Graph Theory

Chapters

1 - Graph Theory
2 - Level Playing Field
4 - Blank Flank
5 - Sick day
6 - Glasses
7 - Crash
8 - Home
Epilogue
3 - Princess

1 - Graph Theory

With a now very familiar feeling of nausea, Princess Twilight stepped out of the portal and onto the grounds of Canterlot High. Somehow the trip got worse every time she passed through. She really needed to talk to someone about that.

“Hiya Princess.” Sunset Shimmer was sitting on the steps leading up Canterlot High.

Someone like Sunset, maybe.

A theory about parallel worlds and subatomic particles was on the tip of her tongue. Unfortunately, her stomach chose that moment to do the internal organ equivalent of a sonic rainboom was. In response she doubled over, clutching her midsection.

Sunset rushed over to help.

A yellow hand offered her something. “Easy now. Here, drink this.”

Twilight took a sip from what appeared to be a bottle of soda. Her stomach appeased for the moment, she slowly rose. Her hand flattened out her skirt as she stood.

“Do you think that —” Twilight began.

“That it's getting worse?” Sunset offered. “I have a theory about that actually...”

The two girls made their way, one a bit unsteadily, in the general direction of the bus stop across the street. Once there, Sunset handed Twilight a couple of crumpled bills for bus fare.

A lull in conversation left both of them staring idly at the school.

“How’s Equestria?” Sunset’s eyes lingered on the long-replaced statue.

Twilight looked over at her. Sunset’s expression was unreadable.

“No crises this week, thankfully. My Pinkie actually threw a ‘Nothing’s Tried To Destroy The Town In Over A Week’ party, which really seems like tempting fate.”

It used to make Twilight uncomfortable calling her friends “My Pinkie” or “My Applejack,” since they were certainly not hers. So far, though, it was the best convention anyone could come up with. “Pony Rainbow Dash” was too unwieldy, and “Universe B Fluttershy” led to a spat about which was “Universe A.” So “Twilight’s” friends they were.

Twilight continued.“They all send their regards, by the way. Well, Rarity sends her ‘regards.’”

Twilight tried making finger quotes for “regards,” but just ended up waving her hands. Hands were tricky.

“Applejack sends a ‘howdy,’ Fluttershy said ‘hi,’ and Pinkie just giggled like she knew something I didn’t. Oh, and Rainbow Dash was asleep when I left.”

Sunset was giving her a much more readable look, and burst out laughing at the end of her spiel.

“Glad to hear it, Princess. Sounded like you could use a break.”

“Princess,” a nickname Twilight would never have let “her” friends use, was another conceit to interdimensional travel. She was a princess, her science-obsessed counterpart here wasn’t, so Princess she was. Really, it made everything less confusing. It was fine.

“Yeah, no kidding. Just running my little corner of Equestrian government is a challenge on a quiet day. Even when there’s no monsters or magical coups it’s hard to call any day ‘quiet.’”

Sunset nodded knowingly. “I was gonna complain about my Ecology term paper, but compared to running the government of a country, it seems kinda silly.”

“Oh, no! I didn’t mean to imply... You’re my friend, and I want to hear what’s up in your life.” A sly smile crossed Twilight’s face. “Speaking of, how are things with you and Fluttershy?”

Twilight didn’t really need an answer after that. The way Sunset’s face lit up told her everything that she needed to know, but Sunset answered anyway.

“It’s been... really nice. I know that’s not a very descriptive adjective, but that’s how it feels. We get dinner together, watch a movie, and just like... cuddle. It’s cozy.”

Sunset wasn’t just beaming now, she was blushing. Twilight couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s lovestruck expression.

“That does sound... nice.”

“I still don’t understand how I got this lucky. I was horrible to the poor girl, bullied her, and tore her apart from her friends. And now she’s got a toothbrush in my apartment.”

Twilight thought about saying something snarky about the toothbrush, but it didn’t seem appropriate at the moment. She went in for a hug instead.

“Sunset, you need to stop beating yourself up over that. We’ve all done some things we’re not proud of, but you’ve done your penance. Your Fluttershy trusts you completely and, your relationship proves that.”

Sunset squeezed Twilight, then pulled back and looked her in the eyes.

“I know, Twilight. And it’s all thanks to you. If you hadn’t shown up and gotten the girls back together... I wasn’t happy back then. I didn’t even know I could be this happy.”

“I was happy to help you, Sunset. You weren’t a bad person. You just needed a little help. Anyone would’ve done it.”

“I don’t think anyone else could’ve done it, Twilight. You did what nobody in either of our worlds could do. You saved me from myself."

Twilight was suddenly aware of how close they were. She could smell Sunset's perfume, hear the soft crinkle of her jacket. Their eyes met and Twilight was frozen, a biped caught in the headlights.

“Twilight... can... can I kiss you?”

That broke the spell pretty quickly.

“WHAT?!” Twilight bellowed. “How could you even... We were just...Why would you even say that?”

Twilight expected Sunset to be remorseful or angry but instead she just seemed confused.

“What are you —”

The bus picked that moment to arrive. Twilight gave serious thought to just running back to the portal, but in all likelihood Spike or Starlight had closed it by now. The only way to contact them would be through the other journal, which was of course in Sunset’s possession.

So, one way or another, she was going to spend the night in this world, and Sunset’s couch was a lot nicer than a stack of library books.

And of course, Sunset was still her friend. Probably. She’d get an explanation, she owed Sunset that much at least.

The bus doors creaked open and Sunset boarded, flashing a shiny piece of plastic at the driver. Twilight followed behind and with a little difficulty, fed her bills into a machine next to the driver.

They pushed their way to the back of the bus to a pair of miraculously empty seats. They sat in silence for several minutes, staring out the window. The scenery here was weird. It didn’t look anything like Ponyville, but somehow felt like it. Sunset had mentioned something about “Art Noveau” at some point, but Twilight just chalked it up to the weirdness of the portal.

Twilight was the first to speak. “Sunset, how could you even say something like that? You were just talking about how happy you were with Fluttershy and now you want to cheat on her? How could you do that to her? How could you do that to me?”

“What do you mean, cheat on? Nobody’s saying...” A glimmer of recognition flashed on Sunset’s face. “You think we’re monogamous!”

Twilight blinked. “Monoga-what?”

“Monogamous. Like, when two people only date each other?”

“So... a relationship?”

“Is this really not a thing in Equestria? Twilight, Fluttershy and I aren’t just dating each other.”

“Sunset you’re from Equestria, same as me. You know full well what is and isn’t a ‘thing.’” The finger quotes went better this time.

“I wasn’t exactly thinking about romance back when I lived with Celestia, Twilight. I was too busy studying, or making terrible decisions about power and glory. How much dating did you do when you lived in the castle?”

“None, but... Hey! Stop trying to change the subject! What’s going on here?”

Sunset stood and pulled the stop cord, looking deep in thought. When the bus came to a stop, she and Twilight walked silently out. The two walked in silence for a block or two towards Sunset’s apartment

Finally, Sunset broke the silence.

“The simplest explanation is probably best. Twilight, Fluttershy and I aren’t just dating each other. She’s sleeping over at Rainbow’s tonight.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “So what? We have sleepovers all the time. We had one the first time I came here!”

Sunset rubbed her temples. “No like... they’re going to be sleeping in the same bed. They’re probably kissing right now. Maybe even —”

Twilight cut her off, face hot. “Okay, okay, not just a sleep over. Got it.”

Sunset grinned and nodded.

She got out her keys and unlocked the door to her apartment building. The two walked across the sad-looking lobby to the elevator.

Twilight had never noticed how small the elevator was. Had it always been this cramped? Had she always had to get this close to Sunset? Had her perfume always smelled this good?

“So, are you and your Rainbow, you know... sleeping over? Is it like a three person thing? Would I have to date your Fluttershy?”

“Do you want to? I have it on good authority that she thinks you’re pretty cute.”

Twilight blushed again.

Was it possible to die of blushing? All that blood had to come from somewhere, right? Didn’t wherever it came from need it? Maybe her heart would just send all of it to her face and she’d pass out. That way she could stop thinking about kissing a shy pink-maned pegasus. Or pink-haired girl. Either way. Any time would be good.

Sunset was laughing again. “The look on your face, Princess. I’m just teasing. Not lying, but still teasing. You don’t have to date anyone. We’re not... what’s the word... polyfidelitous.”

Twilight stopped blushing long enough to raise an eyebrow.

“If you barely know the word, I don’t know why you think I might.”

“Sorry, sorry. It’s just so rare I actually have something to teach you! Usually it’s the other way around. Let me have my fun!”

Twilight glared at her, but motioned for her to continue.

“Polyfidelitous means a set of people —” she looked at Twilight “— or ponies, who date each other exclusively. Like a monogamous couple, but with three members. Or more.”

“And that’s not what you and Fluttershy are?”

“No. For one thing, I’m not daing Rainbow. She and I went out a few times but neither of us were really feeling it. We do still cuddle once in awhile, though,” Sunset whispered conspiratorially. “She puts on a tough act but she’s a real softie when it’s just us.”

Twilight had so little an idea of what to do with this information that her brain just stopped for several seconds. Sunset started to look a bit concerned, but Twilight managed to pull herself back together.

“Okay. So you’re dating Fluttershy, Fluttershy’s dating Rainbow. And you and Rainbow are...”

“Snuggle buddies,” Sunset supplied.

“Sure, that,” Twilight said in a way that made it obvious she was not sure of anything. “Anything else I should know?”

“Well, Rainbow and Applejack have been together for over a year, and --”

“What.”

“That’s not even mentioning all the ‘special parties’ Pinkie throws.”

“Wait, so all of you girls are...” Twilight was a very interesting combination of in awe, baffled, and very thoroughly confused.

“Sleeping together? Pretty much. Rarity swears to the stars that she’s straight, but she’ll jump on Rainbow if you get a drop of alcohol in her. Literally, actually. My Twilight did a study. There was, uh, ‘titration,’ I think she called it.”

