seem.”

Sunset nodded to the oncoming darkness.

“I suppose that makes sense given what you went through. If I may, can I ask a question?”

“Of course.”
Steeling herself, Sunset asked the one thing that was on her mind more than anything.

“Does Celestia know… what happened?”

Luna gave a quiet, bitter laugh.

“No beating around the bush there.”

“I’m sorry. You don’t hav…”

“No, it is quite okay. I should have expected it. In short, no. Celestia knows nothing other than what the rest of the world knows. My sister, though I fundamentally disagree with her on this matter, is very happy in her worldview. I would not hurt her by bringing to light the suffering that I endured at the hands of those… monsters. She and I have an agreement that we do not discuss either the church nor my relationships, should I have any. It would only open wounds that are better left closed.”

Sunset nodded to the darkening evening. It made sense to her, leaving those doors closed. In the interest of maintaining the sisterly bonds that were left, Luna chose to endure in silence. The flame-haired girl wondered if things would have turned out different for her in Equestria if she had made the same choice.

Taking a thoughtful bite of her own sandwich, she explored the possibilities of that for a moment. Would she still be in Equestria, studying under Princess Celestia? Would Twilight have ascended to the power of the alicorn? It was a deep and branching path of decisions and consequences that she couldn’t find a resolution to. In the End, Sunset decided that things were exactly how they were, and they wouldn’t change. Ultimately, going down that path was fruitless.

There was one other thought that Luna had opened for the younger woman though.

There was no denying the fact that Luna had been quite open with Sunset. Sharing details and secrets of her human life that seemed to not have seen the light of day before.

“Sunset Shimmer? Are you quite alright? You have been silent for a while.” Luna looked concerned.

“I was just thinking that you and I aren’t as different as it may seem.”

Luna raised her eyebrows in question.

“How do you mean?”

“You left your home, ultimately, because of the actions of your sister, right?”

“When it comes down to it, yes, I suppose that is the case.”

Sunset nodded more to herself than to Luna.

“In my world, I left because of the actions of Celestia as well...”

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay.... life happened in kind of an epic fashion.

Soooo much that I had to do in the last two weeks, but we are back on schedule!

And of course, the cliffhanger!

8 - Confessions in the Moonlight

Luna was taken aback.

“What do you mean? You left because of my sister?”

Sunset gave a harsh laugh.

“I may as well tell you the whole story.”

Luna looked expectantly as Sunset gathered her thoughts. It was hard to think back on her life in Equestria, but if Luna could share what she had gone through, Sunset owed it to her to share her story as well.

“Before Twilight Sparkle came into the picture, I was Celestia's prized pupil. Very much like Twilight, I was a bit of a prodigy. I got my cutie mark early, excelled in magical studies. The princess took notice, of course, and came personally to offer her mentorship. My parents were beside themselves with happiness. And rightfully so. It had been years since Celestia took someone as her personal student. They saw it as a chance to climb the social ladder and use my name to better themselves in Canterlot society.

“After studying under Celestia for nearly five years, I started to develop my own magical style. I started to do more research into forgotten spells, look into magical theory that had been forgotten. I wanted to be the best. My goal was to become the next Starswirl the Bearded, and write my name across magical history.

“To that end, I decided to create a way for a sufficiently powerful unicorn to ascend and become an alicorn.”

Luna cocked her head in confusion.

“I don’t understand. Is that forbidden?”

“Not exactly. Before Twilight was granted the power of an Alicorn, there were only five known of in the history of Equestria. The princesses Luna and Celestia, their parents, and their niece Princess Cadence. Nobody's quite sure how Cadence became an alicorn, but the fact remains that she is. To normal ponies, an alicorn is essentially the equivalent of a god. They are powerful enough that once they make a decision, it is treated as law without a second thought. I wanted to change that.

“I couldn’t imagine a world where ponies were subjects to the same monarch for over a thousand years without a second thought. It felt wrong to me, like the world was created to be their plaything instead of a functioning society.

“When celestia found my research, she was more angry than I have ever heard of her being. You have to understand that Celestia is famous for being calm, even under pressure. Nobody has ever seen anything but the cool and collected Princess of the Sun, and if they have, they don’t speak of it. She accused me of trying to overthrow her, and trying to stir Equestria into revolt against her rule.”

Luna looked shocked. That was not the Celestia that she knew. Though thinking about it, one could see the parallels.

“The princess banished me from Equestria. I was never allowed to set hoof within it’s borders again. I spent several years wandering through other nations, studying the magic found there, until I eventually came to the Crystal Empire, and found the mirror that delivered me to Canterlot High.”

Luna nonned. She knew the rest.

Sunset became quiet, watching as the sky burst into the orange hues of the setting daystar. It seemed fitting that this conversation was happening now, between the two of them.

As the sky became darker, Sunset spoke up again.

“Luna… I…”

She sighed. Thinking through her own feelings. If Sunset were being honest with herself, she would admit that she had a crush on Luna since her first day at CHS. Now, with the intimacy of the day, and where they had come from the original intent of the morning, Sunset felt that being honest about everything was the right thing.

Another sigh.

“Luna, I’m not great at this kind of thing…”

Luna’s eyes widened. This conversation was heading down a dangerous path.

“Sunset no. You are a student. I know where you are going with this.”

“I’m an adult pretending to be a student, Luna. This isn’t exactly a normal situation here.”

Luna was taken aback. Sunset was right of course. This was not a normal situation under any circumstances. Normal didn’t even come close to the facts.

“Luna, you came to my house, passed out in my kitchen, and shared details of your life that your own sister doesn’t even know. I want to think that there might be something more than the typical teacher/student relationship there. I want to know more about you, as Luna. Not the cold vice-principal of Canterlot High, but as a woman.”

Luna's heart skipped a beat. Sunset was an adult. In equestria, she would have been considered an adult for many years already. Even by the standards of this world, Sunset had her life more together than most people twice her age. It didn’t hurt that Luna did find her to be highly intelligent, and attractive.

“Sunset, I don’t know. If I allow my mind to look at it, I do wonder if this could work. But what would it mean? What would the school say? What about my sister? Your friends? I want to jump at this chance, but is it right for us to do that?”

With the sky darkening, and the moon on the rise, Luna jumped slightly as Sunset took her hand. The younger woman was warm to the touch.

“Damn the consequences Luna. I have wanted to have this conversation with you for nearly four years now.”

The older woman gasped.

“I want to be a part of your life Luna. I don’t know what that truly entails, but I want to be there in the thick of it.”

Luna looked up to her namesake. The sky was a perfect blend of fading oranges, and deepening blues and purples. She didn’t know much about magic, but the hopeless romantic in her did have a firm grasp of the idea of providence in timing.

“I can’t say that everything will be sunshine and roses Sunset. I don’t even know what my own life or future looks like. I’m not perfect, not even by a long shot. And I can’t promise you the world.”

Luna tried one last push of reason, before her walls crumbled under the heat of Sunset.

“I don’t care about perfection. I want the mess. I want the joy, and pain, and everything that goes with it.”

Luna squeezed the warm hand clasping hers.

“I would… like that very much Sunset Shimmer.”

Author's Note

Yes, it is a short chapter. But it finally happened!!!!!

9 - The Morning After

As the mustang sped down the highway back toward the city, Luna broke the hard question.

“Sunset, I know that this is a good thing, what we have between us, but I would ask for a bit of discretion. At least until you graduate. This is a delicate situation in more ways than one and-”

Luna stopped as Sunset grabbed her hand and squeezed lightly.

“Don’t worry Luna. We both have a lot to lose, and I know that you want to be slow with things. I agree. And after wanting this for so long, even moving slowly is still moving in my eyes. Besides, we are both adults here, we don’t have to spend every waking moment together is silly when we both have lives and hobbies.”

Luna nodded to the darkness.

“It is strange, Sunset. Of the very few relationships I have had, all that was ever wanted of me was to spend every moment of every day with them. I was almost treated more like a puppy who was going to make a mess on the rug, than an equal partner in the relationship.”

A bark of bitter laughter came from the driver seat

“You have no idea how true that is in any world. Even in equestria there is a streak of jealsouy in ponies just like here with humans. I never understood it myself until I came here to CHS. Then I wound up using that to my advantage. Between that, and pushing friends away from each other, trying to make my way to the top. I know more about it than most. And I never want to feel that again.”

Luna squeezed Sunsets hand in return. There was nothing that needed to be said to that.

It wasn’t long before they pulled up to the modest home, and got out of the car, walking through the garage into the kitchen.

“I really must be going Sunset. I don’t want to intrude on you any further today, much as I would like to.”

Sunset nodded gently.

“I think that is a good plan. Taking things slowly is the right thing to do. Besides, the girls come over here for Sunday breakfast, and explaining things to them is going to be hard enough when the time comes. Except for Pinkie maybe, nothing seems to shock her.”

“Indeed, Miss Pie does seem to take everything that comes her way with a certain… overactive grace.”

Luna and Sunset laughed at that. Describing the manic activity of the pink-haired girl as ‘Overactive grace’ was an understatement.

As they walked to the front door, Luna stopped and turned to face Sunset.

“Thank you for today, Sunset Shimmer. This was good for me.”

“You’re welcome Luna. And thank you for not freaking out when I confessed my feelings for you.”

Luna giggled as she took sunset in her arms, wrapping the younger woman in a tight hug, that shocked the both of them.

“Sunset, shocking as it was, I don’t think that I would ever complain about the confession. I feared that I would age into obscurity as a spinster, destined to be alone.”

Sunset squeezed the hug one last time as she opened the door.

“You aren’t alone Luna.”

Luna smiled and walked to her car parked on the curb, waving out the window as she drove away.

Letting out a sigh as she closed the door, Sunset reflected to herself on the day.

“Well, that wasn’t what I expected from today at all.”

Luna sat on her balcony, enjoying the cool evening air with a cup of coffee.

Today was most certainly a sudden shift for her. It wasn’t bad by any means, but it was unexpected. When she woke up this morning, she expected a tense day of prying answers from Sunset Shimmer about the inner workings of magic in this world. What she didn’t expect was to bare the innermost contents of her soul to a student.

Luna caught herself at the last thought. Sunset may nominally have been a student at CHS, but there was a passing certainty that she was more educated than Luna herself. If being the personal protege of the ruler of another world meant anything, then Sunset likely bordered on being able to teach anything that CHS had to offer, much less learn it.

Another thought that crossed the womans mind was that Sunset wasn’t truly a teenager either. She carried herself in a way that was beyond her years, but that may have just been life experience. Luna knew that all too well. And sometimes age wasn’t truly an indicator of adulthood. Life experience was worth its weight in gold.

It was true that Luna had issues in relationships in the past. What few there were. The women in the town were notably interested in men as a whole, and the few women that were available to her particular persuasion spent so much time trying to outdo the men in the world, that it wound up being often worse than being around a man. Luna had truly resigned herself to loneliness so long as she stayed in the city.

And then there was Sunset Shimmer. Oh Celestia would have a royal fit when she found out. They studiously avoided speaking on any topic regarding relationships, but this one would likely be unavoidable. Was it worth it? Did Luna really want to confront Celestia over her chance at happiness with someone who seemed to truly understand her, scars and all?

Her hand traveled up to the bend of her elbow, feeling the ridge there.

Yes, she thought. It would be worth it.

With the morning sun streaming through her window, Sunset came awake. Slowly.

Tossing the blankets off of her, she shuffled into the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker. The bitter brew was her favorite thing in the world. It didn’t judge her for having crusty eyes or messy hair. It certainly didn’t judge the tank top and wrinkled shorts that she slept in. Coffee simply understood that mornings were unpleasant and necessary, and it tried to reduce that pain as much as it could.

The pot was only half full when Sunset poured her first cup and shuffled back to the bedroom. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she grabbed her phone and checked to see if there were any messages. Her vain hope to skip the usual Sunday morning breakfast and go back to bed was dispelled. Nobody had canceled.

Taking a moment as her head cleared, Sunset thought about last night once more. And yesterday. And Luna. A smile broke through the haze of the morning.

She had admired Luna for quite some time. The Vice-Principal had always been stoic under pressure, even when Sunset had tried to take over the student body and turn them into mindless zombies, Luna had remained collected and rational. Not to mention that she was smart. Not only as an educator, but as someone that a student could talk to. Their brief conversations during her reformation after the Fall Formal had shown a much deeper understanding of student life than she normally let on.

Without realizing it, her hands had found their way to Luna's contact information in her phone. Hovering over the call button, Sunset stopped. Luna wasn’t a morning person either. Thinking better, she decided on a text message instead.

Good morning. Thank you for your company yesterday.

That was good. Simple. Nothing too pushy.

Looking at her now empty mug, Sunset decided to start on breakfast for the girls. They would be to the house soon, and the coffee maker was also in the kitchen.

As soon as she started pouring her second cup, the doorbell rang. Looking at the clock, it was still ten minutes before the girls were to arrive. That could only mean that Applejack was at the door. While Rarity was always “fashionably late”, Applejack could be counted on to be early, and to lend a helping hand.

Opening the door proved Sunset correct.

“Morning Applejack. Come on in.”

“Mornin’ sugarcube. You look like you didn’t sleep a wink last night.”

Sunset grimaced.

“Applejack, could you do me a favor and be a little LESS honest before I am fully caffeinated? Please?”

The blonde only smiled.

“Nope. Now run along and get yerself dressed. This ain’t a pajama party.”