At this point, Twilight and Sunset were sitting on the couch together. Twilight took this opportunity to slowly slide off the couch and onto the floor.

“Why do you think we all hang out together, Princess? Everyone at Canterlot High had a clique. The athletes, the dramas, the eco-geeks... and the queers.”

“Huh.” Twilight was very good at assimilating information but this was starting to test her considerable limits.

“Here, why don’t I draw you a graph.”

Twilight perked up. “I think that’d help.”

“I thought it might.”

Sunset walked to her desk and retrieved some notebook paper and a few markers. Twilight expected a quick sketch, but instead Sunset got out her phone and started texting people. She was apparently pretty surprised by some of the responses because a line or two was scribbled out, and some new ones added reluctantly. At one point she seemed to give up entirely and got out a clean sheet of paper. Her work was transferred to this, carefully copied line by line.

“Okay, I think this is accurate.”

Twilight, made her way to Sunset’s desk and looked at the chart. It was extremely colourful. It wasn’t just the seven girls she expected, either. Flash’s addition wasn’t too much of a surprise. Trixie, however, certainly was. And seeing her human counterpart so well-connected was quite the shock.

“Okay, so green is currently dating, grey is a past relationship, blue is a hook-up...”

Twilight consulted the chart again. “Wow, Pinkie’s been busy, huh?”

“The life of every party! Unsurprisingly she’s a really great kisser.”

“What’s this black line with the arrow?”

“Uhh...” Now it was Sunset’s turn to blush. “I wouldn’t worry about that right now.”

“Um, okay...”

“ANYWAY,” Sunset announced. “I hope this clears stuff up a little. I love Fluttershy to bits and I’d never do anything to hurt her. In fact, she’s actually cheering me on.”

Sunset held up her phone, showing off a text from Fluttershy which just said, “yay.”

Twilight smiled. The more things changed...

“I’m really sorry that I asked you out of nowhere, Princess. I guess I’ve kind of gone native here. I’ve forgotten that there’s usually a bit more romantic lead up outside of my little world.”

“It’s okay, Sunset. I’m sorry I overreacted. I should’ve known you’d never hurt Fluttershy. Can you forgive me?”

Sunset smiled. “I think I can find it in my heart if you can.”

Twilight’s stomach started to feel like she’d just come back through the portal again.

“I’m still pretty confused, though. I haven’t even... really thought about romance. Let alone with you!” Her eyes widened. “N-not that there’s something wrong with you! You’re very pretty, I think! And a really good friend! I just... I don’t know!”

“Breathe, Princess. This isn’t a test. There’s no right answer. But if I might make a suggestion?”

Twilight stared at the ceiling. “A suggestion sounds pretty good right now.”
“First, a couple deep breathes.”

“Right.”

Twilight did her best to calm her panicked breathing.

Sunset smiled. “Let’s just... do dinner sometime. No commitment, no pressure. If you’re not feeling it, we go back to doing movie night just like we did before.”

“That actually sounds really nice, Sunset.”

Twilight finally managed to look back at the girl sitting next to her.

In a fit of courage, her hand crawled over the couch and found Sunset’s.

Both of them blushed, smiled, maybe giggled a little awkwardly.

“Is... is this okay?” Twilight asked.

Her voice quivered with a combination of anxiety and excitement.

“It’s better than okay, Princess. It’s... nice.”

Now they were both grinning like idiots.

“So. About that dinner?”

“About that dinner. My dimension or yours?”

2 - Level Playing Field

Being a Princess, regrettably, did not lend itself well to a healthy work-life balance. There was only so much delegation she could do, only so many petitioners she could ask to come back tomorrow, only so many pieces of paperwork she could shift into her ever-growing inbox.

Nor did being an Element of Harmony, for that matter. National emergencies had a frustrating tendency not to confine themselves to regular working hours. Inevitably she’d be woken up in the middle of the night, Celestia or Luna standing over her, and have to dash off to wake her friends and save the day.

Of course, Twilight wouldn’t trade it for the world. She loved her friends, she loved Equestria, and it was her literal Celestia-given duty to defend them both. Sometimes that meant facing both power-crazed shadow pony or a mountain of paperwork related to tax code reform.

She did not, however, love that it had been two weeks since she asked Sunset Shimmer to dinner and she was just now getting around to it.

“Better late than never,” she said to her reflection in the large vanity.

She looked at her dress in the mirror one last time before grabbing a pair of beautiful new saddlebags and placing them carefully on her back. Rarity had of course made them, though only after prying the reason Twilight needed a new ensemble out of her. Twilight had sworn her to secrecy, going so far as to ask the disappointed gossip to invoke a Pinkie Promise, but Twilight knew it was only a matter of time before word got out.

Sunset and Twilight had agreed that their date should be in Equestria. Twilight was certainly on the back hoof in any dating situation, let alone when dating a reformed villain who lived in another universe, and, oh yes, already had a marefriend or two. Letting Twilight stay in pony form and choose the restaurant didn’t come close to evening the odds, but at least it was a start.

Twilight took a deep breath and headed for the door.

“You look great, Twilight,” Spike called as she walked down the hallway.

He knew why she was dressed up, of course. Twilight didn’t think she was capable of keeping anything from him. He’d been initially confused by “the whole poly thing,” as he called it, but he trusted Twilight and she appreciated that.

“Thank you, Spike, but it’s Rarity’s dress. I’m just wearing it.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Twilight. You’re gonna knock her off her hooves. Feet. Whatever.”

Twilight flushed at the compliment. “Hooves tonight, Spike. I’ll be home later tonight. Don’t wait up!”

Spike muttered something about bedtime under his breath, but Twilight ignored him. It was time to face the Sunset.

Twilight stood looking at the complex apparatus that was the Equestrian side of the portal. She’d cleaned it up a bit since hastily throwing it together all those years ago, but it was still a pretty haphazard affair. Straightening it up was on her ever-growing to-do list, but it seemed to work fine.

Sunset demonstrated this by stepping through at that moment. She landed square on four hooves with a lot more grace than Twilight ever could manage.

“Welcome back!”

Twilight hoped her voice didn’t betray how anxious she was. True, she’d been looking forward to this evening for two weeks. But that was two weeks to dream up exciting ways that everything could go totally wrong and ruin not only her date but her friendships with Sunset, Sunset’s friends, and the entire other world.

No pressure, she just need to play it cool.

“Hey, Princess,” Sunset walked over and nuzzled her.

Twilight swallowed.

This was how she and Sunset always greeted each other — at least on this side of the portal. They’d started off countless evenings like this. Sunset or Twilight making their way through the portal, Twilight or Sunset waiting on the other side to greet the other pleasantries were exchanged, lives were caught up on. In this case though, appearances were deceiving, and the similarities ended there.

“Shall we?” Sunset smiled at Twilight

“Yeah, let’s go.” Twilight stood in the doorway.

Sunset raised her eyebrows expectantly. Twilight realised she was in the way and blushed before stepping to the side.

“Oh, right! Sorry, Sorry!”

“Uh... Twilight? You’re the one who knows where we’re going.” Sunset looked concerned now.

So much for playing it cool, then.

“Right! Of course! Follow me!”

“Twilight... are you okay?”

“Definitely, Sunset! Why wouldn’t I be? Never better! Come on now, I’m starving!”

Twilight turned and walked down the hall toward the entrance of the castle. The sound of hooves from behind let her know that Sunset was following. She avoided turning to look until her stupid face stopped feeling so hot.

They reached the castle door and stepped out into the crisp late autumn air.

“Lovely weather here, huh, Sunset?” Twilight said, maybe just a little too loudly.

Sunset answered from behind her. “Yeah it’s, uh... really nice. Twilight, what’s wrong?”

“Wrong! Why would anything be wrong? I’m just going on a... date —” she squeaked the word out “— with my best friend. Everything’s fine!”

Twilight grinned with what she hoped was a genuine smile. It probably didn’t work.

Sunset started to say something but Twilight cut her off.

“Oh look! We’re here!”

Twilight trotted to a stop outside Il Ristorante Cavallo and approached the portico. Vines cascaded down an elaborate series of trellises, and soft piano music drifted out of the open balcony.

The building, while gorgeous, actually looked extremely impractical. Ponyville did not share a climate with Sifilly, and it must cost a fortune to heat the place in the winter.

“Wow, Twilight, am I underdressed for this place?”

“Nonono, you look fine, Sunset! I mean, not fine. You look more than fine! You’re really pretty!”

For a moment Twilight considered the logistics of literally putting her hoof down her throat. It would be kinder that way. Instead, she approached the restaurant.

A disinterested stallion looked down his muzzle at them from a podium as they approached. Twilight caught him rolling his eyes as she floundered helplessly in front of her date. He performed the now-familiar glance at her wings and her horn, and his eyes momentarily widened, but he quickly recovered his detached composure.

“Do you have a reservation, Your Highness?” he asked, looking pointedly past her at the ground.

“Um, yes. Should be under Twilight Sparkle?”

The stallion didn’t even pretend to look at the guestbook.

“Right this way, Your Highness.”

Sunset shot Twilight a skeptical look as the two followed him into the restaurant. The piano music got louder as they passed the front doors, as did the twin scents of wine and olive oil. They made their way through the crowded restaurant, past ponies dressed much better than they were, to a secluded alcove in the back.

“Your server will be with you shortly,” the stallion said, and walked back towards the front of the restaurant.

Sunset made a face at his retreating flank.

“Wow, who knew there were places fancy enough to be rude to royalty, huh, Princess?” Sunset grinned and poked Twilight with a free hoof.

She picked up a breadstick from the basket on their table and chewed it thoughtfully. “Do you think they put us back here to give us privacy, or to keep us away from the rest of the guests?” Sunset whispered.

Twilight responded by sighing.

Apparently that was the wrong thing to do, because Sunset’s grin dropped and she looked concerned again.

“Twilight, what’s wrong? I’ve seen you face down literal demons — myself included — and you’ve never looked this nervous.”

Twilight moaned and buried her head in her hooves.

“The nobility and I are... not on the best of terms. I don’t dress fancy enough for them, I don’t play their little political games correctly, I don’t —” she affected her best Canterlot accent “— conduct myself in a regal manner. Usually I stay out of their world, and they do their best to keep out of mine.”

“Then why did you bring me here tonight?”

Twilight was miserable. She had tried so hard to arrange the perfect date. They were at the nicest restaurant, the perfect weather, and she’d even got a hooficure with Rarity that morning. But nothing was going right. Peeking through her hooves, she could see Sunset giving her a worried look.

“It’s a date! This is what I’m supposed to do!” Twilight whimpered. “You’ve probably been on a hundred dates, and I think this is my first one?! I... I wanted to impress you. I wanted to stand out from the crowd. But I didn’t, did I? I ruined your evening, one you could’ve spent with Fluttershy or Rainbow or anyone else. I’m sorry I wasted your time.”

Twilight definitely wasn’t yelling. Or crying. A Princess of Equestria with tears running down her cheeks in a fancy restaurant opposite the most beautiful mare she’d ever met was too embarrassing to contemplate. So it definitely wasn’t happening right now.

“Twilight... look at me.” Sunset’s gentle voice pierced the swirling vortex of anxiety in Twilight’s mind.

Twilight cautiously picked up her head and looked at Sunset. Her eyes weren’t filled with disappointment, as she’d feared they might be, but worry.

“Sunset, I...”

“Twilight, do you want to hear what Fluttershy and I did on our last date night?”

Twilight blinked, then nodded, wiping what were certainly not tears from her eyes with a free hoof.

“We ordered a pizza, then laid on the couch watching TV for four hours.”

Twilight started to say something, but Sunset cut her off.

“Do you remember why we decided to have our first date here, instead of in my world?”

“You said you wanted to ‘keep a level playing field’ for me,” Twilight recited.

“That’s just another way of saying I wanted you to feel comfortable, Princess. And call it a hunch, but I think you’re pretty uncomfortable right now.”

Twilight glumly nodded again.

“You don’t need to impress me, Twilight. You already did that on that night outside Canterlot High. That’s why I want to go out with you, not because you can put on airs. Let’s be realistic. If that’s what I wanted I would have asked Rarity out.”

“I could probably go get her,” Twilight mumbled.

Unfortunately Sunset still heard.

“Stop that,” Sunset ordered.

“Stop what?”

“Stop selling yourself short, Twilight. You’re an amazing mare, and I count myself extremely lucky to be your friend. I’ve been looking forward to this evening for weeks, just because I was going to get to spend time with you.”

“But that’s what we always do!” Twilight insisted. “This is a date. It’s supposed to be different! More intense, stronger, something like that.”

“Says who?”

“Says, um, I don’t know, everyone! Romance is a big deal!”

“A lot of ponies also say you should only be dating one pony at a time, too. We’re already off script, Twilight. Here, we’re the only ones who get to say what a date should or shouldn’t be. And I say it should just be us, hanging out like we usually do.”

Twilight considered that for a minute.

Sunset was right. This fancy restaurant wasn’t her, not really. Maybe she had been reading too many romance novels, or just spending too much time around Rarity.

She looked around the restaurant, suddenly very aware of the other ponies surrounding her. Their alcove was secluded but it was far from private, and she could see furtive glances and whispers directed at their table.

Twilight managed to crack a smile. “What do you say we get out of here?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

The pair stood up and walked straight out of the restaurant, passing a very confused waiter who was coming to take their drink order.

“So this is your first date, huh?” Sunset asked, in between bites of hayburger.

The two mares sat in a brightly coloured booth, burgers in hooves and a truly colossal basket of horseshoe fries positioned between them.

“Well, kind of.”

Sunset cocked an eyebrow. “Kind of?”

“Well... a couple of years back, Pinkie showed up at my house out of the blue and asked if I wanted to have dinner with her.”

“Oooh.”

“It was only a couple months after I’d moved to Ponyville, and I wasn’t exactly the most... socially aware. So I figured it was just a thing friends did. But with the benefit of hindsight...”

Sunset eyes lit up, and she leaned closer over the table. “You think she was into you?”

“I don’t know! I mean, she showed up for dinner in a suit and brought me flowers.”

“Pinkie in a suit?” Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Definitely into you. I bet she looked really dapper, too.”

“Well, we had a lovely picnic outside of town, then she walked me home. I thought it was weird that she wanted to walk me home, considering we lived on opposite sides of town...”

Sunset giggled. “Oh, honey.”

“She never mentioned it again after that night. I haven’t thought about it in a while, actually. Maybe I should go apologise to her.”

“That poor mare... she had no idea what she was getting into.”

“Hey! I was a shut-in, it wasn’t my fault!”

“Well, you're not anymore! Do you think she's still interested? I bet you two would be really cute together.”

Twilight felt her face heating up again.

Twilight pointed her burger at Sunset. “Wait a minute. You're teasing me again, aren't you?”

Sunset looked at the flopping burger and they both burst out laughing.

“I can't help it! You're so cute when you're blushing.”

Twilight stuck her tongue out. Mentally she made a note of “she called me cute!” while trying not to give Sunset the satisfaction of another blush.

“It’s... really weird talking about my past romantic misadventures on a date. I think that's usually pretty taboo.”

“Welcome to poly, Princess. Throw out your rulebook.” Sunset punctuated her statement with another bite of her burger.

“But I spent so much time memorising it!” Twilight whined.

The two of them cracked up again.

“Are you gonna help me with these fries?” Sunset grabbed several little horseshoes with her magic and levitated them into her mouth.

“The question is more if you’re going to get any.” Twilight answered, sliding the basket closer to herself. “I’m starving. I haven’t eaten all day.”

“What? Twilight, don’t you have, like, a staff?”

“Oh, Celestia no.” Twilight shuddered. “Spike does most of the cooking, even if it’s in a giant castle-sized kitchen. I don’t even really like living in that castle. It makes me feel so... distant from everyone.”

“No excuse for not eating,” Sunset chided.

“I know, I know. Wow, you’re almost as bad as Spike.”

“Twilight, aren’t you supposed to be his mom, not the other way around?”

“It’s, uh, more of a sibling type thing. Sometimes. And hey, I’m a great sister-slash-parent-slash-boss.”

Sunset quirked an eyebrow.

“What? I get him to bed, most of the time! Sometimes I help him do the dishes!”

“Wait a minute. Couldn’t you do all of the dishes in the castle with just a single spell?”

“I’ve learned it’s best not to let him get too bored. This one time after he ran out of comic books...”

By the time Twilight started to run out of Spike stories, the fries were half gone and the sun was starting to set. The restaurant had mostly cleared out.

Twilight grabbed a horseshoe fry in her magic and studied it. “To tell you the truth, Sunset, I was nervous about tonight. You’re really important to me, and I was worried.”

“Ugh, it’s my fault too, Twilight. I kinda threw you off the deep end. But here’s the important thing: I never want you to feel nervous around me. No matter what happens between, well, ‘us,’ I’m going to be here for you.”

Twilight looked right into the other mare’s eyes and smiled sheepishly. Sunset returned the grin, a light blush playing across her face. Twilight felt her own grow warm. Suddenly aware of the extended eye contact, she quickly looked elsewhere.

“What do you say we get the rest of these fries to go?” Twilight asked.

“That sounds lovely, Princess.”

After polishing off the rest of their burgers, they boxed the fries up and headed outside.

They didn’t stay boxed, though. Twilight immediately opened them again, levitating them between Sunset and herself and picking up two at a time with her magic. She felt a slight tingle in her magic as Sunset grabbed a hoofful from her.

They walked along in a companionable silence, slowly making their way through the hayfries. By unspoken agreement, they walked away from Twilight’s towering castle and toward the fields on the outskirts of Ponyville. The moon was bright in the sky, illuminating the two mares in its soft glow as they settled down on top of a gentle hill.

Sunset broke the silence. “You know, you can’t really see the stars on the other side of the portal. The city’s lights are too bright; they blow out the sky.”

Twilight lifted her gaze to the night sky. “I wondered about that. I guess I just figured there weren’t as many without a goddess to put them there.”

“I went way out into the country with Applejack once. Nobody around for miles and miles. It was... almost as beautiful as the sky here.”

Twilight brought her gaze back down to the mare sitting next to her. Had they always been sitting this close?

She could almost feel the warmth across the narrow space between them. She had a quick internal debate about how to respond and decided the time for subtlety had past. She shifted in the grass until she was right up against Sunset. A moment later she brought a wing across Sunset’s back. Next to her, Sunset caught her breath.

Twilight fidgeted. “Is... is this okay?”

Sunset was blushing, but she was smiling too. “It’s more than okay, Princess.”

“You know, earlier, I was wondering. If we’re just hanging out, what makes this date different from every other time we’ve hung out? But I think I’m starting to see what makes this so special.”

Sunset’s response was to snuggle up even closer under Twilight’s wing, nuzzling her affectionately.

Twilight looked at her, then quickly looked away, her face burning.

“Sunset, uhm... is...” Twilight felt a familiar pit in her stomach. This time, though, it didn’t feel like such a bad thing. A deep breath, then another. She looked back at Sunset. “Is this when I kiss you?”

Sunset grinned. “No rules, remember Princess? You can kiss me whenever you want to.”

“I... think I want to. Now, that is.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

Twilight closed her eyes and leaned forward into Sunset. She was worried she’d missed entirely, but then suddenly there were her lips and they were on hers and...

Oh Celestia this was actually happening.

When she thought back to this moment afterwards, it was impossible to pick out what the kiss actually felt like, how long it lasted, how Sunset tasted, or anything. All she remembered were fireworks going off in her head and a unshakeable sense of “right-ness.” She was kissing Sunset and it was everything she had ever wanted.

Eventually they must’ve broken, gasping for breath, and looked at one another. Probably Twilight giggled awkwardly. Maybe they cuddled up even closer against the brisk autumn night.