Sunset nodded and turned toward the bedroom to get dressed. And ran face first into Pinkie Pie.

“Did somebody say party? I didn’t know we were having a pajama party. If I’d have known we were having a pajama party I would have worn my PJ’s, or we could have slept over and made it a slumber party and a pajama party and a breakfast party maybe next week we can have a pajama party and even sleep over and then we could stay up all night and tell ghost stories and play games and eat pizza and you could even invite Vice-Principal Luna and then we could all stay awake until morning and have a big old breakfast and everyone could have such a good time and everyone would be so happy!”

Sunset just stared.

“Sugarcube, you know that Sunset doesn’t do well before she’s had more than two cups of coffee, an’ judgin’ by that pot, she’s only had one and a half. Let’s let her get dressed and then we can talk about next week.”

Turning toward Applejack, Pinkie bounced toward the kitchen.

“Okie dokie loki!”

Sunset raised her eyebrows at Applejack.

“Don’t look at me, I didn’t let her in.”

Without a word, Sunset went to the bedroom. Pulling a tee shirt and jeans out of the closet, she wondered how in the world she was going to address this new development about Luna. She knew that her friends were going to ask about yesterday, and Pinkie Pie had an unnatural ability to find things out that people were avoiding.

Pulling the shirt over her head and buttoning her jeans, she thought it best to just address it head on if it came up. Though Sunset wasn’t going to lie, she also didn’t feel it was time to volunteer the information either. Worst case scenario, she would extract a Pinkie Promise from the girls to keep things quiet. Sunset had only heard of the ramifications of breaking a Pinkie Promise. And those had only been discussed in whispers.

Coming back to the kitchen, Sunset followed her nose to the smell of waffles and coffee.

“Wow Applejack, you work fast when it comes to breakfast!”

“You’re sure as sugar right. Can’t start the day without a good solid meal. ‘Sides, if I let Rarity start the cookin’ we wouldn’t be eating anything but some frou-frou food that’ll just leave ya hungry in an hour anyhow.”

“Well, I never! Applejack, you know that I always strive to provide a balanced meal that provides only the best in nutrition!”

Sunset heard the indignation from the entryway as Rarity let herself in.

“May be the nest in nutrition, but my food has some good ol’ fashioned heart in it. Good fer the soul, and a hard day's work after. That’s what Granny Smith raised us on, and it’s done us just fine.”

Smiling over the rim of her coffee cup, Sunset quietly appreciated her friends.

“They really are cute together, don’t you think?”

Nearly dropping her coffee, Sunset spun around and saw Fluttershy beside her.

“Oh! I’m sorry Sunset Shimmer. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you like that.”

Fluttershy hid behind her hair and started studying the floor very intensely.

“You’re fine Fluttershy. I was just lost in my own world. How are you doing this morning?”

The taller girl wrapped Fluttershy in a hug.

“I’m good. It was a quiet night at the animal shelter, so I don’t think that it will be too busy today.”

The redhead smiled down at her quiet friend, Fluttershy was a nice counterpoint to the argument going on in the kitchen. With a sigh, Sunset braced herself to step in between the feuding fashionista and farmer.

“Girls. Is this really necessary first thing in the morning? We can easily have fresh fruit AND waffles. And, to be honest, as long as there is still coffee, I am perfectly happy. Let’s just have a nice morning, shall we?”

Both girls muttered an apology, turning back to their respecting preparations for breakfast. Applejack turned out another waffle onto the stack, and Rarity sliced a grocery sack full of fresh fruit into bite sized chunks. Sunset poured another cup of coffee, and started another pot to brewing.

The remainder of breakfast went off without any issues. Rainbow Dash showed up late, and smelling like a locker room, food was had by all, and it was generally an enjoyable time. As they were sitting around the table Fluttershy decided to bring up the elephant in the room.

“Um, Sunset, if you don’t mind, maybe you could tell us how your visit with Vice-Principal Luna went yesterday? We have all been wondering about it.”

“Oh that’s easy! Luna came over and they talked and went on a field trip and now they are dating and going to live happily ever after!”

Rarity looked over top of her glasses at the pink baker.

“Pinkie Pie, don’t be silly, that would just be ridiculous.”

“Actually Rarity, it’s not exactly as far fetched as it seems…”

Sunset blushed at the admission, and stared intently at her coffee. In for a penny, in for a pound, right?

“Before I say anything, I need all of you to pinkie pie swear that not a single word of this goes anywhere outside of this conversation. Got it?”

“Cross our hearts, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in our eye.”

Nodding in satisfaction, Sunset shared most of the details of the day before. The more delicate parts of the conversation, she glossed over. There was no reason to air her history, and she wouldn’t breathe a word of Luna’s. Nobody else needed to know that.

The other girls sat dumbfounded. With the exception of Pinkie Pie, nobody seemed to be expecting this revelation at all.

“Darling, not that we aren’t happy for you, of course, but isn’t it a bit odd for an adult to be involved with a student?”

This wasn’t an unexpected question.

“I can see where you are coming from with that Rarity, but the fact is that I am significantly older than you. When I came through the portal, this was the body that I got, but I much closer to to 25 than I am to 17. Where I’m from, I am essentially an adult, fully grown and a woman in my own right. The only reason that I am pretending to be a student is because it is convenient for the body I am in.”

“That may be all well and good sugarcube, but ah still can’t see Principal Celestia bein’ like that. It just don’t seem right ta me.”

“I can’t speak for Principal Celestia, but in the past Princess Celestia wasn’t always the most forgiving of ponies. After she banished Princess Luna to the moon, Celestia was crushed. The benevolent ruler that Equestria had known was a recluse, letting the government essentially run itself for years. Only in the last 20 years or so had she come out of seclusion for more than the required public appearances. I was the first true student that she had taken on in nearly a thousand years.

“While Princess Luna was banished to the moon, Celestia had the task of ruling the entire kingdom, including passing judgement over ponies that violated the law. With that, and the weight of ruling, she became less of the kind-hearted ruler, and more of an iron-hoofed-dictator. To keep the kingdom running smoothly, she had to be swift and decisive in her justice. It was born out of necessity.

“When she found my notes and research, I think that pushed her fear of other ponies back into the front of her mind. At least, that is the only thing that I can think of.”

The girls all nodded. They didn’t know Princess Celestia, but it seemed as likely as anything else.

“So, um, does that mean you and Vice-Principal Luna are dating now?”

“I’m not really sure Fluttershy. I would like to think so, maybe, hopefully. I don’t think that we have gotten that far yet. But I think that it might be the case.”

That seemed to satisfy the girls, at least for now, and the rest of breakfast passed without comment. As the girls were all leaving, Rarity stopped as she was walking out.

“Really Darling, we are all happy for you. Just, please take care of yourself, we don’t want to see you hurt.”

“Thanks Rarity. You really are a true friend, and I will, for sure.”

The phone was ringing. The infernal contraption wasn’t worth the money she paid for it every month, and Luna was fed up with people calling her in the mornings. She grabbed the phone and answered.

“Unless the world is on fire, this had better be important.”

“Come now, Lulu, you really need to become more of a morning person.”

With a grunt, Luna hung up on her sister, and tossed the phone across the room. In retrospect, that was not a great plan, because the phone started ringing again and it was now out of reach.

“Of all the blasted… I swear that that woman lives to irritate me.”

Luna stomped across the room and picke up the phone from the floor.

“I’m upright. What more do you want from me?”

There was a laugh from the other side of the phone.

“Perhaps some breakfast? My treat.”

“Celestia, it is 9 in the morning on a weekend, and you think that pancakes are enough to tempt me to not murder you in your sleep?”

“No, but perhaps fresh doughnuts and coffee from Doughnut Joe’s might.”

Luna paused and sighed.

“Fine, but you agreed to pay and I am holding you to that. Remember that when the bill comes.”

Another laugh from her far-too-perky sister.

“I’ll see you in an hour.”

The phone went dead.

As infuriating as her sister was, Celestia knew how to make good on an agreement. Grabbing clean clothes and heading for the shower, Luna knew that she would take full advantage of the fact that Celestia was paying the bill for breakfast.

45 minutes later, Luna was pulling up to the diner and looking forward to a hot cup of coffee. Celestia was, of course, early. Walking to the table, Luna spied a fresh cup of the morning elixir waiting for her. At least Celestia was thoughtful enough to have it waiting.

“Good morning Lulu.”

Celestia earned a glare for the simpering tone.

“Coffee first, pleasantries after.”

Celestia slid a cup of coffee across the table. The thought briefly crossed her mind to put sugar into Luna’s coffee before she arrived, but there were some lines that even Celestia wasn’t willing to cross. The elder sister came back from her thoughts when the empty cup was set on the table awaiting a refill.

“Now, it is a good morning. Dare I ask what possessed you to wake me up so early on a weekend?”

Celestia rolled her eyes.

“Oh come on, it’s surely not as bad as you make it out to be. I’ve been up for hours with no ill effects.”

Another glare was earned from Luna as the waitress refilled her coffee and took their respective orders.

“I assume that you would like to discuss my meeting with Sunset Shimmer yesterday?”

“Well, if you must get straight to the point of things, yes I was rather curious as to how things went.”

Luna didn’t want to have this conversation. While she didn’t want to lie to her sister, she also know that revealing the extent of the events of yesterday would create havoc. It was a fine line to walk, but she ultimately decided on the truth.

“Celestia, I think that this is a fruitless endeavor. You know my own feelings on the matter, and I was fully candid with Miss Shimmer on the matter. She is a girl who respects candor and honesty. She did express some information to me about the subject of magic which I found educational, but I believe that it may take more than a single afternoon to come to the root of your request. I imagine that our next opportunity to examine the subject will not be until next week.”

As she spoke, Luna noticed her sister's mouth becoming a tight line of frustration. Every word was the truth, but the blunt honesty was not to Celestia's liking. As far as Luna was concerned, that was too bad, she never promised to be anything but truthful on the matter.

As their food arrived Celestia turned to more mundane topics of conversation, mostly considering the state of the school, and gossip about the students and staff. Until Celestia opted to bring the conversation to a screeching halt.

“I am going to be going to church after breakfast Luna, would you like to join me? It would be nice to see you come back to us again, and you could be so happy with us.”

Luna set her fork down with more force than was strictly necessary.

“Celestia, you know full well my stance on the matter. I will not now, nor ever, be returning to that place. My life is quite satisfactory as it stands, and I will appreciate it if you do not bring up the matter again. I respect your decision to remain involved with those… people. I ask that you respect my choice to never interact with them again. Now, if that is all, I do have plans for the day.”

Luna didn’t even wait for her sister to respond, she simply walked out, leaving Celestia staring open-mouthed at the chair where her sister had just been.

Author's Note

Holy crow! It has been a while, and again I apologize. Life happened in pretty big ways. My car exploded last week, I moved last month, work has consumed my life... I'm just a mess. But the good news is that ALS is still happening!!!

Now, before anyone gets on my case about the AU tag - I am making a choice not to use it. EqG is by definition an alternate universe, and I am taking full advantage of it. Yes, I do deviate from canon. But in the end, my story, my rules.

Enjoy! And thanks for keeping on with me!

10 - The Fallout

Luna stormed out to her car. Celestia knew full well that she wanted nothing to do with the church. The whole idea was preposterous. Slamming the car door, Luna let out a primal scream of frustration and laid her head on the steering wheel. Once she got her breathing back under control, she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, seeing Celestia step out of the cafe in her rearview mirror.

Pulling her phone out of the cup holder, she noticed a text message. Her nerves settled somewhat she she read, and then re-read Sunsets message. Her thumb hovered over the option to reply and then stopped. She replayed the conversations from last night over and over in her head as she pulled up to a traffic light.

As the last of the girls left her house, Sunset heard her phone ring. She walked back into the kitchen and picked up her coffee mug and the phone with a smile.

“Good morning Luna.”

“Good morning Sunset. I do hope that I am not interrupting your breakfast with your friends.”

“Nope, they just left. Is everything okay? You sound a little off.”

“I’ve had a… difficult morning. I had breakfast with my sister and it was quite… eventful.”

“I have a fresh pot of coffee with your name on it if you want to talk about it.”

“That would be most appreciated. I am about ten minutes away if that is okay with you?”

“The door is unlocked and the coffee will be ready when you get here.”

“Thank you Sunset. I will see you soon.”

“See you soon.”

Sunset hung up the phone and realized that she was grinning. Luna had a rough morning, and she had called Sunset. She couldn’t stop herself from feeling a little warm inside that Luna had called her when she needed someone.

Sunset started another pot of coffee and began putting dishes away while she waited for her guest. The girl couldn’t stop herself from watching the clock while she put the remains of breakfast away.

True to her timeframe, less than ten minutes later there was a knock at the door, before it opened and Luna walked into the kitchen. Sunsets heart sank when she saw that Luna looked like she had shrunken in on herself. The older woman was hunched over and looked like she was on the verge of tears.

Without a word, Sunset walked up to her and held her arms out. Luna very nearly flung herself into the embrace and buried her chin into the hollow of Sunsets neck. She was shaking slightly as her arms tightened around the girl. Sunsets hands found themselves gently stroking Lunas back and hair while she made gentle noises to reassure the older woman.

“I’ve got you. I’m right here.”

She felt Luna nod her head into her collarbone before gently pulling back from the embrace. Luna had gone from look like she was going to cry, to being outright in tears.

“Come on, I have fresh coffee, and a comfortable couch just for you.”