At some point Twilight must’ve walked Sunset back to the portal. She definitely gave her another kiss before the two parted ways for the evening.

All that was conjecture, though. The only thing Twilight knew for certain was that she had kissed Sunset, and she couldn’t wait to do it again.

4 - Blank Flank

Twilight was vaguely aware that she was pacing. It wasn’t like she wasn’t already familiar with every single detail of the castle hall that housed the portal. And it’d been too long to pretend she was just “stretching her legs.”

Yes, she admitted to herself, I’m a little worried.

And why shouldn’t she be? It was her girlfriend’s first trip to Equestria! And she was already half an hour late.

Of course, everypony was always a bit late or a bit early passing through to Equestria. Time never seemed to line up quite properly between the two worlds. Twilight wondered if maybe that meant Celestia and Luna were a bit less than precise with their daily change of guard. Such talk was of course treasonous, not to mention very rude.

At that exact moment, Fluttershy emerged through the mirror. She briefly tried to balance on two legs, then shortly crumpled onto the floor on none.

“Oh no! Fluttershy, are you okay?” Twilight galloped over to the collapsed mare.

Fluttershy gave a meek smile from underneath a waterfall of pink mane. “Wow, Sunset was right about being twisted into knots.”

“I’ve always found going to the human world was worse. I guess it makes sense that it’d be reversed for you...”

Fluttershy whimpered by way of reply. Twilight shook a budding hypothesis out of her head.

“Oh, right, here.” A quick flash of Twilight’s horn and magic briefly enveloped Fluttershy’s head. “Feel any better?”

“M-much better, actually. That felt really weird, though. What was that?”

“Just a quick headache spell.”

“You... cast a spell on me?” Fluttershy’s eyes widened. Probably. There was still a lot of mane in the way.

“Um. Yes? It beats a can of ginger ale, doesn’t it?”

“Oh... I guess.”

A silence fell over the mirror room. Twilight felt certain she had done something wrong, but couldn’t place her hoof on what it was. Was Fluttershy afraid of magic? She was the Element of Magic. So did that mean... Fluttershy was afraid of her?

After what felt like a minute, Twilight tried speaking again.“So... was Sunset coming?”

“She was right behind me, I think.”

Twilight looked to the mirror. Nopony emerged from it.

“Do you uh, want to try standing up again?”

Fluttershy was still lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. “I’m actually very comfortable here.”

“Well, um, it’s just that you’re laying where Sunset will land, any second now...”

Fluttershy squeaked and struggled to her hooves. Her knees wobbled and she almost tipped over, but managed to walk a few paces out of the mirror’s landing zone. She looked like a foal taking her first rickety steps. It was almost interminably cute. Twilight did her best not to giggle, worrying it would embarrass the poor mare further.

“The trip is, um, especially bad this time of year, for what it’s worth,” Twilight offered.

“Oh. That’s... too bad.”

“Just bad timing.”

“Yeah.”

Sensing another awkward silence coming, Twilight decided to take action. She trotted over to the prone pegasus and sat down beside her. After a moment’s hesitation, she lifted a lavender wing and draped it over her companion.

Beside her, Fluttershy slid a little closer into her side. “This is... nice, Twilight.”

“I’m glad. I’m sorry if I freaked you out earlier.”

“It’s okay. I was just... surprised. This is all so new to me.”

“I know. How are you, uh, feeling?”

Beside Twilight, Fluttershy shifted to face her.

She smiled weakly. “I’m... okay, I think. I hope Sunset gets here soon, though.”

“Me too.”

They lay there together for a few minutes, giving Twilight’s mind ample time to wander. The three of them had been on a couple dates now, but aside from that night in Sunset’s apartment those few weeks ago, she and Fluttershy hadn’t spent much time alone together. They were dating, of course, and they both really liked each other. But without Sunset’s guiding presence Twilight felt a little... driftless.

This though, this was nice. Twilight had been a unicorn, an alicorn, and a human. After extensive research she was quite certain wing-based cuddles were the best the universe had to offer.

Behind the two of them, the clatter of hooves on crystal heralded Sunset’s arrival. Twilight turned to greet her, not quite ready to let go of Fluttershy.

“I am so sorry I’m late!” Sunset quickly shook herself and stood, showing all the confidence of a veteran of mirror travel. “As soon as Fluttershy went through, a bunch of freshmen decided to come by and hang out in front of the school. I had to wait until they left to walk through. How are you two...”

Sunset’s eyes fell on the two ponies lying on the crystal floor only a stone’s throw away from her. Sunset quirked an eyebrow, and Twilight shrugged, giving Fluttershy a squeeze with her unfurled wing.

“Hey, Sunny,” Fluttershy said.

Fluttershy tried, failed, and tried again to rise. On her third attempt she managed to stand up and hobble over to Sunset. Trying to give Sunset a hug, however, proved too much for her already tenuous balance. She crumpled unceremoniously to the floor.

“Oh, honey.” Sunset quickly helped her back to her hooves. “We’ve got something a little easier we do here.”

Sunset leaned her neck over and gave Fluttershy a quick nuzzle. The pegasus quickly caught on and returned the gesture. The two walked, one unsteadily, back over to Twilight, who embraced them both with her wings.

“I think you’re getting the hang of it, Fluttershy.” Twilight gently squeezed her. “Next thing you know you’ll be flying in no time.”

“Flying? What do you mean?” Fluttershy looked at her flank, apparently for the first time, and noticed the small pair of wings folded at her side. “Eeep!”

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy, Twilight’s just teasing.” Sunset shot Twilight a look. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

“Oh, It’s okay, Sunset. I was just... surprised.”

As if to emphasise her point, Fluttershy fluttered her wings a bit. She looked pretty surprised that she’d managed it, too. And beneath them, Twilight almost thought she saw...

“Hey, Fluttershy, can you do that again?” Sunset asked from Twilight’s other side.

“Do this?” Fluttershy fluffed her wings again. There was nothing underneath.

“Huh.” Twilight looked at Sunset.

“Huh.” Sunset looked back at Twilight. “Well that’s certainly something.”

“What? What is it? Is something wrong with me? Oh dear...” Fluttershy whimpered, sinking back to the ground.

“Nothing’s wrong with you, Fluttershy, it’s just that well... well you don’t have a cutie mark.”

“A what?”

Twilight walked in front of her and lifted a wing, showing off the starburst adorning her flank. Sunset gestured at hers with a hoof.

“Ponies all get a cutie mark when they discover their special talent. I guess I just kind of assumed you’d have the same one as the Fluttershy here did.”

“What does that mean?”

“I...” Twilight looked to Sunset, who shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. Maybe it means you haven’t found your special talent yet. Or Maybe it just means you weren’t born in Equestria. You might get one later, you might never get one. We still don’t know much about how the mirror works.”

“Well,” Fluttershy scrunched her face up, then smiled. “I guess we’ll just have to figure it out together.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Sunset grinned. “Anybody else hungry?”

“Oh I’m starving,” Twilight said. “Hey Fluttershy, have you ever had a hayburger?”

“A what?”

“Oh, you are going to love this.” Sunset cantered excitedly towards the door.

“Sunset, wait! I haven’t given you your scarf yet!” Twilight called after her.

Fluttershy, finding a light blue scarf suddenly on the ground in front of her, struggled to put it on with her teeth. Twilight helped her, completely by hoof, and the two of them chased after Sunset with as much speed as Fluttershy could manage.

“And then Twilight stood up and we just walked out of the restaurant.” Sunset levitated a horseshoe fry into her mouth.

“I’ve never been back to that place,” Twilight mumbled, a very familiar heat on her face.

“Aww, we should totally go back sometime! We can drink a bunch of wine and scandalise all those snooty nobles.”

“Those ‘snooty nobles’ are my subjects and for better or for worse we’re stuck with each other.” Twilight sighed. “We’ve got an uneasy peace as it is.”

“Darn. Guess we’re just gonna have to keep eating these delicious burgers.”

“Indeed!” Twilight happily took a bite of hers.

She looked over at Fluttershy, who was eyeing her uneaten burger suspiciously. “Everything okay, Fluttershy?”

“Oh! Um, yes?”

“Not interested in your burger?” Sunset asked.

“No, I’m uh, very interested. It’s just that...”

Sunset talked over her. “I know hay seems like a weird thing for a burger to be made of, coming from the other world...”

“It’s not that...”

“Actually, Twilight, do we even know that she’ll like it? How pony-like is she?”

“Actually it smells delicious, but...”

“That’s a good point, Sunset! How much taste is changed by the portal? Surely she can digest it, but...”

“Twilight, Sunset, I am very hungry and this food looks delicious but I don’t know how to eat it”

Fluttershy looked to be on the verge of tears. She was trying to gesticulate with her hooves, but hadn’t quite managed balancing and was resting on the table for support.

Twilight looked at her own burger, encased in a pink magical aura. She looked at Sunset’s, bathed in Cyan. She looked at Fluttershy, who had a noticeable lack of horn on her forehead.

Twilight facehoofed. “Oh Celestia, I’m so sorry. I completely forgot...”

“It’s okay, Twilight, just um...”

“Here, Shy, let me give you a hoof.” Sunset scooted in closer to help the confused mare out.

“I’m sorry I’m such a bad host, Fluttershy.” Twilight ducked her head. “I didn’t realise being a pony would be so rough for a human.”

“This is delicious!” Fluttershy had managed to get the burger into her hooves and was chomping away happily. She made no indication of having heard Twilight.

“I haven’t done this since I was a filly.” Sunset had similarly grasped her burger in her hooves, somehow with less grace than Fluttershy was managing.

“Hey, at least you won’t notice if you get condiments in your hair,” Twilight teased.

Sunset picked up a fry in her magic and threw it at Twilight. Twilight grabbed it, and after a brief struggle, tore it from Sunset’s grasp and popped it in her mouth.

Being an alicorn did have some advantages, it turned out. She stuck her tongue out at Sunset as regally as she could.

Fluttershy was clearly in her own little world, chomping away at the sandwich in front of her.

“I wish we could make these back home,” she said.

“I tried that, actually,” Sunset commented in between bites. “It was awful.”

Fluttershy smiled sympathetically. “You poor thing. Couldn’t even have your comfort foods.”

“Oh, it wasn’t all bad. Once I figured out what was edible I had whole new cuisines to try! Got to figure out what my new favourite foods were all over again.” Sunset slurped a soda.“Some things just aren’t the same, though.”

Fluttershy set down her burger and with a little effort, managed to pick up a fry with her hoof. She popped it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

“Ooh, these are good too! Though, I think the ones back home are a little bit better. Sorry, Sunset.”

Twilight wanted to mention that Hayburger was her favourite restaurant, not Sunset’s, but thought better of it. Sunset was the one talking about missing her favourite foods, after all. It wasn’t that big of a deal.

Across from her, Fluttershy whispered something into Sunset’s ear. Sunset nodded, and whispered something back. Whatever it was clearly alarmed Fluttershy, because the two traded a few more furtive whispers before Fluttershy got up and walked to the the back of the restaurant.

Twilight quirked an eyebrow at Sunset, who pointed to the back of the restaurant. Twilight turned and saw Fluttershy heading into the washroom.

“...I didn’t think about that either,” Twilight whispered across the table. “Should we go check on her?”

“She’ll be okay,” Sunset whispered back.

Twilight nodded, though she wasn’t quite as sure. A memory bubbled up of her first time in the human world, running into a “men’s room” by accident shortly after arriving. At the time she was merely confused, but once she figured out how the rooms worked she had been suitably mortified.

Twilight shuddered. The two sat quietly for a moment. A few more bites of hayburger disappeared.

Sunset swallowed and spoke up. “So what’s next on the agenda, Princess?”

“Oh, I didn’t really have much planned for today. It’s mostly for you and Fluttershy, so I figured you’d want to show her around?”

“Mostly for... Twilight, why do you think we’re here?”

“Umm, I thought Fluttershy wanted to see where you came from?”

“Me? Twilight, she came here because she wanted to get to know you.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “She... she did?”

“We’ve been dating for six months, Twilight. Why do you think I’ve never brought her here before?”

Sunset didn’t sound angry. It was more like she was surprised, and maybe a little confused.

“Umm... it never came up?”

“This isn’t my home anymore, Twilight. As good as it is to be back, this —” Sunset gestured to her equine form “— isn’t who I am anymore.”

“Sunset, I...”

“It’s not like I mind being back. I get to eat my favourite foods and using magic again is pretty cool, but I’m a visitor here just as much as Fluttershy is.”

“That’s not true, Sunset! You made up with Celestia. You’re not a fugitive anymore, and...”

Sunset cut her off. “We can talk about this later, Twilight. The point is, we’re here because Fluttershy wants to know you better. She really cares about you.”

Twilight suddenly found herself blushing. “I... but... you two... ignoring me... awkward”

“And you’re not?” Sunset laughed. Twilight shot her what she hoped was a playful glare. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Fluttershy’s a bit of a shrinking violet. Especially around people — or ponies — she fancies.”

“Have you been hanging out with Rarity?” Twilight mumbled.

“Um, she actually has a bit.” Fluttershy chose that moment to make her presence known.

From the blush on her face she had probably been standing there for a bit.

“Hey Shy, we were just talking about you,” Sunset teased.

Fluttershy made a few attempts at hiding behind her mane, but hadn’t quite mastered the physics of it. Eventually she gave up and settled for sitting next to Sunset and blushing a bit more.

Twilight’s face felt pretty warm itself. She managed to look over at Fluttershy and smile. Fluttershy smiled meekly in response. Beside her, Sunset grinned from ear to ear and clapped her hooves together.

“Hey, Fluttershy?” Twilight finally managed.

“Yes Twilight?”

“Did you um, want to maybe do something here? You know, just the two of us?”

Fluttershy looked at Sunset, who gave them both an encouraging nod. “That sounds... nice.”

“Okay, so I know you’ve only been here for a few hours and you’re just finding your hooves but... how do you feel about learning how to fly?”

Fluttershy’s face went through several emotions. As best Twilight could tell it was surprise, fear, curiosity, and finally determination. She looked over her shoulder and gave her canary yellow wings an experimental flutter.

“I’d love to.”

Sunset was dropped off at the castle library. She repeatedly assured them both that yes, she’d be fine and yes, she didn’t feel abandoned. Eventually, the two winged ponies made their way to a field on the outskirts of town.

As they walked, Twilight gave an animated tour of her hometown to an enraptured Fluttershy.

“That’s Sugarcube Corner. Our Pinkie is a baker there! She lives in a little apartment right above. We have to go get cupcakes there sometime. They’re amazing.

“See that round building? That’s Carousel Boutique. Our Rarity runs the place. She and her sister Sweetie live on the second floor.

“See that giant cloud up there? That’s actually our Rainbow’s house! She and her dad built it themselves when she first moved here. Though between you and me, I don’t think it gets much use these days...”

If anyone noticed a mare who looked an awful lot like Fluttershy without a cutie mark, nobody said anything. Twilight supposed Ponyville was probably used to a certain amount of cutie mark weirdness at this point. Her theory was if she pretended like everything was under control, everypony would simply believe her.

Nonetheless, Twilight specifically picked out a field where she knew Rainbow didn’t practise. There were some conversations nobody was ready for quite yet.

“You have a beautiful home, Twilight.”

Fluttershy was looking quite the tourist, trying to take in every inch of the scenery around her.

“I do love it here.” Twilight looked over at Fluttershy, smiling at the excitement on the mare’s face. “It’s really nice to have someone new to share it with. Just makes everything seem a little bit more special.”

Fluttershy smiled wider, her cheeks colouring in a blush. “I’m glad. I can’t imagine ever getting used to this, though.”

“You should see it when it’s not covered in a blanket of snow.” Twilight smiled. “I think your world has a lot to offer too, Fluttershy.”

“Oh, yes. It’s just... the colours seem... brighter, somehow. Maybe that’s silly.”

“I bet I could come up with a dozen plausible explanations for that, Fluttershy. There’s nothing silly about it. Your eyes are different here, and of course our sun is pretty different from yours. But I think —” Twilight grabbed a clump of snow and, with a quick flash of her magic, fashioned an improvised bouquet, presenting it to Fluttershy “— it’s all the magic.”

Fluttershy gave a small gasp. Whether it was at the display of magic or the sudden presentation of flowers, Twilight couldn’t tell.

“They’re gorgeous, Twilight. But —” Fluttershy looked at the flowers, then back at Twilight. “— I don’t think I can walk while holding them.”

If Twilight could’ve face-hoofed without breaking her stride she would’ve.

“Sorry, Fluttershy. I keep doing this to you, don’t I?”

“It’s okay, Twilight, I promise. I’m just happy to be here”

“I’m glad.” Twilight extended a wing over the pegasus.

She discarded the bouquet behind them, watching the flowers collapsed into snow once more.

The two mares turned the corner and arrived at their destination: a large, empty meadow. Fluttershy gestured quietly, but excitedly, at a pair of small birds nibbling nervously in the middle of the snowy expanse.

Twilight smiled even wider. She half expected a cutie mark to flash into existence then and there, but apparently it took a little more than that.

“So, do you still want to try this? We can just stay down here, too.”

Twilight was a little worried she’d pressured the timid mare a bit, and was careful to give her an out.

Fluttershy was, however, unswayed. “No. I want to do this.”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile at her conviction. “Now I can’t make any promises, okay? I have no idea how developed your flight muscles are, or what your wing control is like, or anything.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I still want to try.”

“Well, let’s start with the basics. Can you unfurl your wings?”

Fluttershy could, it turned out. Canary yellow wings flared out and took a few experimental flaps.

In spite of herself, Twilight felt a familiar flush across her face.

Fluttershy followed Twilight’s eyes over her shoulder, and giving a quiet “eep!” Her wings quickly folded themselves against her side.

“Looks like you’re a natural, Fluttershy.” Twilight grinned at the wide-eyed mare.

“Oh goodness. That felt really weird.”

“I think you and I are the only two ponies in Equestria with wings we weren’t born with. So believe me when I say I know what you mean”

Fluttershy gave her new wings another exploratory flutter.. “They um, really don’t look like they’re big enough to support my weight. Do I have hollow bones?”

“Nope, you have the same bones as everypony else. I guess it’s lucky for Rainbow that pegasi do or she’d spend way more time in the hospital.”

“I thought Rainbow was a really good flier? Didn’t she teach you?”

“She is, but she... sometimes gets a little carried away. She used to crash into my old library once a week. And I definitely took a couple tumbles while I was learning.”

“Oh dear.”

Twilight laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m a far more cautious teacher than she is. Neither of us are gonna set any speed records today.”

Fluttershy listened carefully to Twilight, then squared her jaw. “Okay, what’s next?”

“Why don’t we try hovering?”

“A-Already?”

“If you were a foal we’d be doing wing exercises to strengthen your flight muscles, but I’m pretty sure we can skip that.”

Twilight took a step back from Fluttershy and extended both her wings carefully.

She took a deep breath before launching into Teacher mode. “You were right, your wings aren’t big enough to support your weight. Flying is actually a kind of magic for pegasi.”

With a few careful wing beats, Twilight felt her hooves leave the ground. “You have to feel the magic and channel it around yourself. To me it always felt a bit like a breeze, but I think it’s different for every pony. Rainbow described it as the feeling right before a thunderstorm. Fluttershy, the other one, said it was like a bird song you could barely hear. I am honestly kinda hoping it’s obvious to you because apparently I have no idea how to describe it to you.”

As she spoke, Twilight flew a lazy circle around an enraptured Fluttershy.

“You make it look so easy,” Fluttershy said.

“It was very frustrating for me to learn that most pegasi fly purely by instinct. It was even more frustrating for me to learn that I do, too. I spent days studying fluid dynamics and aeronautics in the library, and it turns out that the way you fly is to just... fly. I can give you some basic pointers, but a lot of it’s —” Twilight shuddered “— more art than science.”