Luna nodded again, sniffling this time as she wiped her eyes. She accepted the mug that Sunset handed her before gently guiding her to the living room. Sunset sat on one end of the couch. There was only the briefest moment of conflict in the dark eyes of the older woman before she sat immediately next to Sunset, curling her legs under herself and leaning against the reassuring presence of the redhead.

Sunset draped her free arm over Luna and pulled her in close. Luna pressed herself closer while holding her coffee with both hands and taking a sip.

“I’m sorry to barge in on you like this Sunset. I really shouldn’t have imposed.”

Sunset sighed lightly.

“Luna, if this is going to work between you and I, I want you to know that I am here for you even when times get a little tough. A relationship is a team. You and me against the world, okay?”

Luna nodded silently, staring into the darkness of her coffee cup.

“Now, what happened that has you all upset this morning?”

Luna took a deep breath.

“My idiot sister.”

Sunset snorted in laughter.

“You may as well start from the beginning on this one.”

“She woke me up this morning.”

“That is a punishable offense by itself, but I think there is more to it.”

“You’re right. She invited me to breakfast at Doughnut Joes, it was clearly an attempt to dig for information on whatever I learned about magic from you yesterday. She got a piece of my mind for that. Then she had the gall to ask me to come back to the church.”

Sunsets eyes widened. She knew what those people had done to Luna. While Celestia didn’t know the full extent, she was sure that Luna had made her desire to not be associated with them abundantly clear.

“She and I have spoken several times on the subject, but she tries every couple of years to get me to go back to them. She insists that I would be ‘So Happy’ if I returned to those people. HA!”

The bitterness, pain, and anger were more than clear to Sunset.

“I walked out after telling her my exact feelings on the matter.”

Sunset hugged Luna closer to her side.

“I’m sorry Luna. I know it sounds hollow, but I can only guess what it does to you after everything you’ve been through because of them.”

Luna nodded. There wasn’t much that could be said on the matter that wouldn’t reopen old wounds.

“Can I offer a suggestion, or are you not ready to hear that yet?”

Luna looked up to Sunset in shock.

“Nobody has ever asked me that before. I… I think I am open to a suggestion.”

Sunset smiled softly down at the woman in her arms.

“I suggest a movie, more coffee, and taking your mind off of this whole mess.”

Luna thought for a moment and then responded with a grin that bordered on homicidal.

“Yes, but the movie needs to have explosions. Lots of them. And maybe popcorn?”

Luna looked hopefully at the younger woman.

Sunset laughed with all of her body.

“I think I have just the thing. Popcorn is in the cabinet above the coffee maker. If you get me a refill, I will get the movie.”

Luna got up off of the sofa.

“Deal.”

Luna was content. Instead of one film with lots of explosions, they had watched three. And ordered pizza. By the end of the first film, Sunset was laying across the couch, and Luna had her back pressed to the younger womans chest while she sa between her legs. At the end of the third, they had snuggled under a warm blanket as the sun began to set. Luna felt Sunset running her fingers idly through her dark hair as the credits started.

Luna looked up at Sunset.

“This is nice.”

Sunset made an affirmative noise and laced her free hand through Lunas, clasping their fingers together.

“Are you feeling better than this morning?”

“Yes, I think I am indeed.”

“Good. Though I think that one more thing needs to happen.”

“Oh? And what is that?”

“Get your shoes, we are off to get some ice cream!”

Sunset shouted the last part with joy. While her sweet tooth was nowhere near the caliber of Pinkie Pie, she did enjoy a treat now and again, and her happiness at the prospect was infectious for Luna.

Lunas shoes were barely on her feet before Sunset was standing by the garage door tapping her foot in impatience. The administrator saw the look on Sunsets face and shot her a wicked grin before walking to meet her with exaggerated slowness.

“Ugh! You are impossible!”

“Yes, but it is part of my charm. Besides, I am still accompanying you on this quest for frozen confections. Even after you made me get off of my nice and comfortable Sunset-Pillow.”

Luna stuck her tongue out at the redhead before giggling.

Sunset stalked to the car and fired up the engine, waiting for Luna to get into the passenger seat. Once the older woman was in and buckled, Sunset tore out of the driveway with a vengeance - a girl on a mission.

In record time, they pulled up to Sugarcube Corner, Luna having to forcefully peel her hands from their death-grip on the dash.

“That was for making me wait. And you had better not have cracked my dashboard.”

Luna glared. Sunset smiled. They both walked in.

The store was mostly empty, it being a school night, the only patrons were a few other couples enjoying an evening coffee or dessert before returning home.

“Oh hello Sunset dear! And Luna, why I haven’t seen you in AGES! How are you both this evening, what can I get you?”

Mrs. Cake was ecstatic to see both women.

“Hi Mrs. Cake. We are both doing well thanks. Could I please have a double fudge sundae and a triple espresso?”

“Of course dearie. Luna, this one could give you a run for your money in the coffee consumption department.”

The baker laughed at her own joke.

“Oh I’m sure she could. I assume that you still have the best cheesecake in town?”

“That award hasn’t left this shop in twenty years, and you should know better than to even question that.”

“Wonderful, may I please have a slice, and a regular cup of coffee?”

Mrs. Cake nodded and handed them an order card for the table.

“I haven’t seen you two in so long, tonight is on the house.”

Luna was shocked.

“Are you quite sure, Mrs. Cake? We would be happy to-”

“Now don’t even think about it. Go on. Scoot. I’ll be right out with your treats.”

Luna looked abashed as the elderly woman cut her off with the refusal to be paid. Just to spite her though, Luna put a $10 bill into the tip jar while her back was turned, before making their way to one of the open tables.

Moments later, their host came with coffee and treats.

“Here you go dears. Now Luna, I have never known you to spend social time with students, are you finally coming out of your shell? We’ve missed seeing you around here in the mornings.”

It was true that Luna had been a regular customer of the Cake family for quite some time, but as her life began to get more and more busy, her indulgence in the Cakes confections had dwindled.

“Sunset Shimmer has been helping me with a special project for the school, and we decided to take a brief break for the evening. Though I will make it a point to stop by more often. I nearly forgot just how lovely your coffee is.”

Mrs. Cake smiled at the compliment and left the ladies to their sweets.

“Cheesecake? How metropolitan of you Luna.”

The vice-principal rolled her eyes.

“I will have you know that this is the best cheesecake in Canterlot, and the Cake family has jealously guarded the recipe for two decades. Here, try a bite.”

Luna cut a small portion off of her slice and held her fork out to Sunset to take the bite.

“Mmm. Oh my goodness. That is probably the best thing that I have ever tasted.”

The dark haired woman smiled.

“With age, comes experience.”

Both women shared a laugh at the sentiment, and companionably finished their desserts before walking back to the car and heading back to Sunset’s house

“Thank you for the dessert Sunset, it was the perfect ending to the day. I’m very glad that I decided to call you after the fiasco this morning.”

“That's what I’m here for Luna. Like I said this morning, If this relationship is going to work, we need to be here for one another. Besides, it also means that I got to spend the day curled up on the sofa with my girlfriend.”

Luna blushed.

“I suppose that we are dating, aren’t we? I never really considered the ‘girlfriend’ idea.”

“Does that make you uncomfortable?”

“No, I don’t think it does. Quite the opposite in fact.”

“I’m glad. But, I think that this day might need to come to an end, we both have school tomorrow morning, and I don’t know about you, but the morning of a student starts far too early for my liking.”

Luna nodded and moved to grab her jacket.

“Yes, the life of an administrator starts earlier than most students, so I suppose that I must be going. Thank you again for a lovely day Sunset. Perhaps we can have dinner this week?”

Luna raised her eyebrows in hope with the question.

“Count on it.”

Sunset moved in to hug her girlfriend, but Luna quickly pressed her lips to the younger womans. If they were dating, then Luna was damn well going to enjoy a kiss or two. And the shocked look on Sunsets face was worth it.

“Goodnight Sunset Shimmer, I will see you in the morning.”

Sunset could only grin and wave, her capacity for speech having abandoned her with the surprise kiss.

Author's Note

Holy crow! Another update!

Thanks for being patient everyone, life has been SUCH a mess lately, but things are improving. I should hopefully be back to a semi-regular writing schedule here soon, and we can have more regular updates.

In the meantime, ENJOY!

11 - The Confrontation

As Luna drove away, Sunset Shimmer was still standing in the doorway, completely at a loss for words. She hadn’t been expecting the kiss, and her senses were scrambled. She put har hand up to her lips and grinned slowly to herself before a giggle rose from her chest. Sunset closed the door to the house and started to turn off the lights. As she came to the living room, she noticed the blanket that she and Luna had been wrapped in most of the day. Without a second thought Sunset grabbed it and wrapped herself in the blanket before going to her bedroom.

Looking at the bed, the redhead sighed. The bed was really too big for just one person. Pulling off her jeans and shirt, Sunset got into bed and wrapped the blanket around herself, the faint scent of Luna still lingering in the fibers. It wasn’t as nice as being snuggled with Luna herself, but it was close enough for now.

“Enough of that Sunset. It was a day on the couch, and a kiss. Nothing to get all lonely about. But that was a nice kiss…”

Sunset tossed and turned for nearly a half an hour before grabbing her phone. With ease that belied her pony heritage, she opened the text message app and quickly tapped out a message to Luna before finally rolling over to sleep.

Luna’s phone beeped. Pulling an oversized shirt on and crawling into bed, she saw the text from Sunset.

“That was no fair.”

Luna broke out laughing. She knew that Sunset was unprepared for the kiss. Truthfully so was she, but in the heat of the moment, she decided to just go for it. In all reality, spending time with Sunset Shimmer was starting to bring out a playful nature in her. Maybe not much of one just yet, but enough to know that she didn’t have to be uptight and stoic all the time.

Luna snapped a photo of herself sticking her tongue out and sent it to Sunset.

“I don’t have to play fair. Now go to bed, you have school in the morning.”

The reply from Sunset was almost immediate. A photo of her sticking her tongue out in return.

“You do too. Goodnight Luna.”

Luna felt her heart flutter a little bit. The playful banter after a day that ended on a good note was appreciated, and significantly different from her previous relationships. There was something different about this for sure. While she didn’t know yet what that was, it seemed to be good, and she was going to roll with it.

Morning found Sunset Shimmer still wrapped in the blanket that she and Luna had shared the previous day. Without bothering to unwrap herself, Sunset trudged to the kitchen for coffee before her shower. Steaming mug in hand she found her way to the bathroom and turned the water as hot as it would go, drinking the caffeinated goodness while waiting for the bathroom to fill with hot mist.

“Celestia bless human plumbing.”

Dropping the blanket and her sleep shirt, Sunset stepped under the water and proceeded to steam herself like a lobster for longer than was strictly necessary.

Once she was done, Sunset stepped out and dried off before wrapping herself in the blanket once more. Wiping some of the steam off of the mirror she smiled to herself and grabbed her phone.

“This will show her.”

Sunset snapped a photo of herself in the mirror, wet hair and fully wrapped in the cozy confines of the blanket. Nothing bad enough that anyone could misconstrue it, but enough to let Luna know that two could play at this game. Hitting the button to send the message, Sunset proceeded back to the bedroom to get dressed and ready for school.

Glancing at the clock, Sunset saw that she had more than enough time to stop on the way in for breakfast. Smiling to herself, she thought of the promise that Luna had made to Mrs. Cake last night, and opted for a side-trip to Sugarcube Corner for coffee and a muffin.

The parking lot for the bakery was blessedly empty as Sunset pulled in and walked up to the store.

“Good morning Sunset dear! I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. What can I get for you?”

“Hi Mrs. Cake. May I please have a strawberry muffin, hot, with extra butter and the largest coffee you can possibly give me?”

“Of course. You still take your coffee black?”

“Yes ma’am I do.”

“I’ll bring them right out to you, just have a seat wherever.”

Sunset thanked the older woman and left cash on the counter for her breakfast and a tip, and made her way to one of the cushioned chairs by the windows. Pulling out her phone, Sunset started glancing through her social media accounts, seeing if there was anything of interest. The bell above the door rang as more customers started to filter in for their morning pick-me-up.

Sunset looked up to thank Mrs. Cake as a plate was set on the table in front of her and was shocked to see Luna delivering her Muffin and coffee instead of the baker.

“You seem to be quite the expert on not playing fair, Sunset Shimmer.”

Sunset smiled.

“The rules of fair play do not apply in love and war.”

Lunas eyes went wide.

“Well, color me surprised Sunset, you know the original quote rather than the adapted version that people today use. Speaking as a former english teacher though, can you tell me who it was used by?”

“Euphues. Now are we going to have an english lesson, or are you joining me for breakfast?”

“You raise a good point. I wanted to speak to you this morning anyhow.”

Luna set her own muffin and coffee down.

“Should I be worried?”

“Not in the way that you might think, no. I spent most of the evening considering our situation, and I have come to some uncomfortable conclusions that you and I need to look at together.”

“Luna, you’re worrying me here.”

“Please be calm Sunset. I assure you that you and I are not changing. We do need to address the issue of my sister, and your being a student. I spent a goodly amount of time last night trying to find solutions to these things, and I have a proposition for you.”

Sunset relaxed visibly and took a gulp of her coffee.

“I’m open to suggestions.”

“Good. It does not sit well with me that you and I would have to hide our relationship. The fact of the matter is that I have spent the majority of my life trying to hide who I really am, most especially from my family. I am not comfortable with that, and meeting you has put that stark realization into place. Handling my sister will be a delicate matter, though I believe that I have the right amount of leverage with her to make that happen. However that is also going to be contingent on our concern with you being a student.