Fluttershy giggled. “You poor thing.”

Twilight landed in front of her and stuck out her tongue. “Ready to give it a go, then?”

Fluttershy nodded, scrunching up her face in concentration.

“Don’t force it,” Twilight advised. “Just relax and try to feel the magic.”

Fluttershy closed her eyes, her face relaxing. Slowly her wings opened, feathers extended, ruffling slightly in the breeze. Her wings gave one shy flap, then a more confident one. Two flaps. Three. Before Twilight’s eyes, Fluttershy slowly rose up off the ground, eyes still squeezed shut. Measured beats carried her lazily upwards.

At a foot off the ground, loathe to break the mare’s concentration, Twilight finally broke the silence. “Congratulations, Fluttershy! Your very first flight”

“Huh?” Fluttershy’s eyes snapped open, grew wide, and followed the rest of her body in a very quick descent to the ground. She collapsed unceremoniously in a heap, making a dent in the snow.

“Are you okay?” Twilight rushed to her side.

From the big grin on Fluttershy’s face it was clear she was just fine.

“I... I did it!”

“You sure did! First time, too! Took me an entire afternoon to get that right.”

“Oh... It wasn’t much, just a few centimetres.”

“I was almost eye-level with your hooves, Fluttershy. Don’t sell yourself short.”

At this Fluttershy hid behind her mane in what Twilight thought was an uncanny facsimile of her Equestrian counterpart. “Um... thank you.”

“Now we just have to teach you how to do it with your eyes open.”

“What do you say we try a flight somewhere?”

Fluttershy swallowed. “Like, up in the air?”

“We don’t have to go that high. Let me guess, you’re afraid of heights too?”

“Yes...” Fluttershy mumbled. “Wait, ‘too?’ ”

Come on Twilight, remember the rules. No comparing her to your Fluttershy.

“Uhh, I’ll explain later. Anyway, I was thinking just to that cloud up there.”

Twilight pointed with a hoof at a low-lying cloud, exactly the kind Rainbow liked napping on.

“Oh, gosh... it looks pretty high, what if I fall? I know ponies aren’t as fragile as people, but it’s still a long way down.”

Twilight knew from experience how much a fall from that height hurt and decided it was best not to mention right now.

“Here, let me do something that Rainbow did for me when I was learning to fly. It really helped with my confidence.”

“Um, okay. What do I do?”

“I want you to fly as high as you’re comfortable.”

Fluttershy’s wings fluttered open and she hovered a few centimetres above the ground.

Twilight did a halfway decent job of not laughing. “Come on, Shy, you made it higher than that on your first go. It’ll be okay, I promise”

Fluttershy blushed, rising a few more feet. “How’s this?”

“Perfect, Fluttershy, you’re doing great!” Twilight flew up to her and flashed what she hoped was an encouraging smile. “Now... close your eyes.”

“But, you just finished convincing me to fly with them open.”

“I know, and usually it’s a great way to run into a tree. But this time I want you to trust me. Do you trust me, Fluttershy?”

Twilight had expected some hesitation, a pause, maybe even a flinch. How well did she and Fluttershy really know each other?

But Fluttershy immediately responded. “Of course I trust you, Twilight.”

She closed her eyes.

“Now... I want you to to fall.”

There was hesitation. “W...what?”

“Just close your wings and I’ll catch you.”

Fluttershy squeaked again. If there were words hiding in there, Twilight couldn’t hear them

“When Rainbow was teaching me to fly, she made me fall once, to prove that she could catch me. Before that, I was terrified I’d lose control and fall and that would be be the end of me. But after she caught me, I stopped worrying about falling and I could focus on just... flying. It turned out she never needed to catch me in the end, but I was glad she could.”

“That’s... really sweet.”

Twilight smiled. “Rainbow actually has really strong maternal instincts. You should see her around Scootaloo.”

“So she was treating you like a kid? Or, um, foal?” Fluttershy let out a sort of cross between a giggle and whinny.

Twilight thought it was the cutest thing she’d ever heard. Even if it was at her expense.

“She’s just a really good teacher!”

“I think you’re a pretty good teacher too, Twilight. I trust you,” Fluttershy said.

Her grin was replaced by a look of determination. She took a deep breath, folded her wings, and sank like a stone.

Twilight wasted no time tucking in her wings for a steep dive, hooves outstretched. She caught Fluttershy at the bottom of her arc, flaring her wings wide to arrest their momentum. The two glided to a gentle stop on the snow below and Twilight lightly set Fluttershy down in front of her.

For a moment the two mares just lay there, catching their respective breaths.

Eventually, Twilight got to her hooves.
“What do you think? Ready for a proper flight?”

Fluttershy rose as well.

“That cloud up there?” she asked, gesturing upwards.

“Only if you want to. I know I’ve been putting you through a lot today.”

Twilight felt a little guilty, and honest pretty tired too.

As if reading her mind — or perhaps just her face — Fluttershy admitted “I’m getting pretty tired.”

An idea formed in Twilight’s head. Ideas were always forming and unforming in Twilight’s head, of course, but this was a particularly good one.

“Ever slept on a cloud?” Twilight asked.

“Can you, um, do that? Aren’t clouds just little puffs of water vapour?”

“Pegasi magic lets us stand on them. And trust me, they’re very comfortable. Think you have enough energy to make it there if we don’t head back?”

Twilight took a couple quick steps and took off towards it. A quick glance over her shoulder showed a very determined yellow pegasus following closely behind her.

“How’s it feel?” she called back at Fluttershy.

“Amazing,” came the reply.

It was scarcely audible over the wind and the beating of their wings.

In no time at all they reached the cloud they’d picked out, but even as Twilight slowed to land on it, Fluttershy blew past her. At first Twilight was worried she’d overshot, but the pegasus made a form-perfect banking turn and came back around. With a grace she’d been missing since she’d left the human world, Fluttershy landed gingerly on the cloud. After giving it a few prods, she furled her wings and hunkered down next to Twilight.

The little cloud was just big enough for the two of them to lay side by side, but even if it had been the size of Cloudsdale, Twilight suspected they’d still be cozied up to one another. She was about to stretch a wing over Fluttershy to pull her close when she felt one cover her instead.

“Thank you, Twilight.”

The wing gave her a gentle squeeze.

“I hardly did a thing, Fluttershy. You’re literally a natural.”

“No, um... thank you. For everything. I think it’s safe to say this is the nicest date I’ve ever been on.”

Twilight sputtered a little bit.

It was a date, wasn’t it? And was certainly a nice one.

“I guess I’m gonna have to really go all out to top it, then!”

“I’m looking forward to it.” Fluttershy gave Twilight a tentative nuzzle.

“I’m really glad you like it here, Fluttershy. Not everypony would be up for turning into a pony just to come on a date.”

Fluttershy just nodded, then let out a quiet yawn. She reached over and laid a gentle kiss on Twilight’s very flushed muzzle.

Twilight managed to nestle herself even closer to the pegasus and felt her own eyelids start to droop. The wind was picking up, especially this high off the ground, but she’d never felt warmer.

She could get used to this.

5 - Sick day

Twilight Sparkle stepped through the mirror and arrived in front of Canterlot High. To her credit she did not immediately double over, faint, or even trip. She landed gingerly on her feet, taking the hand offered to her by Sunset Shimmer. Not that she needed the hand for balance. She was an expert in portal travel. She just liked holding her marefriend’s hand.

Twilight leaned in to give Sunset a quick peck but the girl held up a hand, stopping her.

“Just so you know Princess, I’m starting to feel a bit under the weather. I don’t want to get you sick.”

“I don’t even think I can get sick, Sunset. Ever since I ascended, I haven’t had so much as a head cold. Whatever you’ve got, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“Healthy as a horse, then?” Sunset teased.

Twilight stuck her tongue out. “Then again, maybe I don’t want to kiss my mean marefriend. Who is, if she remembers, also a pony?”

“Oh, come here you.”

Sunset planted a tender kiss on Twilight’s lips while pulling her into a tight hug.

“So what’s the plan for tonight?”

“Fluttershy’s waiting for us at the movies.” Sunset pulled out her phone. “There’s a bus in two minutes, come on!”

“I’m definitely sick,” Twilight announced.

It was less of an announcement, actually, and more of a croak. Between the sore throat, stuffy nose, and throbbing headache, Twilight wasn’t exactly making use of the Royal Canterlot Voice.

“Twilight, not so loud,” moaned a very green-looking Fluttershy to her left.

“Girls, I’m trying to sleep,” mumbled Sunset Shimmer to her right.

Sunset was facing away from Twilight, but the stuffiness was obvious in the girl’s voice. Her too, then.

Fluttershy let out a racking cough. Sunset whimpered on the other side and tunneled her way under the pillow she had been sharing with Twilight.

Suddenly aware of just how desperately dry her throat was, Twilight clumsily extricated herself from her spot in the middle of the bed and stumbled towards the kitchen. A glass found its way into her hand, then under the tap. Most of the water even made it to her mouth.

Another loud cough came from the bedroom, making Twilight’s head throb.

Poor Fluttershy.

Twilight poured herself another glass, trying to remember what little she knew about human physiology. Water was good right? That much had to be the same for ponies and people. Fluids and bed rest.

Bed. Twilight, still bleary-eyed, made her way back to the bedroom. Unfortunately for her, the two sleeping girls had usurped her usual spot. A thicket of limbs and hair made reclaiming it almost impossible. Sunset’s bed was barely big enough for the three of them when they were all cooperating.

Giving one last longing look at the bed, Twilight turned her attention to the lumpy couch in Sunset’s living room. It wasn’t much, but it had a blanket, and Twilight wasn’t really sure she could manage to stand up for much longer than she already had. She teetered dangerously over to the couch, fell over, and managed to wrap herself in the thin blanket before passing out once more.

Daybreaker cackled, arcs of plasma shooting off of her towards the assembled Elements of Harmony. Twilight could feel the room outside heating up dangerously, even through the shield spell she was desperately trying to keep around her friends. The sun burned in the sky, red and hot, a horrible caricature of the calm yellow star that usually hung in its place.