“What I propose is that we address my sister, and I force the issue with her. It will not be a pretty sight, but I think that it will be the most effective route. In forcing that issue, I am also going to have her make some… adjustments to your student records, effectively causing you to graduate. My concern is that I would like to know what your prospects are following school. I refuse to date a shiftless layabout.”

At this, Luna grinned and passed a wink to Sunset who laughed.

“Well, I’m not exactly a shiftless layabout. Truth be told, I could live a very modest life on my savings and investments. I can easily keep myself in the style to which I have become accustomed.”

Luna shot a dry look over the top of her coffee cup. Sunset laughed again.

“Truth be told, I have been considering opening a small martial arts gym for women. I train several evenings a week, but the overload of guys makes things tough when you are the only woman in the place.”

“Why Sunset, are you so tired of me that you would surround yourself with women to oogle?”

The playful tone was threaded through Lunas words, though she hid a small seed of doubt.

“Not at all. In fact, I wouldn't mind putting you through your paces on the mat.”

Sunset gave the older woman a look that was part challenge, part teasing, and all desire. Luna blushed and changed topic.

“I did not know that you were a martial artist, have you been training for long?”

“Quite a while yes. When I was exiled in Equestria, sometimes magic was not enough to keep me safe. There are many races that are immune to magic altogether. I learned hand to hand combat from some of the zebra tribes, and when I came here I figured that it would be the best way to get more acquainted with this body.”

“You will need to tell me more about about your travels, but it sounds like you have a good plan in place. I think that we are quite close to being late though, and I would rather like to address my sister sooner rather than later. Can you please meet me at my office when you get to school?”

The short drive from Sugarcube Corner was made in silence for Luna. She was too busy being wrapped up in her own thoughts about the upcoming confrontation with Celestia. There was no real way around it. In order to live her life and find her happiness, Celestia had to know the truth.

Parking her car, she made her way through the morning press of students, distractedly providing greetings where they were offered, but without real enthusiasm. Shortly she came to her office door, and the blessed quiet. Starting a pot of coffee, She waited on the couch for Sunset Shimmer.

As the coffee pot finished its duties, there was a brief knock, and Sunset let herself into the office. Luna stood and immediately opened her arms, pulling sunset in close to her for a tight hug. The older woman was shaking slightly as she whispered into the red hair that she had nestled her face into.

“I’m a little frightened.”

“Don’t you worry Lu. I have you, and I’m not going anywhere.”

“I know. Let’s get some coffee, and then I will call my sister. By the way, you called me ‘Lu’ - I think I like that.”

Sunset blushed at the slip of the tongue. Turning to hide it, she busied herself with pouring two cups of liquid-strength for them before proceeding to the sofa and sitting next to her girlfriend.

“Are you ready Sunset? There is no going back once this starts.”

Luna sounded hesitant.

“Luna, there was no going back for me once you got into my car on Saturday.”

The only response from Luna was another hug, and a brief kiss on the cheek.

“Let’s get this over with.”

Luna walked over to her desk and pushed the intercom for Celestia.

“Yes?”

“Sister, I would like a word with you in my office please.”

“Of course. I’ll be over in a moment.”

The line hung up and Luna let out a breath and seemed to sag in on herself. Coming back to the sofa, she sat closer to Sunset and sipped her coffee, waiting.

The wait didn’t take long, as Celestia let herself into the office without even a knock on the door, stopping dead in her tracks, seeing Luna and Sunset sitting on the couch, and in closer proximity than would be proper for a student and teacher. Celestia shut the door, crossed her arms on her chest and stared, without saying a word.

Luna smiled at her sister politely, weather Celestia knew it or not, Luna had the upper hand in this conversation. Celestia broke the silence first.

“Well, this is the last thing I expected to see. Dare I ask why you chose to call me in here? Would you like to flaunt your unnatural desires more, or perhaps you would like to discuss why you are so close to a teenager that you are practically wearing one another?”

“Sister, do not be so melodramatic. If you would kindly sit, we can all discuss this situation as reasonable adults.”

“Miss Shimmer is hardly an adult, Luna.”

Sunset decided to step in at this point.

“Excuse me Principal, but technically speaking, I am an adult. There are many things that you don’t know about my world that will help you understand the situation, if you would be willing to listen.”

Celestia sat down with a huff, crossing her legs, and trying to look anywhere except at the couple sitting across from her.

Luna looked to Sunset Shimmer allowing her to proceed first.

“In my world, ponies mature much faster than humans. By the time I had come through the portal into this world, I had been considered an adult for many years, doing work that was to be my place in life. In all reality, I am in my mid-twenties rather than a teenager. I opted to assume the role of a teenager because of the physical development of this body, and I figured that the education system here would provide me a good working knowledge of the world that I have found myself in.”

“Fine. That may be true, I really can’t say, but what about the rest of this. You can’t expect me to accept something so… unnatural. It goes against everything that humans have ever been taught.”

“Celestia, I have done more than my fair share of reading on your human history. I would have hoped that as an educator you would have a bit more of a broad view of things. The fact is that throughout human history there have been cases of same-sex couples, even in the animal kingdoms in this world. Where I come from, there is a significant disparity in the number of females and males. I suppose that makes it more acceptable for two women to love one another in my eyes.”

“Well, you aren’t human. And the human way of doing things is different.”

Luna couldn’t contain herself any longer.

“Sister, I want you to listen to me very carefully. There is a reason that I am the way I am. You can call it whatever you may like, but if you believe that your god makes all creatures, then he must have also made me as I am. That being said, you have no idea of the hell that I have gone through because of that belief.”

“I’m sure it can’t be all that bad, you seem to be just fine to me.”

Luna released a bitter laugh. Ripping the illusions from her sister was going to be a painful process.

“Do you remember when we were teenagers, and I went to the hospital?”

The sudden change of topic caught Celestia off guard.

“Yes, you were very ill. I remember it clearly.”

“You remember it wrong, sister. I went because I was forced. Those ‘Church Retreats’ that I was constantly going on were meant to re-educate me away from what they called a life of sin. It was torture. They beat us, whipped us, doused us with freezing and boiling water, all to try to get us to accept what they called the ‘true path’.”

“That is nonsense. They wouldn-”

Celestia was cut off by Luna standing up and taking off her jacket.

“If you refuse to believe what I tell you, then I will show you.”

Without another word, Luna took off her shirt and turned her back to Celestia, showing damage that hadn’t seen the light of day for years. Luna looked to Sunset and nodded at the questioning look of permission.

The younger woman got off the sofa and joined Celestia, looking at the scars on Luna's back. Her skin was crisscrossed with fine traceries and curved lines that could only have been made by a whip, there were clear patches of round tissue that had to have been drops of boiling water. Gently Sunset reached out and traced her finger along one particularly large ridge that ran down Luna's back from her shoulders to below the waistline of her jeans, the ridge only interrupted by the band of her bra.

“Luna…”

Sunset leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the older woman. Celestia was dumbfounded.

“How could we not have known. Luna… Why did you never tell us?”

Celestia had sat back down in shock, tears running down her face. Luna turned and extricated herself from Sunsets embrace, and was buttoning her shirt.

“Do you believe me now, sister? What was done to my flesh is nothing compared to some of the other horrors that I have endured because of this. I would spare you those details, but know that I have suffered for who I am and I refuse to deny that truth to myself any longer.”

Luna resumed her place next to Sunset, who was silently crying just as much as Celestia.

“I have no real understanding of what you have gone through Luna, but I can’t deny what I have seen. And I know that my sister would never lie to me. While I won’t say that your lifestyle makes me happy, it flaunts many of the things that I believe in my soul, I also know that I want my sister to be a happy person and live a fulfilling life. What are you asking for?”

Luna visibly sagged in on herself in relief.

“For myself, I only ask that you remain my sister, whom I love.”

Celestia smiled at that.

“Of course. You are still my Little Lulu.”

Luna blushed, Sunset giggled, Celestia grinned even more.

“However, I also need to ask about Sunset Shimmer. It would be unseemly for me to be dating a student, and the truth of the matter is that Sunset has her life together in more ways than even most adults do. I think that it would be best for Sunset to graduate from CHS as soon as possible.”

“You want me to falsify a student graduating, just so that you can date with a clear conscience? Luna, I don’t think that is wise. Colleges look for that sort of thing these days.”

“Principal Celestia, I’m not planning to go to college. I have my investments and I intend to be opening a business with what I have available. Putting it bluntly, I’m financially taken care of. As for the records, I don’t want to be seen as a valedictorian or anything like that, a neutral C-Average should not garner much attention considering that is exactly how I have maintained since coming to CHS.”

The pink-haired administrator thought for a few moments.

“I believe that I can work something out. However if I do this, there must be some agreements made.”

A glance was shared between the couple.

“First, regarding the your graduation, Sunset. You can never apply for financial aid, grants, or any kind of government subsidy relating to education. They scrutinize those records very closely, and I will not be put under the microscope like that. Second, I would ask that you not make your relationship public or be on display on the school property. As you will be graduating immediately, Sunset, I don’t see that you will be here too often, but in order to cover myself I must ask this.”

Both women nodded. The requests were very straightforward, and offered a measure of protection for all involved. If Celestia was found to have tampered with the educational records of a student, then it could destroy her career.

“Well, it looks like that is settled. Luna, I am thankful that you are finding happiness, though I’m hurt that you hadn’t shared this with me until now. If you are comfortable, I’d like to know more after I have had some time to absorb this. Miss Shimmer, consider yourself graduated as of this moment. Now if you would both excuse me, I need to go rearrange my worldview. Luna, please take the day off to celebrate.

With that, Celestia walked out of the office. Luna looked to Sunset Shimmer, both of them grinning a mile wide.

“Well, that went better than exp-”

Luna was silenced with a strong kiss from Sunset Shimmer.

Author's Note

As discussed in my blog post - I opted to bring the confrontation with Celestia up in the timeline. I was going to do it later on, but due to some other plot points that I am working around, I figured that doing it now would be better. Initially I had planned that confrontation to be a much bigger blow-out between Celestia and Luna, but after looking through my notes and plans, I wanted to have this happen now and be a little weaker so that larger things can happen later on.

Hope you all enjoy it!

12 The Challenge

Sunset broke the kiss as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

“Stupid interruptions.”

Luna smiled softly and stood to gather her things while Sunset read the text.

“It’s the girls. They are wondering why I’m not in class.”

“Perhaps we should tell them of this development. I would rather you not keep secrets from your friends.”

“I agree. I’ll have them all meet me at my place after school and I can talk with them.”

“May I be there as well? It seems fitting that I get to know your friends as well.”

Sunset didn’t even waste a thought for that.

“Of course. Maybe we can go get something more than a muffin and make a day of it? I have been meaning to go to the bookstore and a few other things.”

“A bookstore and breakfast? Why Sunset Shimmer, I do believe you have found the key to my heart.”

A wide smile crossed Sunsets face.

“I’ll drive. I don’t think that I am allowed to park in student parking anymore.”

Both women were laughing as they walked out of the office and to the car.

Not two hours later found both women walking out of a large bookstore with equally large bags on their arms. Luna gestured to the overfilled bag that Sunset was carrying.

“I’m glad to see that you are taking this business idea seriously Sunset.”

“Well, it makes no sense to do things halfway. If I want this to succeed, I need to know all I can. Business plans, grant writing, financial planning - they are all important, and unless I figure out a way to hire someone to help with that, it’s all going to be on me. Besides, it never hurts to learn new skills.”

“That is surprisingly practical. I feel somewhat ashamed at my purchases now.”

Sunset put her free arm around Lunas shoulders.

“You bought books for fun reading. There is nothing to be ashamed of in that. Besides, if I weren’t buying these, I probably would have done the same thing.”

Luna felt somewhat better about that as they put their bags in the trunk of the car.

“While we are here, I do need to stop at the sporting goods store.”

A nod from the older woman as they walked down the outdoor mall toward their destination.

This store was a completely foreign experience to Luna. While always being naturally trim, she had never been into a store that catered exclusively to sports paraphernalia. The look of confusion on her face must have registered with her girlfriend. Sunset grinned and grabbed a cart.

“I need to pick up a couple of things. I promise that it won’t be too painful for you.”

“I’ve just never been in here. I didn’t know that there were so many things one could buy in order to do sports. Though I suppose that it makes some sense, where would a football player go in order to get their pads?”

‘I suppose that is one way of looking at it. There is also the fact that in any given sport, one has different levels of equipment needed. If you were to play hockey, for example, the goalie needs different equipment than any other player. Also someone just starting in a sport and seeing if they like it may only get the most basic of equipment, while a professional may invest in higher end gear.”

Luna nodded to all of this while they walked to the personal training section. The area was littered with various weights, punching bags, and things she couldn’t even begin to guess. Sunset walked with confidence and grabbed several boxes that Luna couldn’t identify before strolling off to another portion of the store.

This act repeated itself a few times before they found themselves in, what Luna considered, slightly more familiar waters.

“Clothing I understand. What do we need here that you can’t get at a standard clothing store though?”

“You’ve got a lot to learn, Lu. Sports clothing is designed specifically for movement that is outside of the range of everyday activity. If I were to stretch in my jeans my range of motion would be significantly less, and if I didn’t fully stretch, I might cause myself an injury. Besides, these running shorts make my butt look fantastic.”
Luna blushed and looked away. She would never admit to it, but she had cast a glance or two at Sunsets backside. When she looked back, the younger woman wore a grin that could only be described as predatory. Sunset obviously know that Luna had checked her out, and was certainly okay with that fact.