“Celestia, please! You don’t have to do this!” Twilight shouted.

The roar of the blaze consuming Canterlot Castle nearly drowned her out. Molten slag fell in sheets from the remains of the windows. Twilight tried not to think of the destruction that now rained down on the rest Canterlot and all of Equestria.

“Listen to her, Sister!” Luna was sweating inside her own bubble of protection. “Please, do not give in! I know what lies down this path, and it will not bring you the solace you desire!”

The mare that had been Celestia cackled again, but this sounded... different. Gone was the bravado, the confidence, the raw power. In its place was... beeping?

Twilight desperately held onto her concentration, but her vision swam. She felt herself lose control of the bubble, and...

She opened her eyes. Her friends were gone and Celestia was nowhere to be found. The castle looked unfamiliar, more like a small apartment than a palace. Almost like... Sunset’s place. She was under a blanket, soaked in sweat. The beeping was Fluttershy’s phone, telling her to get ready for work.

Miscellaneous grumblings emanated from the bedroom. A dull “thunk” was probably the phone being knocked onto the floor. A shaking sound meant Fluttershy’s hormones had followed it. Some fumbling, a mumbled curse, a quiet squeak, and the beeping stopped.

“Shy, don’t go, yer warm.” Sunset grumbled.

“Sunset I have to go to...” Fluttershy cut herself off with a hacking cough. “Work.”

“Nopony’s going anywhere,” Sunset mumbled. “Sick day.”

“I think Sleepyset’s got the right idea, Shy,” Twilight called from the couch.

She wasn’t completely sure where she was, but she was pretty sure nobody was in any shape to go out today. Daybreaker might be out there, after all.

“I can’t miss work. I feel fine.”

Even though Fluttershy’s usually whisper-quiet voice Twilight could tell she wasn’t.

“Come on Shy, I can hear how stuffed up you are from here. Your boss won’t want you to come in with a cough like yours either.”

“I don’t think any of us should go anywhere today.”

Sunset was slowly waking up, it seemed.

If Twilight lifted her head, she could probably carry on the conversation a bit better. The couch was so comfy though, and the blanket was nice and warm. Plus she wasn’t entirely sure if Celestia still needed her help. She laid back down on her makeshift bed, her vision swimming.

Behind her, she heard half a whispered phone conversation.

“Um, hi, is Blossom there?

“Hi Blossom, It’s Fluttershy. I’m very very sorry, but I think I’m too sick to come into work today.

“No, nothing like that. I think it might be a kind of flu?

“Yes, thank you so much. I think I can come in then. Thank you”

“Good on ya, Shy.” Sunset mumbled from next to her. Probably through a pillow, from how muffled it sounded.

The two of them said some other things, but Twilight felt her concentration slipping. Something important was missing. She was sure of it, but sleep sounded so nice, so she closed her eyes...

Twilight stood alone, opposite Daybreaker on what could only be the surface of the sun itself. It was impossibly hot and Twilight knew the flimsy shield she had summoned could only last so long against the inferno. Tendrils of white-hot plasma reached up from the heliosphere to smack at her. It was only a matter of time before her little lavender bubble of safety popped under the pressure.

Tears streamed down her cheeks only to turn to steam in the unrelenting heat. Twilight knew her power was no match for Celestia, After all, she wasn’t Princess of Battlemagic or Warfare.

“Celestia please, it’s me, Twilight. Your faithful student?”

Daybreaker faltered, an arc of plasma halting and falling back down to the incandescent star below.

“I know you’re upset but this isn’t you. You don’t hurt ponies. You’re my friend. You’ve been my friend since before I knew what that meant, and this isn’t how things are supposed to end.”

Daybreaker took a step forward and Twilight shrunk back in her protective sphere. Slowly and deliberately the alicorn made her way to Twilight.

She wasn’t proud of it, but Twilight was too scared to say anything further. She concentrated her energy on keeping her shield up, but when Daybreaker advanced her hooves passed through the bubble as if there was nothing there. Twilight braced herself for the worst, but instead the other mare reached out a hoof and gently felt Twilight’s forehead.

“You’re burning up,” Daybreaker announced in a voice that wasn’t Celestia’s.

Red and yellow hair bobbed on her head as she withdrew her hoof. Wait, Red and yellow? But Daybreaker was...

Twilight’s eyes snapped open. Sunset was standing over her, next to a very concerned Fluttershy.

She was back in Sunset’s apartment.

“What?” Twilight struggled to deal with the sudden scene change. Was this a trick? Which scene was the true one?

“You have a fever, Twilight.” Fluttershy looked really worried. “Are you feeling okay?”

Fevered dreams were as plausible an explanation for her current state as anything.

“Having... weird dreams,” Twilight mumbled.

“Oh you poor thing. Here, drink this.” Fluttershy handed (not hoofed, Twilight noted) her a glass of water.

Swallowing hurt a little but Twilight managed to get a couple gulps of water down. A lot of the the water ended up on her shirt, but that was okay.

Fluttershy busied herself rearranging the pillows and blankets around Twilight. “Sunset, can you grab me a damp washcloth? And some more water.”

Sunset headed for what was probably the washroom. It was hard to be sure. The sound of running water certainly supported that theory. Twilight knew her eyes were open but her vision kept swimming. Maybe it was swimming through the water Sunset was pouring? That made sense.

Twilight giggled. Fluttershy looked concerned for some reason. Maybe she didn’t get the joke?

She tried to open her mouth and explain, but her throat was sore, and she thought better of it.

Another glass was presented to her. This time Twilight managed to sit up a little bit. Most of the water made it down her throat and swallowing got easier as she drained the glass.

A cool wetness placed itself upon her forehead. Twilight shrunk back but a very patient Fluttershy gently pushed mussed purple hair out of the way and the washcloth was returned.

“There, doesn’t this feel nice?” Fluttershy asked

Her voice was unmistakable. It soothed Twilight almost as much as the water.

“I found some cough syrup too. Should we give her that?” Sunset’s voice wasn’t quite as dulcet as Fluttershy’s but it was just as reassuring.

Twilight couldn’t help but smile.

“Twilight, we’re going to give you some medicine. I think it’ll make you feel better,” Fluttershy poured something from a bottle into a tiny cup and handed it to Twilight.

Twilight took the offered vial and scrutinised it. It contained a viscous, reddish liquid that smelled strongly of... something. It reminder her of Pinkie’s more “experimental” concoctions and she grimaced.

“It’ll make you feel better, I promise. I know it tastes weird, but it’s very important that you drink it.” Fluttershy’s voice was still soft, but it was clear that this wasn’t a suggestion.

Being unable to speak made it tough to argue, so Twilight begrudgingly took the cup and downed it.

At this point, Twilight wasn’t convinced this wasn’t some trick of the mind by Daybreaker to wear down her defenses. If so, though, it was a pretty unusual way of doing so. Usually villains tried to isolate her from her friends or hold them hostage. Instead, she could feel the love from her friends making her stronger... or maybe that was just the cough syrup.

Either way, her eyelids grew heavier. She really hoped this was reality and Daybreaker was just a dream. It was nice here.

Twilight opened her eyes and to her relief Sunset’s apartment came back into view. Vague memories of a despondent and remorseful Celestia sobbing into Luna’s mane faded away. In their place was the familiar furniture, bookshelves, and... oh wow was it bright.

“Ughhh,” Twilight moaned.

Maybe it wasn’t too late to go back to sleep.

“You awake, Princess?” Sunset called from the kitchen.

She walked over to the couch holding another glass of water.

“I’m pretty sure. You’re real right?” Twilight asked.

She was pretty sure this was a joke at this point. Pretty sure.

“As far as I know,” Sunset laughed. “You wanna pinch me just to be sure?”

“This’ll do.” Twilight reached out and gave Sunset’s hand a squeeze. “Feels real to me.”

Sunset gave Twilight a little peck on the head. “Love you too, Princess.”

“Speaking of which, where’s Fluttershy?” Twilight wasn’t quite ready to lever herself up to look around.

“Fast asleep. Passed out a little after you did.”

“Oh, okay.” Twilight lowered her voice to a whisper.

“She got really maternal when I noticed you had a fever. It was pretty cute. Usually I only see her get like that around wounded animals.”

Twilight grinned. “Well, we are ponies...”

Sunset gave a laugh that sounded suspiciously like a whinny. Twilight did her best not to crack up. Laughing would probably still hurt.

“How are you feeling, anyway?” Sunset placed her hand on Twilight’s forehead. “Feels like your fever’s breaking, at least.”

“I feel like someone hit my horn with a hammer, but I think I’m on the mend.”

“You know you don’t have a horn right now, right?”

A more lively Twilight might have tossed a pillow. This one just rolled her eyes. “It sure feels like I do.”

“So much for ‘I’m an all-powerful alicorn and don’t get sick,’ huh?”

Sunset wedged herself onto the couch underneath Twilight’s feet.

“Is this the part where you say ‘I told you so?’” Twilight groaned.

She added a few coughs, to be extra pitiful.

“I was gonna say we still have a lot to learn about the portal, but I guess that works too.” Sunset grinned at

Twilight mustered the best smile she could while in the throes of some awful human flu. It was the thought that counted, after all.

“Have you thought about just going home? Maybe your alicorn-ness will just, y’know, cure you.”

Twilight pulled the blanket tighter around herself. “Would I have to get off this couch?”

Sunset rubbed her chin. “Hmm, maybe I could call Applejack and Rainbow and we could carry you through.”

“That could work. I wonder if the couch would fit on the bus?”

“Probably not. We’d just have to carry you all the way there. In the heat of summer. We’d probably get all sweaty...”

Twilight groaned and turned over. “Sunset I love you but this isn’t the time.”

Sunset gave what was probably supposed to be a laugh but rapidly descended into coughing. “Fair enough.”