Grabbing several pairs of shorts off of the rack, Sunset tossed them in the cart before handing a couple of pairs to Luna.

“What are you doing Sunset?”

“I’m going to get you all sweaty and strong. I thought that was obvious. Now, what’s your bra size? We need to get you a couple of sports bras while we are here.”

Luna quirked an eyebrow and provided the information. She noted that all of the gear that Sunset was buying was distinctly split between orange and dark blue.

“Please tell me that you are not fully outfitting me as well as yourself.”

“Of course I am.”

“Sunset, I don’t know that I am comfortable with this…”

“Would it help if I let you know why I want to do this?”

“Possibly.”

Sunset sat on one of the benches near the clothing racks and gestured Luna to sit next to her.

“I want to do this because it excites me. I want to share some of my passions with you and maybe we can grow together in them. This is a part of who I am, and I want to show it to you. I can’t really explain it any better than that, but it’s important to me that this part of my life is shared with you.”

“I suppose that I can accept that. It is hard for me to have someone who wants to be so open, and is just giving of herself to me. I do not know how to deal with it very well. But you must at least let me pay for my equipment.”

“No deal. This is a gift to you. If you are really hung up on this though, perhaps you can buy dinner.”

An aggravated grunt came from the older woman.

“I suppose that must be the bargain. But you can’t not let me pay for dinner.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

When the pair had returned to Sunsets house, they moved all of their purchases in to the kitchen before Sunset beckoned Luna to a closed door, leading down into the basement of the home. Flipping the lights on, Luna saw a very well appointed gym. Nothing terribly fancy, but all of the equipment was well maintained, and the majority of the space was dedicated to what appeared to be a fighting ring out on the floor.

Without a shred of self-consciousness, Sunset began to peel her tee shirt off.

“There is a bathroom and shower through there if you want some privacy to get changed.”

Luna blushed furiously and made her way to the bathroom with her new clothes. She glanced back to Sunset who was removing her jeans, just in time for the younger woman to see her, and shoot another evil grin toward the blushing woman. Luna closed the door to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror.

QUickly changing out of her work clothes and into the new matching shorts and sports bra, Luna couldn’t help but turn her back to the mirror and see the damage there. Extensive was not even close to the truth. Looking at the map of scars, Luna could remember each and every one of them. She hadn’t taken the time to really look at them in recent memory, they were a part of her now, and she barely even noticed them. But now, when someone was about to see just what was done to her, she was terrified.

A soft knock at the door caused her to jump.

“Lu, are you okay in there?”

Sunsets voice was soft, muffled by the closed door, but the worried tone carried through. Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening the door and walking out. Right into Sunsets open arms.

“Don’t think that I’m ugly. Please Sunset. Don’t judge me because of my scars.”

“Shh. I won’t do that. I want you to be in my life, scars and all. I saw them this morning, and they are nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Promise?”

“Of course I do. Now come on, dry your eyes. It’s time to work. I promise that by the time I’m done with you, you won’t even be thinking about them.”

The flame-haired woman led them both to the matsand started to demonstrate some basic stretches, followed by more vigorous warm up work. Soon, Luna had forgotten about her self consciousness and was powering through the exercises while trying not to show that she wasn’t used to the movements.

“Okay, let’s take a break for a few minutes, then we can start to train.”

“Oh thank the gods.”

Luna flopped down on her back on the mat, the sweat from the warm up dripping off of her while she heaved for breath. Sunset wasn’t even breathing heavily.

“We have got to build up your endurance if you want to keep up with me. Come on now, laying on the floor will cause you more problems, rest time means that you can walk a little. Going fully prone like you are will cause cramping and make it hurt more.”

There was much grumbling and foul language while Luna pulled herself up off the floor. Upon standing, she was presented with a cup of cool water, which was promptly emptied.

“Ready to get to the real work?

Half an hour later found Luna lying on the mat again, this time significantly more bruised. Sunset was lying next to her, holding her ribs from a lucky shot that Luna had gotten in.

“That was significantly more than I was prepared for today, Sunset.”

Luna was still trying to catch her breath.

“You still gave me a bit of a run for my money. Are you sure you had never trained before?”

“I am sure, but my fight or flight instinct is very well honed.”

“I don’t think that I will be forgetting that in the future. We have to get cleaned up though. The girls will be here soon.”

Sunset heaved herself up to her feet and pulled Luna up from the floor before leading her into the bathroom and opening a small closet.

“There is a spare pair of sweatpants in there, and tee shirts.”

Sunset was standing behind Luna, her chest pressed into the older woman's back, and her arms wrapped around her hips.

“Get cleaned up love, I’ll start coffee before I take my shower.”

With that Luna felt a kiss being pressed to the back of her neck before Sunset disengaged and closed the bathroom door behind her.

Luna showered with somewhat less efficiency than she was used to, allowing the hot water to soak through the muscle soreness that she was starting to feel. The training session with Sunet had been fun, and enlightening for certain. The younger woman did have a knack for instruction that would lend itself well to her idea of opening the gym. As an educator, Luna saw the qualities of a good teacher there, they just needed a bit of refinement.

Drying herself off and pulling the the loaned clothes on, Luna felt a little different. Looking at herself in the mirror again she saw why. The shirt was a little short, obviously designed to bare a little stomach on the redhead, but the waistband of the pants was lower than she was used to. Sunset obviously was a little more generous in the hips than Luna was, the effect was decidedly sexy. Luna liked it.

Opening the door she made her way upstairs with perhaps a little bit more swish in the hips than was necessary.

The sound of the shower from down the hall indicated that Sunset was cleaning up. Luna smiled as she made her way to the coffee maker, which thankfully had a fresh pot already in place. Grabbing her phone off of the counter, she quickly looked up the number of her favorite restaurant and placed the call.

“Good afternoon Saffron, It’s Luna. Could I perhaps make a reservation this evening? Actually, it will be myself and a guest. Could we have one of the private rooms please? Thank you Saffron, you are a wonderful friend. Oh! One more thing, whatever happens, I am the only one that pays that bill tonight. Don’t worry, I will tell you everything. See you tonight.”

Luna hung up the phone just as Sunset came out of the bathroom. She was smiling like the cat who ate the canary.

“Who was that?”

“Oh just making dinner reservations for us tonight. I told you that I was paying, and I am going to make sure that it happens.”

Luna stuck her tongue out at Sunset, who came up and leaned in for another kiss, her arms wrapping around the exposed hips of the older woman.

“I don’t know why I let you talk me into that, but when you are standing in my kitchen and looking as wonderful as you do, I suppose that I have to give in.”

“You have got that right. And don’t ever forget it.”

Luna handed Sunset a fresh cup of coffee as the doorbell rang.

“Well, here we go.”

Sunset went to answer the door.

Author's Note

Well, this is probably going to be the last chapter for the year. I am going to try to get one more out in the next couple of weeks, but I can't make any promises - that whole holidays thing with the family.

Enjoy!!!

13 - Coming Clean

Sunset Shimmer walked to the front door, coffee in one hand and a grin across her face.

“Hello Sunset dear, we are here as requested.”

Rarity's voice carried through the entryway with ease. Punctual as ever, with all of the girls in tow. Surprisingly, she even had Rainbow Dash with her and on time.

“Hi girls! Come on in, we are in the kitchen.”

“Um, who do you mean by ‘we’?”

Fluttershy hid behind her hair at the idea of someone else there. Before Sunset could answer though, the group walked into the kitchen, finding Luna there, bared stomach and all.

“What’s the big secret Sunny? You had us rush over here after classes, an- OOF”

Rainbow Dash was walking backwards into the Kitchen, talking to Sunset. Her thought was interrupted when she backed into Applejack.

“Uh, Dash… you may want to turn around.”

“Hello ladies. Thank you for coming over. It is very much my fault that Sunset was not forthcoming about why she asked you here.”

Luna was leaning against the island in the kitchen, both hands holding a cup of coffee, under a small smile.

“CALLED IT!”

“Really Pinkie dear, must you be so crass? Hello Vice-Principal Luna, it’s a pleasure to see you here.”

“Please Rarity, we aren’t at school, Luna is just fine. I can only imagine how awkward this already may be, and I do not want to add to that. I think that we can all afford to be a little informal.”

“Oh! Well, yes… of course, Luna.”

Luna dimpled a smile at Rarity. She was well aware of the amount of tact that the younger woman was using.

“Who wants coffee?”

Sunset broke into the conversation with a little more volume than was strictly necessary. Pulling mugs out of the cabinet, she was thankful that her caffeine addiction necessitated purchasing the coffee pot with the extra large carafe.

Once the girls were all served and arranged around the island, Sunset broke the silence.

“I’m sure you are all wondering why I gathered you here today. I want to talk about my upcoming plans for world domination.”

Without exception everyone shot deadpan looks at the redhead.

“Really, Sunset? That’s the best you could do?”

“I don’t know Rainbow Dash. I thought it was quite funny.”

Sunset smiled at Fluttershy.

“At least someone gets my humor. So, you all know that Luna came over this past weekend to look into the magic issues that we have been having.”

Pinkie Pie just grinned as her hair extended and small pink ears appeared on her head and wiggled for a moment before flashing out of sight again.

“And you know what became of that. We went this morning to talk with Principal Celestia and let her know what happened.”

“Uh-oh”

“You are quite correct Rainbow Dash. My sister was not nearly as accepting of this situation as could be hoped. But once presented with facts, she was forced to at least acknowledge where we stand. However that acknowledgement came with a price.”

“What exactly are you getting at Luna?”

Applejack was straight to the point as she filled her coffee, and walked around the island to top everyone else off.

“Celestia made a few requirements of Sunset and myself, in order to protect her own position at the school.”

“As of this morning, I have graduated from CHS. However between my own lack of legal paperwork, and to cover the forced graduation, I can’t apply for any kind of educational grant or loan in the future. Because my birth certificate and other information were all falsified to begin with when I arrived from Equestria, that wasn’t much of an issue for me anyhow. Nothing I have could pass that degree of scrutiny. The other provision is that I try to not be on school grounds or at school functions.”

“I wish that I could graduate early!”

Sunset rolled her eyes at the prismatic-haired girl.

“So, what are ya’ plannin’ on doin’ then Sunset?”

“Because gold is the basic form of currency in Equestria, I managed to come here with quite a bit of cash. Most of it has been sitting in accounts gaining interest and being saved to live off of for the future. Some has been invested and that seems to be doing quite well. I was going to take some from my savings, and open a small martial arts gym for women.”

“That would be totally AWESOME!”

“Um, that does make sense. I know that you work really hard to beat all the guys at your normal gym.”

The comment from Fluttershy was nearly drowned out by the manic giggles from Rainbow Dash.

“I have the experience, I just need to write the business plan in order to get the bank to agree to let me buy a building.”

“Well, it does seem like you have your plans ahead of you. Is there anything perhaps that we could do to help, dear?”

“I would actually have a request of you ladies.”

Sunset raised her eyebrows as the older woman spoke up.

“Two things actually. First, if you could please try to dispel any rumors among the other students when they learn that Sunset is no longer at CHS. Letting them know that she has left the school and is working on a business opportunity should suffice, or you can send them to me. Second, don’t drift away from Sunset. I want her to keep her friendships with all of you. If you see her, or us, excluding you - please speak up. It is not my intention to change her relationships with any of you.”

“Awwwwwwwwwwww”

Pinkie Pie appeared next to Luna and wrapped her in a hug.

“That’s so sweet of you to think of us. But I wouldn’t worry about that at all. Auntie Pinkie thinks that this will work out a-ok! Now come on girls, let’s let these two lovebirds fly. My Pinkie-Sense says that there is a date coming up and they need to get ready!”

Luna just blinked in astonishment. She hadn’t said anything about dinner to anyone but Sunset. How could Pinkie have known?

“Um, it might just be better to assume that Pinkie is always right. She usually is. Anyway, thank you for being good to Sunset Shimmer, and, um, I hope that we get to spend more time with you soon.”

The yellow-skinned girl gave a soft smile, and an even softer hug to Luna before following the remainder of the group out of the house after saying their respective goodbyes.

Once the door closed, Sunset came back in to the kitchen and wrapped Luna in her own hug.

“That went better than I expected.”

“Mmmhmm.”

“But I have to wonder, do you think that I would drift away from my friends because we are dating?”

“No, of course not. Sometimes though, I think that it is good to remind them that I am not here to take you away from them. I want you to have your friends and a life outside of me. Every relationship needs that kind of separation, otherwise you may end up entirely dependant on the other person.”

“I never really thought of that. Back in Equestria, ponies only really dated inside of their own social group, and so everypony was always friends with one another already. That never really became a concern.”

Luna nodded at that. It made sense in a way, though with the way her relationships in the past had gone, it seemed like a quick path to a failed partnership.

“Pinkie Pie was right about one thing though.”

Sunset raised her eyebrows in question.

“What was that?”

“We need to get going, because we have dinner plans. And, as delightful as I look in your clothes, I think that I need something clean from my apartment.”

The redhead laughed uproariously, wrapping her arms around Lunas bare midriff and pulling her close.

“You do look amazing, but I suppose that you are right.”

Luna leaned her head back on Sunset’s shoulder and turned her chin in for a brief kiss.

“Go get ready, then we can swing by my apartment so that I can change too.”

Author's Note

Aaaaand we are BACK!

Sorry for the delay... as explained in my BLOG POST from earlier, life happened in a lot of big ways.

Thank you again for the words of encouragement. It is all kinds of appreciated!

14 - The Date

“Turn left here, and it will be the last building in the row.”

Sunset eased her car into the apartment complex and passed down to the end of the row of buildings, grabbing a parking spot right in front of the building.

Luna stepped out of the car and waited for Sunset to come up to the stairs.

“I’m on the third floor, come on up, I will only be a couple of moments.”

Sunset walked up behind Luna as she ascended the stairs, noting that Luna had yet to change out of the borrowed clothes. She blushed slightly as the older woman looked over her shoulder and caught Sunset in the middle of an appraising glance.

“Should I walk a little bit slower for you, Sunset?”

“Uhh…”

Luna chuckled as she climbed the last couple of stairs and opened her door, letting the redhead into her apartment.

“Welcome to my home. I am afraid that we don’t have time for the grand tour, as our reservations are coming up. The living room is right through here if you would bear with me a moment while I put myself in in order.”

Sunset Shimmer walked into the offered room and busied herself looking at the bookshelves while Luna stepped into the bedroom and closed the door.

Walking to the closet, she opened the door and selected a dress. Sunset was wearing a dress of her own that accentuated her hips and somewhat generous cleavage, but two could play at that game. With a grin, Luna changed into a dark purple dress with an open back. She was modest enough in the bust that she didn’t need to worry about wearing a bra while having her back exposed. Slipping on some modest heels and wrapping a shawl around her shoulders she came back to the living room to find Sunset thumbing through a well-worn copy of classical plays.

The younger woman smiled when Luna entered.

“Why, Luna, if I didn’t know any better I would believe that you are trying to out-dress me.”

“Nonsense. I only dressed to match the lovely woman at my side. Now, shall we?”

Sunset smiled as she followed Luna out the door, noting that her girlfriend was showing quite a bit more leg than she had ever seen from the woman before.

Pulling up to The Tasty Treat, the duo was greeted by a young woman.

“Oh Luna, thank you for coming by this evening! I haven’t seen you in ages. And who is this beautiful lady that you have brought with you?”

“Hello Saffron, this is Sunset Shimmer, my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend? Why would you not mention such wonderful news to me?”

The younger woman smiled as Saffron’s attention was turned to her.

“Sunset Shimmer, you are certainly quite lovely, and I can see the smile that you bring to my friend. I am Saffron Masala. Please come and allow me to take care of you both this evening.”

The pair were led through the quiet cafe to a secluded room in the back, with a sign displayed indicating it had been reserved. The room was decorated in draped silks and hangings, with a plush carpet. The table was set with a bench that faced the door, so that the couple could sit next to each other and enjoy their meal.

“May I offer you both tea?”

“That would be lovely Saffron, thank you.”

With a nod, the woman stepped out and quietly closed the door.

“I met Saffron and her father Coriander Cumin on a trip to India while I was in college. We became quite good friends during that time, and when they came to Canterlot to open a restaurant I became quite the fan of their cooking.”

“And we have been fast friends ever since.”

Saffron offered to rejoinder as she slipped back in carrying two steaming mugs of tea.

“Now, ladies, would you like to look at a menu or shall I just feed you delicious food until you can no longer walk?”

“Oh believe that I trust your judgement Saffron. And you know that you are opening the door for trouble with that. Sunset Shimmer is quite the athlete, and you know that whenever you cook for me I enjoy far more than I should.”

With another laugh the restaurateur left the pair to their tea.

“So, what sort of food should I be expecting here? I’ve never been here before, I always thought it was some kind of bakery.”

“Saffron prepares traditional Indian dishes. But the real treasure here is their gingerbread with Moroccan coffee. If we are lucky there will be some fresh made for us.”

The continued to talk with one another as the meal progressed. Sunset was initially confused when there were no plates provided, rather that the meal was served “family style” any both women enjoyed feeding one another from the shared plates.

Saffron smiled to herself as she popped in and out from the pair, seeing her friend so happy with a partner that seemed to compliment her personality. It seemed as though Luna was glowing, and that she had finally found someone who was willing to treat her as an equal, a true partner.

“Ladies, you have certainly pushed the boundaries of my kitchen. I am thrilled to see that you have enjoyed my cooking so much.”

“Saffron are you calling us fat? We are simply enjoying the delightful food that you have prepared, and I am only too happy to share your cooking with my love.”

A blush covered Sunset’s cheeks, as she looked down at the table. Flattery was not unfamiliar territory because of her history as ‘queen’ of the school, however it being a sincere sentiment was distinctly new for her.

“Oh my dear Luna, I would never call you fat. I can clearly see that you are a waif, and that Sunset has earned ever muscle that she has. Now, if you ladies are willing, I do have one more treat for you.”

“Please tell me that it is gingerbread and coffee?”

“You know that I would never refuse you your favorite.”

Luna’s smile lit up the room as Saffron stepped out and quickly returned with a platter of gingerbread and two small cups of coffee.

Both women happily wolfed the sweets down and enjoyed the strong brew.

“I do hope that you actually tasted the gingerbread. With as quickly as that plate was cleared, I think that you may have just swallowed it whole.”

“Saffron, the whole meal was wonderful. I haven’t ever had Indian food before.”

“I am happy to have opened the door to our cuisine. Now, I am told that Luna has insisted that she pay for dinner.”

Sunset nodded, and Luna began to pull her purse out.

“However, I simply cannot allow that. Such a lovely pair will have their dinner provided on the house this evening.”

Sunset was shocked, the sheer amount of food that they had eaten must have cost a fortune.

“Saffron, I will not allow you to provide such a feast for us for nothing!”

“Nonsense my dear, I get to write this off as a marketing expense, as I actually provided you with a number of dishes that we are thinking about putting on the menu. You happened to be my guinea pigs.”

“You are quite clever, my friend. Thank you so very much for your kindness.”

“My friends, thank you for coming and providing the highlight of my week. I wish you every happiness that the world has to offer.”

Saffron bowed out of the door, leaving the two women alone. Luna began rummaging in her purse before pulling out a hundred dollar bill and leaving it on the table.

“I will not allow her to be unpaid for her time.”

Sunset grinned, if Luna had not left anything for their host, she would have.

Climbing back into the mustang, Sunset turned them toward Luna’s apartment. The drive was spent in comfortable silence until they pulled up to Luna’s home.

“Thank you for such a wonderful day Luna. I don’t know when I had a better one.”

“Well, we may have one slight issue Sunset. My car still happens to be at the school from this morning.”

“Oh hell. I completely forgot! Let’s go get your car.”

“If I may offer another solution? Perhaps you could stay here this evening, and drop me off at school tomorrow morning?”

Sunset blushed again. She could feel the heat radiating down her face to her neck.

“I…. I would love to.”

“Come on love, let’s go upstairs then.”

Luna was predatory in her grin as she held her hand out to take Sunset up the stairs to her home.

Author's Note

Sleepover time!!!

And delicious food, from a delightfully underrated background character.

16 - Nightmares come knocking

Over the course of the past several weeks, things had been a whirlwind for both Sunset and Luna. Once she had gotten the details hammered out with Penny and Brick, Sunset spent a good portion of her time either hunting down a good property, or putting the final touches on what she needed to purchase and put into place.

Luna watched in admiration as her girlfriend spent hours upon hours putting every detail into place. That isn’t to say that Luna was neglected. Far from it. The two women wound up splitting their time at each others homes, diving fully into the relationship with one another, to the point that both of them had managed to keep some clothes at the others home.

Soon enough though, it was time for the storm to abate as the opening for the gym drew closer every day. Luna was more than relieved to see the day coming closer, and with less than a week to go, Sunset was finally beginning to slow down from the madcap preparations.

Setting her keys on the countertop in Sunsets kitchen, Luna heard the stereo from the basement workout room blaring something with a heavy bassline. She had started to be able to gauge where her lover was emotionally by what was playing on the radio. If the music was calm and slow, she knew that Sunset would be having a rough day and need to keep her mind quiet and focused to resolve an issue. But the heavy bass pumping from the lower level meant that the redhead was in a good mood and just burning off extra energy.

Heading to the bedroom, Luna quickly shed her work clothes in favor of workout pants and a sports bra. If Sunset was training, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to get out of doing her own workout. Pulling the pants up, Luna took a moment to admire some of the physical changes that had started to become obvious since she started working out with Sunset. While always being generally toned, if a little soft around the edges, Luna was now starting to look slightly muscular. Not overly so, but there was some clear definition to her arms, legs, and stomach that wasn’t there before. If anything she had crossed the line from being trim, into being athletic. Glancing at her backside in the mirror, Luna decided that the change was for the better.

Heading down to the basement, she saw Sunset furiously working the heavy punching bag. Her grin as each strike landed with a distinct thud was infectious. Walking off to the side of the mats on the floor, Luna started to stretch out. She had started to gain an appreciation for Sunsets taste in music, once she realized that each playlist was carefully built around certain musical tempos for different types of working out. There was thought and insight into how the music was crafted to work together with the fitness routines. As she stretched Luna saw each strike that her girlfriend made to the bag was precisely timed with the beat of the music, and as she pressed herself deeper into the stretches Luna tried to match her movements to the tempo as well.

Sunset noticed the movement of Luna out of the corner of her eye. She hadn’t realized that it was time for school to be out already. Striking the bag again and again, the redhead released the tensions of the last few weeks into the leather and sand hanging in front of her. Today was the last day of construction. The gym was built, stocked, and ready to open the doors next week. With one final strike, Sunset set the bag to swinging while she slowly walked over to her girlfriend as she stretched out.

Turning down the music, she stepped behind Luna and wrapped her arms around her lover.

“Hello my love. You need a shower desperately.”

Sunset giggled into the ear of her girlfriend and pulled her closer against herself.

“Yeah, but I had good news and I wanted to burn off some steam first.”

“Oh? And what has you in such a good mood today?”

“As of this afternoon, the gym is officially ready to open next week, The fire marshall came to do the final inspections today and everything passed with flying colors. Tomorrow morning at 8, the email marketing and radio commercials will go live, and next saturday we have our grand opening.”

Luna turned in the arms of her lover and wrapped her in a tight squeeze.

“I am so proud of you! I know that this has been a very large stress on you, and to see it coming to life… I cannot even imagine!”

The redhead smiled at the praise of her partner.

“I honestly couldn’t have done it without you, Lu. You've been super understanding through all of the stress, and I’ve been taking that for granted.”

Sunset pressed her forehead to Luna’s and gently rubbed their noses together.

“Why don’t we skip the workout today and go celeb…”

Sunset was interrupted by the doorbell ringing from upstairs.

“Who in the world? Are you expecting anyone?”

Luna shook her head a quick negative as she followed Sunset up the stairs.

Coming around the hall she heard Sunset open the door, only to be shocked when she saw her sister at the door, accompanied by the nightmare from her childhood.

Immaculate Faith.

Weeks had gone by since Luna had disclosed the relationship to her sister. Celestia had mostly stayed silent on the matter, voicing neither approval or disapproval. And yet here she was, with that monster.

Looking at the man, he was utterly forgettable to most people. His face was bland, with no real defining features, his eyes nothing more than a watery blue, his hair was blonde and orderly combed. He wore a pale grey suit with a plain white shirt. Everything about him screamed “Don’t look at me, I’m not important.” But Luna knew better.

Under that suit was a heart blacker than midnight, and a willingness to commit evil acts, so long as they aligned with his own righteous fire.

“Hello Miss Shimmer, this is my friend Immaculate Faith. May we come in?” Celestia pointedly ignored her sister, who was standing behind the redhead, nearly cowering.

Reaching her hand around behind her, slightly pushing Luna more fully behind her body,, Sunset looked to the pair. In the doorway.

“Hello Celestia, I actually am kind of uncomfortable with strangers in my home. No offense to you, Mr. Faith, but I don’t know you. If you two wouldn’t mind though, maybe we could meet in about an hour at Sugarcube Corner?”

The older woman raised her hand and opened her mouth to respond, but Immaculate Faith stopped her.

“I understand completely Miss Shimmer. I wouldn’t want to intrude on your home. We would be glad to meet you.”

Without another word, the man dragged Celestia away to the car parked on the street. Watching them drive off, Sunset closed the door and turned. Luna was on her in an instant, hugging and shaking like a leaf.

“That was him, wasn’t it?”

Without a word, Luna nodded. Sunset couldn’t see it as her lover had buried her face against Sunsets chest, but feeling the nod was enough.

“Lu, look at me.”

Luna shook her head, pressing harder against Sunset.

“Lu, come on.”

Another shake of the head.

Sunset sighed, snaking her arm in between them, she put her hand on Lunas chin and tilted her head up, so that she was at least looking at Sunset. Her eyes rimmed in red and slightly puffy from crying, Sunset had two very visible wet spots on her shirt.

“Okay love, I’ve got you. You know that I won’t let him hurt you.”

Luna nodded again, her face still expressing some doubt.

“Let’s get cleaned up, and find out what they want.”

“Do we have to? I would just as soon we did not allow that… man into our lives at all.”

“He was never caught for what he did, was he?”

A small shake of the head from Luna.

“Would you like to see that changed? It might be possible to see some kind of justice still.”

Luna’s eyes got wide.

“I hadn’t dared to hope for that. Is it possible?”

“It might be, but I need to have you be strong for me. Can you do that, love?”

Luna nodded hesitantly.

“Good. One of the detectives at the police department has been very interested in the gym and what I’m trying to do. He might be willing to help out.”

Reaching for her phone on the kitchen counter, Sunset dialed and waited.

“Hello, Detective Armor? This is Sunset. Shimmer. Listen, I know this might be a little far fetched and out of let field, but do you know anything about an old case for Shady Acres mental hospital? Yes, that’s the one. Look, I have evidence that might actually close that case for you. Can. You be at my house in half an hour?”

Looking at her with wide eyes, Luna started to feel a bit of hope for some closure.

Author's Note

Well damn. It's been a bit.

After taking nearly a year to write the first week of the relationship, life needed to speed up. I sort of wrote myself into a corner.

This is the start of resolving that and patching some holes.

Thanks for the patience everyone!

17 - Drinks With the Devil

Luna looked concerned as Sunset finished speaking with the detective.

“I do not quite understand, love.”

“Detective Shining Armor has been a big help in getting the gym up and running. There are a lot of women that the police come into contact with that would benefit from a bit of self defense training, and he has agreed to speak to some of them on my behalf once he found out about the whole plan. He’s been talking to some of the female officers as well, trying to see if any of them would be willing to come train, or even teach on a volunteer basis to help cut down some of my staffing overhead.”

Luna nodded, it all made sense, and she had recalled something about a very helpful officer that Sunset had mentioned in the past.

Both women quickly changed into street clothes from their workout gear, both opting for jeans and tee shirts. Soon enough there was a knock at the door. Glancing through the peephole, Sunset admitted a tall man, who was presumably the detective.

The blue haired gentleman introduced himself, producing a police ID.

“Hi, I’m Detective Shining Armor. You must be Luna. Sunset had mentioned you in some of our conversations.”

Luna shook his hand firmly. His smile was open and affable, without being anything more than welcoming.

“Hello Detective, thank you for being available on such short notice.”

“Don’t worry about it at all, it’s part of the job. Though I won’t deny that the chance to close such a high profile case would be amazing for my career.”

He laughed abashedly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well, at least you are honest about it. That’s refreshing considering how the case was handled before.”

“Oh? How do you mean?”

“In short, Detective, I was one of the victims that was never allowed to testify. I made my statement to the police, but the case somehow stalled and never moved to any charges.”

“That’s very distressing. Would you mind if I recorded a statement from you for the records so that we can keep everything on the books?”

Both women nodded as the officer took a small video camera from his jacket pocket.

He started the recording with himself reciting the date and time, then placed the camera on the kitchen table and took a seat across from Luna.

“Thank you for speaking with me, can you please provide your name, occupation, and involvement in the Shadey Acres case.”

“My name is Luna, I am the vice principal of Canterlot High School, and I am one of the victims on record in the original case.”

“Thank you, I understand that we are on a timeframe for this conversation, so I will be as brief as I can. The record shows that you were a patient at the Shadey Acres hospital during the time it was investigated and then subsequently shut down for physical, mental, and sexual abuse of patients. There have been some arrests made, however we have been unable to identify the person in charge. My understanding is that you are able to identify and lead us to that person, is that correct?”

“Yes, that is all accurate. The person who caused all of this was Immaculate Faith, he is the pastor of the Children of the Brilliant Sun church. The church is known for having extremist views of all people who do not conform to its doctrine. Being raised as a member of the church with my sister, and then developing an attraction for women was seen as a complete violation of church law. Those of us who refused to be ‘cleansed’ through the church were forced into the hospital, citing mental illness.”

“Thank you. The file on the case has a significant number of photos and documentation on injuries received, so I don’t believe that we need to go into any detail on that matter. In order for us to make an arrest and a charge in this case, we would need to have a clear admission of involvement, on the record. I understand that Immaculate Faith has come to this residence this morning attempting to speak with you. You were right to delay the conversation. If you would be willing, I would like you to wear a small recording device for the conversation. If he admits to any kind of involvement in the case, I will be able to facilitate an arrest and charge.”

“Anything that I can do to assist, I will.”

Shining Armor nodded and slid small case across the table.

“There is a small microphone and wireless transmitter in here, all you need to do is attach the microphone to your clothing and the transmitter can be in your pocket. When we have women wear this, they often find the center of their bra to be the most effective and comfortable location. Once you turn on the transmitter I will be able to hear everything on this recorder.”

Standing, Luna and Sunset made their way to the bedroom. Lifting her shirt over her dark skin, Luna waited for Sunset to attach the microphone. It was significantly smaller than television had led the women to believe, being only about the size of a small coin. Clipping the small disc to the lace between her lovers breasts, Sunset placed a firm kiss over where the older woman’s heart would be.

“I love you Luna. All we have to do is get him to say he was involved.”

Luna nodded and lowered her shirt, flipping the power switch on the transmitter.

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

There was a shout from the next room.

“Clear as a bell.”

Both women came out of the bedroom again, the detective packing up his few items.

“Alright ladies, are we ready?”

Sunset nodded.

“Yes, we will be going to Sugarcube Corner.”

“Okay, I will be in the parking lot listening for the word. If you get uncomfortable, go ahead and get out of there, okay?”

A nod from Luna solidified the plan.

Shining Armor got into his car as both women headed to the garage, and the mustang parked there. Within minutes they had arrived at the bakery and were walking in, just barely ahead of the one hour timeframe that was set. Celestia and Immaculate Faith had occupied a small table in the corner, away from the bulk of the other patrons. Obviously trying to have a private conversation in the public space.

Both women first went to the counter and ordered their respective coffees and pastries. Collecting them and joining the other pair at the secluded table.

“Good morning sister, miss Shimmer.”

Both women responded to Celestia.

Reaching his hand across the table to Sunset, Immaculate Faith introduced himself.

“Hello again miss Shimmer, as I said before, my name is Immaculate Faith. I am the leader of the Children of the Brilliant Sun church here in Canterlot. I would like to congratulate you on your new business venture, and I pray that it is quite successful.”

Sunset nodded tersely.

“Thank you Mr. Faith. I’m sure that we will do the community quite a bit of good. I hope that through training and self-defense classes the women of Canterlot will be able to rest easier knowing that they are more prepared if anything were to happen to them.”

The smile from Immaculate Faith at this could only be described as greasy.

“I agree that the ladies of the city should be able to learn how to protect themselves, however I wonder if I might offer some insight into the community. I was born and raised in Canterlot, I have strong ties to our city, and as a pillar in this community, I would like to think that I have my finger on the pulse of what is going on with the people who live here. I am the spiritual head of the largest church in the city, and what I see is quite the opposite of what you are trying to accomplish.”

Sunset cocked her eyebrows.

“I don’t follow.”

“The members of my church, primarily the female members, know that the world operates in certain ways. That men are in place to protect and guide them. To shelter them from any storm. And through our faith and belief, we all know that the works of our lord are such that they may learn from them their proper place in life.”

Celestia spoke up at Sunsets confused look.

“Miss Shimmer, our faith tells us that women are here to care and nurture. That protection should and does come from our husbands. When those of us choose not to take husbands, or allow men to take their place as protectors, we are defying the will of our lord. Immaculate Faith and I have spoken about this at length, and there is simply no way that the church could allow any of our members to engage in what you offer. It defies our very belief. And those of our faith who have strayed from the path are deserving of the harsh lessons that might be taught to them.”

Both Sunset and Luna were shocked. The fact that those words had been said cemented for Sunset that the people in front of her were evil. Luna couldn’t hold her tongue anymore.

“Sister… You mean to tell me that everything that happened to me was my own fault? That the scars I bear, the abuse, the torture… was some kind of lesson from your god? I am your sister! And the man responsible for all of that is sitting right next to you! How could you even think that?”

“Lu, come on. This conversation is getting us nowhere, and I think that I have heard enough from these two. Mister Faith, thank you for your time, but I don’t believe that I will have any issues with my new business.”

As the pair got up to leave, Immaculate Faith leaned across the table.

“It was so nice to see you again Luna. After that awful business with the hospital… just dreadful. But rest assured that the church has taken to being much more direct in our assistance with those who choose to stray from the path of the light.”

Without another word both women walked out.

In the parking lot, they glanced to Shining Armor in his car, who shook his head slightly. It was clear that there wasn’t enough in the conversation.

Getting into the mustang, both Sunset and Luna’s phones beeped at the same time. A group text from Shining Armor asking them to meet back at Sunsets house.

Author's Note

Sooooo.... Welcome back.... I keep promising more frequent updates, and I keep NOT having more frequent updates... so at this point, they will come as they do, but I will try my damnedest to not suck about that plan.

Thanks for those who stick with it!!!

18 - Consequences

The drive back to Sunsets house was made in silence. Luna couldn’t stop thinking about seeing that monster. He just sat there at the table, like he owned the place. No remorse, no guilt, nothing but the supreme confidence of someone who believes with all of their heart that whatever they may do, it is right.

For Sunset, the drive was an exercise in focus. If she didn’t focus all of her attention on the road, she would have been screaming. Who did he think that he was? Not only had he essentially threatened her dream, but his comment to Luna as they left. That was truly the frightening part. Luna had suffered because of him, but if what he inferred was true, more people have suffered after that. And possibly even worse.

Another thought occured to Sunset during the silent drive. Had she honestly signed up for this? When she and Luna had first got together, Sunset knew that she could deal with the past trauma of one person. But this was a completely different situation. The past was supposed to remain there, and now it was reaching up and showing its teeth.

The bottom line was that Celestia knew that Sunset wasn’t from this world, was operating on forged documents, and was trying to keep a low profile. While her own involvement in that was enough to keep Celestia quiet, Immaculate Faith was another matter. It all came back to Luna. The redhead loved her girlfriend, without question. But was love enough to handle all of this mess? All of the information seemed to point to that it could get even worse. Was it a risk she could take?

The car roared into the garage, shortly after Shining Armor pulled up. The trio walked into the house, and arranged themselves in the kitchen again. Luna reached into her shirt and angrily pulled the microphone out before tossing it on the table.

“A waste of time! Yet again he manages to slide out of any responsibility because of police procedure.”

“Lu, please. We threw this together at the last minute, hoping that we could get something. It was a long shot at best.”

The older woman turned on her lover.

“This was all for nothing! How can you even think that this was a good plan? What was going through your head Sunset? We get there, and then you just lose your temper and walk out? We didn’t even have the chance to do anything!”

Shock was clearly written across Sunset’s face. Before she could respond, the deeper voice of Shining Armor spoke up, interrupting the tirade of the pair of women.

“I think that we all need to calm down. This isn’t something that we could have planned for. Sunset is right that we had minimal time to put any of this together. But Luna has a point that you were in there for less than ten minutes. Your coffee was still hot when you lost your temper Sunset.”

Sunset turned her fire on the detective.

“So this is MY fault now? That bastard threatens Luna. Threatens my dreams. And I am expected to just roll over and take it?”

“Nobody said you just had to roll over, Sunset. But for my sake, you should have at least tried to keep calm! We were going in to try to keep that monster from hurting anyone else, and all you can do is fly off the handle the moment things get rough. I needed you Sunset! I needed for you to be my rock in there, and instead you let that bastard get under you skin and scare you off!”

Shining Armor looked at the pair, watching the escalating argument. This was clearly outside of his jurisdiction.

“Ladies, please! We will figure out another chance to close this. For now we just need to keep calm. I am going to go back to the station and see what I can dig up, but for now please try to keep this under wraps.”

Shining grabbed the microphone and transmitter, and beat a quick retreat to the door. Getting involved in this particular domestic issue wasn’t something that he wanted to do.

Sunset and Luna hardly noticed the detective take his leave. Their fight was only escalating.

“How is this my fault Luna? Here we were doing perfectly well for ourselves, and then when one person comes knocking on the door, you fall apart! One person! How can I count on you to be there for me if a single man can make you shatter like that?”

“How is this about you Sunset? How? The biggest nightmare that has ever walked the earth shows up, my own personal tormentor, and you expect me to NOT fall to bits? I NEEDED YOU! I needed you and you weren’t there for me. How is that a partnership, Sunset? You told me that we would get through this together. You said that you would be right there for me. And you RAN! You ran just like you ran from Equestria! From the fear of being accepted at the fall formal! From being part of a team at the battle of the bands! I needed you to be there for me, to be strong once. Just once. And you became a coward.”

The final word hung in the air between them.

Coward.

Sunset just stared openmouthed at Luna. The silence dragging on as her fury became white hot.

“Get out.”

“What?”

“Luna, you need to get out now.”

As her temper cooled, Luna realized what she had said. Her face dropped from fury to fear.

“Sunset…”

“OUT!”

Luna flinched as Sunset screamed at the top of her lungs, pointing to the door. In a daze, she backed out of the kitchen toward the front door.

Author's Note

A bit of a short chapter this time. Yes, it has been a bit. But damnit I am still working on this!

Enjoy the newest cliffhanger.

1 - Waking Up

The alarm went off with a blaring noise that would not be ignored. Instead of hitting the button, Sunset stuffed her head under the pillow. The first day of school was always the worst. After the pain that Camp Everfree had been this summer, and the near constant issues with school, she was almost afraid to see what new crises happened this year.

Resigning herself to the day, Sunset threw off the blanket, and hit the button on the clock. Rubbing her eyes, she debated the option of coffee or a shower first. The need for caffeination won out.

Sunset slipped a robe on over her pajamas. It was unseasonably cold, and her house wasn’t too well insulated. The hard part of coming over from Equestria was that things cost more here. Thankfully when she crossed through the portal, the bits that she had with her had transformed into human currency. and a not insubstantial amount at that. With some shrewd buying, and keeping some part-time work, Sunset was able to live comfortably, if a little minimally in the modest house.

Padding into the kitchen, she pushed the button on the coffee maker. As the small appliance bubbled to life, she reflected on her life here in the human world. Her first three years were a disaster for sure. The bullying, the fighting, the whole… demon incident… Twilight, the Sirens, Crystal Prep, and of course the runaway magic at Camp Everfree. This place was even more of a mess than Equestria. Regardless of that, it was still a clean start.

Filling her cup with the black nectar, she hoped that this year would be blessedly uneventful. She was a senior now. Of course, coming through the portal as an adult already meant that she was considerably older than her peers, but perhaps that helped her to have just a little bit more wisdom than some of the other students. At 25, she was closer in age to Vice Principal Luna than she was to the rest of the students.

As she drained her first cup of coffee and refilled the mug, she sighed again. Time for a shower, and then to face the day. Her time at Canterlot High was coming to a close. Best to make the most of it.

Sunset cranked the hot water in the shower as high as it would go. While the water was heating she looked at herself in the mirror. Her flaming hair was a mess, her tanktop and pajama pants were both wrinkled and she looked overall like she had been in a fight all night rather than being asleep.

With a groan, Sunset peeled off her tank top and sleep pants. Stepping into the shower, she relaxed a little bit more, and debated for a moment just falling asleep right there under the hot water. Thinking better of it, Sunset finished up and got out.

Wrapping a towel around herself, she went back to the bedroom and got dressed to face the day. Rubbing the last of the sleep from her eyes, Sunset grabbed her leather jacket, and car keys, making her way to the garage.

One of the small indulgences that she allowed herself was to enjoy nice things - while she always shopped around for the best deals, often buying secondhand, her car was the exception. The irony of her owning a Mustang was not lost on Sunset. But the price was right, the features were there, and outside of the custom red, gold, and orange paint job, it was still a steal.

While the engine roared to life like a surprised manticore, Sunset smiled to herself and enjoyed the vibrations running through her core. There were some good things about this world.

Mornings were evil. Celestia may have been a morning person, but Luna hated them with a burning passion. If the world were in a perpetual state of nighttime, she wouldn’t complain.

Sitting in her favorite chair, Luna sipped her third cup of coffee for the morning. Looking at her coffee mug that her sister had gotten her, Luna smiled. It had “Best Vice-Principal” printed on the side, Celestia had had some sense of humor at least.

The younger of the two sisters had been somewhat forced into the position of administering the school alongside her sister. If she had her way, she would have stayed as one of the English teachers for the rest of her career. But sometimes you had to think of the greater good in situations like these.

As she drained the last of the cup, Luna stood up and stretched. It was time to face the day and her responsibilities, much as she would rather have stayed in bed.

More than anything, there was one thing that she did not want to face this year. That was the new task that had been delegated to her. Celestia had tasked her with finding out more about magic, and the cause of the recent spate of disturbances, mostly centering around one student. Sunset Shimmer.

Walking to the garage, she looked at her car, a sedate little hybrid. Luna was conscious of the impacts on cars to the world, and she had always been somewhat more reserved than her older sister. Celestia always made fun of her for getting the cute little car, but Luna loved it.

The car whispered to life like an evening breeze as she pulled out of the garage in her apartment building, and turned toward the school. It was time to start the year, and Celestia’s pet project.

Author's Note

Welcome to Sunset/Luna Shipping! The boxes are packed, the labels are applied, and preparations to ship are made.

15 - Business as Usual

Sunset Shimmer stretched in the bed. It was just past midnight, and Luna was snoring quietly next to her, her bare back pressed against Sunset’s ribs. Sunset gently traced her hand over the scars there. The evening had been memorable, to say the very least. Her swirling thoughts wouldn’t let her rest, and being here next to Luna wasn’t helping her clear her head. With a sigh, Sunset gently disentangled herself from the blankets. Reaching down to the floor, she slipped her panties and shirt back on, to at least provide some cover for herself. While she was sure that Luna wouldn’t mind her parading about the apartment in the buff, her thoughts demanded that she have at least some covering while the ruminated on the events of the day.

Padding quietly into the kitchen, she took a mug down from the shelf and set the kettle on the stove to heat. Maybe some tea would help clear her mind. She rummaged through the cabinets until finding a slightly dusty box of tea. Pouring the water over the bag, the smell of earl grey wafted up from the mug and she walked to the living room. Taking a comfortable looking chair, she wrapped herself in a blanket to sip her tea and think.

The fact of the matter was that she loved Luna. There was no denying that at all. And Luna very obviously loved her. That she had bared her past and all the pain contained therein was proof enough. Not to mention standing up to Celestia.

Was it too fast though? In the space of less than a week her entire world had changed. She went from being a student with a crush, to a woman displaced from her world and finding her place in a new one. Was this the right choice? Confessing her love for Luna on that mountain top had started a chain of events that could easily have destroyed Luna’s future.

“Sunset?”

The younger woman looked up, Luna was standing in the doorway from the bedroom, moonlight framing her as she wrapped herself in a robe.

“What’s wrong love? I woke up and you weren’t in bed.”

“Sorry. I just couldn’t sleep and didn’t want to wake you.”

Luna nodded as she walked to the kitchen to pour her own cup of tea before coming back and sitting on the sofa. Patting her hand on the empty cushion next to her, she beckoned Sunset to join her.

“What’s on your mind?”

As sunset moved and curled up next to Luna she tried to form her thoughts into coherent words.

“I don’t know Lu. It seems like this is so sudden, and I just feel like a part of me pushed this on you. A week ago, we were just a student and a teacher. And now, here we are. I’m not a student anymore, you standing up to your sister, this…”

Luna nodded. She had had similar thoughts before they had met with Celestia.

“I can understand where you are. I believe that I had similar thoughts just the other day. I wonder if that by being involved with me, that you might be held back in your goals. Am I too old for you? Too damaged?”

The younger woman looked up at her girlfriend.

“We make quite the pair, don’t we? Each wondering if this is a good idea.”

“True. But I had to remind myself that these feelings are there because a part of me is so certain that this is right, and that my own fears are fighting against that feeling. If I feel that us being together is right, then how could it be wrong? Does that make sense?”

“I think so. And I do feel like this is right, but I’m just so afraid.”

“I know you are Sunset. And I am too. But I trust that we can come through this together. We have each had our share of trials in the past, but I must believe that that makes us stronger as individuals, and therefore stronger together.”

Sunset Shimmer nodded. Luna was right. They were both strong in their own ways, and perhaps if they could use that to shore up where the other needed it, then they could work through this.

“Come love, we should go back to bed. The sad truth is that we both have too much to do tomorrow.”

Both women stood and took their mugs to the kitchen before returning to the bedroom.

The sun streamed down through the glass onto the bed, and Sunset felt a softness press against her lips.

“Good morning Sunset. We need to be up.”

Luna felt Sunset wrap her arms around her back and pull her close for another kiss before shaking her head.

“Nope. I’m staying in bed with you.”

Luna giggled, this was a new experience for her.

“Sadly, we can’t. I have to go to work. Young minds to shape, and a sister to deal with. Besides, I brought you coffee, and it would be a shame for it to get cold.”

There was a groan from the younger woman. Being awake was miserable, but kissing a beautiful woman, and having fresh coffee brought to her in bed made a significant improvement on the matter.

“You’re lucky that you brought me coffee. And that I love you. In that order.”

“You mean that you love coffee more than me?”

Luna teased and stuck her tongue out.

“This early in the morning, yes. Yes I do. Now kiss me again so that I can change my priorities.”

With grins, the pair shared another kiss. Sunset wrinkled her nose a bit as they seperated.

“I think that we both need a shower love.”

Luna nodded in agreement.

“Yes, we do, however there is only enough time for me. Unless…”

Luna walked toward the bathroom, looking over her shoulder with a grin and dropping the robe on the floor.

Catching the hint, Sunset got out of the bed and followed the beautiful woman into the bathroom.

“Need some help washing your back?”

The mustang roared into the parking lot at Canterlot High. With a kiss, Luna got out of the car and headed into the building while Sunset turned toward home.

As the car sped through the streets, she wondered again if this was the right thing to do. Thinking back to their late-night conversation, Sunset decided to just let things be what they were, and to trust herself, and her partner. Regardless of anything else, they were in this together.

Pulling into her garage, Sunset killed the motor before walking into the house and up to her small office. Flopping down onto her chair, she opened the small filing cabinet under her desk and pulled out several files before spreading out the contents and making notes on a new sheet of paper.

She hated doing financial things, but they were a necessary evil. If she was going to start this gym, she needed to get much more proficient in managing these things. The first step was to see just where her money situation sat before she called her accountant.

Without realizing just how much time had passed, Sunset leaned back in her chair, checking the small clock on the wall. Three hours of financial and business planning. No wonder her brain felt like mush. Grabbing the small stack of notes that she had made, Sunset wandered down to the kitchen. She turned the coffee pot on and grabbed her phone, dialing the number for her accountant.

“Hello. This is Penny Pinch.”

“Hi Penny, it’s Sunset. Is now a good time?”

“You know that I will always make time for you Sunset! How can I help?”

Pouring herself a cup of coffee, Sunset put the phone on speaker and sat down at the table with her notes.

“I want to see what I can do about allocating some of my funds into a business. I think that I have most of the details worked out but I wanted to run the numbers by you and see if you had any thoughts.”

“I think that we can certainly do that. Are you thinking of investing in a business?”

“No, I actually want to start one.”

“Oh! Well that makes all of the difference in the world. I can help with the financial side of things, but I’m not the best when it comes to some of the details of property and the like. I do have someone that I recommend who could help with that though, if you are interested?”

“That would be great! Do you think we could get together today?”

“I don’t see why not. Are you available to meet at my office in an hour?”

“I can do that. I will see you then.”

“See you soon Sunset!”

The young woman smiled. Penny Pinch was a good friend, and had helped get her started when she first came through the portal. While keeping all of her accounts and paperwork in order, Penny also knew enough people that she could address some of the less legal aspects of an entirely new person just appearing in the world. While Sunset tried to keep everything that she did on the right side of the law, there were certain things that couldn’t happen for someone who could not prove that they were born on this world. That was where Penny and her network of clients really came to shine.

Gathering her papers and sorting them into their respective folders again, Sunset packed them into a briefcase and walked out to the garage.

Pulling up to the moderately sized building on the outer edge of downtown, Sunset parked the mustang in the garage space designated for the accounting office. She hummed to herself as she grabbed her files and walked to the elevator, pressing the button for the fifth floor.

The office of Pinch and Cent accounting was spotless. Penny’s partner, Red Cent was in the front office making some copies when she heard the door open, and seeing Sunset Shimmer.

“Hi Sunset! Penny said you would be coming by. She is in her office.”

“Thanks Red. How are you doing?”

“Oh, busy as always! Like they say, money never sleeps.”

The matronly accountant laughed as she walked back into her own office, leaving Sunset to go through the other door and see Penny Pinch.

Knocking on the open door frame, Sunset walked in seeing the rather plain looking brunette speaking to a mountain of a man in a pinstripe suit.

“Hi Sunset, please come in. This is Brick and Mortar, he helps me out when my clients are looking into starting a business.”

The large man took Sunset’s hand and shook it firmly.

“Hello Mr. Mortar. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Please, call me Brick. So, Penny here tells me that you are looking to go into business for yourself. Now is the time to do it, that’s for sure. What sort of company were you looking to start?”

For the next several hours, Sunset laid out her plans with Penny and Brick, getting the groundwork laid to open her gym.

Walking up to the school, Luna had a particular bounce in her step. Sharing the morning with her love had been something that she had forgotten. The truth was that of the very few relationships that she had had, this morning was a first for her. While others had stayed with her overnight, Luna had never found herself happy about the prospect, much less inviting further closeness. Her cheeks reddened slightly as she thought back to the shared shower this morning.

“I will definitely need to do that again.”

“Do what again?”

Luna spun around. Her sister was standing directly behind her. Having obviously caught Luna musing to herself, she resolved to meet the problem head on.

“Would you really care to know the answer Celestia?”

The pink haired administrator rolled her eyes.

“Probably not. I see that you left your car here last night, did you have an enjoyable day off?”

“Quite so, yes. We discussed many things, and went to have dinner at the Tasty Treat. It was quite nice.”

She smiled slightly at her sister. It was good to see Luna happy, though her own morals were distinctly offended as to the reasons.

Celestia could not understand these things. Even though Luna was her sister, it was just so… unnatural.

The administrator decided that she needed help to figure this out, and made a silent reminder to visit the church this afternoon to speak to the pastor about this. If there was anyone who could help steer her through these troubled waters, Immaculate Faith was the man to do it.

Author's Note

Welcome to the most explicit chapter to date!

It was a tough line to walk, getting intimacy and vulnerability and sexiness together, without dropping into writing NSFW things. After going over the guidelines for FiM Fiction, I think that I got it right. I want to keep the teen rating.

Also, hello to new characters!

Most of them are pretty self explanatory.

Penny Pinch and Red Cent are accountants
Brick and Mortar is a business developer
and Immaculate Faith is an asshole... I mean, pastor at Celestia's church.