“Going back is probably a bad idea, anyway. We have absolutely no idea what the portal would do to this virus, or whatever it is”

This got Sunset’s attention. “You think it’d mutate into some sort of super pony flu?”

“It could mutate the pathogen, it could eliminate it entirely, it could turn me into some weird half-virus hybrid...” Twilight shuddered.

“Really?”

“Probably not. But I don’t want to find out.”

“I guess it’s about time one of us establishes the field of trans-dimensional epidemiology.”

Sunset leaned back on the couch and shut her eyes.

“Do you want your name to be first on the paper this time?” Twilight asked, only half sarcastically.

Research papers were very serious. Even if nobody but Celestia would ever be allowed to read them.

“Nah, I got first billing on the last one. It’s your turn,” Sunset said with equal seriousness.

“Once I can stand up without the room spinning I’ll get right on that.”

Sunset massaged her temples. “No argument here.”

Twilight was silently laying out a bibliography in her head when a quiet yawn from the bedroom caught her attention.

Sunset had apparently heard it too. “You okay in there, Shy?”

Dating Fluttershy really sharpened your hearing.

A mumble that probably meant “water” answered her. Twilight made a motion of getting up but Sunset was faster.

“No way, Princess. You’ve got it the worst out of all of us. I’ll take care of Shy.”

Twilight felt she should protest, just to be polite, but in fact just sitting up had made her kind of dizzy. Instead she just mumbled her thanks and slowly laid her head back down.

When Twilight next came to, it was dark outside. A quick glance at the clock told her she’d been out for almost five hours. Being a sick human was apparently very tiring work. Whatever dreams she had faded quickly, but thankfully they were Daybreaker free.

Twilight stretched, working out a couple of the kinks from curling up on a couch for hours. Another problem ponies didn’t have. She noticed her headache was gone. Perhaps she could head home soon.

“Good morning, Sleepyhead!” Sunset called from the kitchen. “Want some curry?”

Of course there was no rush. Her castle definitely didn’t have curry.

“Yes, please!”

“Should I bring it over?” Fluttershy asked.

She was up too, then.

“No, I think I can get up now.”

Twilight arched her back, catlike, and was rewarded with a satisfying crack. She went to stand up and immediately regretted it. A pounding headache and bout of dizziness almost toppled her, forcing her to grab the couch for balance.

Fluttershy and Sunset rushed to her side, the former carrying a glass of water.

Twilight grinned sheepishly. “Or... not.”

“Why don’t you lay back down, Twilight.” Fluttershy offered the glass to Twilight, who graciously accepted it.

“I'll put your curry in the fridge,” Sunset added.

She headed back to the kitchen, leaving Twilight alone with a concerned-looking Fluttershy.

“Thank you, Shy,” Twilight said with what she hoped wasn’t a croak. She downed the glass of water just in case. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Don’t you worry.”

Fluttershy took the now-empty glass and set it on the coffee table. She sat down next to the once again horizontal Twilight.

“That’s good. You sounded kinda out of it this morning.”

“It sounded worse than it was. Just a scratchy throat.”

Fluttershy fidgeted with her hair. “I was kind of worried about you, though. You were talking to, um, Princess Celestia.”

“Oh, was that out loud?”

Fluttershy nodded sheepishly.

“That was nothing. Just a bad dream.”

“That’s good. I, uh, don’t know how your magic works. I was worried something was actually wrong.”

“Well, dreams do have some magic to them. Princess Luna of my world can actually enter them and dispel nightmares, and once this creature called the Tantabus...” Twilight trailed off as she noticed the fear creeping into Fluttershy’s face. She hastily continued, “But I’m pretty sure this was just a fever dream.”

“That’s good, I guess.” Fluttershy sounded unsure, but didn’t press the issue.

“Sunset said you were taking care of me while I was out,” Twilight said, eager to change the subject.

Fluttershy quickly retreated behind her hair. “Oh, it was nothing.”

“It didn’t sound like nothing. I really appreciate it.”

“Eeep,” said the wall of pink hair.

“I mean it! If I have to be sick, I’m glad it was with you two.”

Twilight gave a smile she hoped Fluttershy could see through her hair.

She must’ve because she reached down under the blankets squeezed Twilight’s hand.

Fluttershy’s other hand brushed her hair to the side. “I love you, Twilight.”

Twilight squeezed Fluttershy’s. “Love you too.”

Sunset, who had a remarkable talent for staying out of the way but still within earshot of these romantic moments, chose then to re-enter the living room. “Love you two too. Though you know it’s probably Fluttershy’s fault you’re sick.”

Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”

Fluttershy looked very intently at her feet. “Rainbow had the flu last week.”

“Oh. I guess that makes sense.” Twilight frowned. “Do poly people get sick a lot, then?”

“They don’t exactly write that in the pamphlets, but yeah,” Sunset admitted. “I think it’s worth it though.”

Twilight risked propping herself up enough to give them both a peck on the cheek. “Definitely.”

6 - Glasses

Brrrrrrrrrt. Brrrrrrrrrt.

A half conscious Twilight used her wings to roll over in bed. “Five more minutes, Spike.”

Brrrrrrrrrt. Brrrrrrrrrt.

“Ugh, Fine.”

Twilight opened her eyes and did not see a purple dragon. In fact, she was alone in the room. Instead, a book emblazoned with a red and yellow sun was glowing green and dancing on her bedside table.

There wasn’t really a good way to be woken up early, but a message from a marefriend was certainly one of the better ones. Twilight rubbed her eyes with a hoof, then reached out with her magic to grab the journal.

Morning Twilight!

Twilight smiled, summoning a quill and inkwell. Hey you. What’s up?

The response was almost immediate. Not much. It’s not too early for you is it?

I was just about to get up.

Uh huh, sure you were. Here Sunset drew a crude face with a tongue sticking out. Has Spike shown up yet?

Twilight blushed. Alright, you caught me, I was asleep. How’d you know?

Your writing is terrible when you wake up.

Twilight flicked her eyes up at her earlier message. It wasn’t quite as bad as her handwriting, but it was definitely chickenscratch.

Worse, actually, if you counted the chickens Fluttershy had taught calligraphy.

Oh.

Don’t worry Princess. I think it’s kind of cute.

You’re kind of cute. Twilight underlined “You’re” several times for emphasis. That’d show her.

Touché.

It may have been Twilight’s imagination but she could have sworn that was the most sarcastic diacritic she’d ever seen.

I should probably get out of bed. We’re still on for tonight, right?

Oh, right, that’s what I wanted to tell you. I’m still coming, but Fluttershy can’t make it.

Twilight frowned. She and Sunset hadn’t had a date without Fluttershy in months.

Everything alright?

Oh yeah, it’s fine. She just has another date and this was the only night they could make it work.

Twilight restrained herself from chewing on her quill. Oh. I hope she has a good time, then.

You sure you’re okay, Princess? Fluttershy asked me to ask you first if it’d be alright.

It wasn’t okay.

Twilight felt a pit in her stomach. It’s totally fine. Tell her I want details next date, though!

There was a slight pause in the writing on the other side, then: She says it’s a deal.

Who’s it with, anyway? Anyone I know?

This time the pause was more than slight. A few dots appeared on the blank page, as if Sunset had put pen to paper then thought better of it.

Finally, a line wrote itself out. Yeah. It’s, uh, you. Our Twilight, I mean.

The quill tasted like ink, unsurprisingly. It wasn’t a good taste, by any means, but it was familiar. Comforting, almost.

Oh.

Ugh, I knew this was a bad idea. I’ll tell her to cancel and come talk this over with you.

It was a bad idea.

No, it’s fine. I’m just surprised! Now I really want those details afterwards.

You sure?

She wasn’t.

I am, I promise. Now I really need to go take a shower. Friendship waits for no mare!

Twilight shut the book before Sunset responded and got to her hooves. She made her way unsteadily to the washroom and started what would end up being a very long shower.

Groggily, she reached out with her magic to turn the tap, casting a quick cantrip to keep the water a consistent temperature. Despite her best efforts her mind quickly flicked back to the other Twilight as soon as she got in.

The two hadn’t talked very often. It always felt a little awkward, both linguistically and socially. The other Twilight had basically taken over for her at Canterlot High. Some of the students didn’t even know they were different people. And even though the girls always insisted otherwise, Twilight sometimes felt like she’d been replaced in their social circle.

That wasn’t to say Twilight had forgotten about her, of course. She remembered the girl in the middle of Sunset’s graph all those months ago. She’d been surprised at the time but in retrospect that felt kind of foolish. Between her science and grip on magic, the other Twilight had always seemed like a quick study. Was it really that much of a surprise that she learned to navigate the social and romantic landscape of the Canterlot High-and-beyond world? She was born in the human world, she probably already knew what she was doing.

Knew better than this Twilight, anyways.

Twilight insisted to herself that she was happy for Fluttershy. A good partner would be excited. Nevermind that Twilight was more experienced, lived in the same world, was the same species as Fluttershy...

Twilight stayed in the shower until Spike finally knocked on the door, informing her that she was late for an appointment.

Sunset sighed contentedly. “Gorgeous day, isn’t it?”

Twilight surveyed the scene before her. The two mares laid on a chequered blanket in the Whitetail woods, an open picnic basket in front of them. The light dappled the forest floor through the tree cover. Moss covered the ground in front of them and a family of rabbits watched curiously from a nearby bush.

“Yeah, it really is. I can see why Fluttershy likes this spot so much.”

Sunset gave Twilight an unreadable expression, then turned back to her salad. A glowing fork deftly picked a crouton out of the bowl and popped it into her mouth.

She chewed thoughtfully. “Did you make this yourself? Or did you get Spike to do it again?”

Twilight shot what she hoped was a very offended look back. “Hey, I will have you know I am a much better cook now! I totally made this salad myself. Sure, Spike might’ve made the dressing and helped me pick out ingredients, but I did a lot of work!”

“I’ll give my compliments to your, ah, sous-chef then. Good choice on the arugula.”

“Oh, thank you! It’s Fluttershy’s favourite too.”

Sunset gave Twilight another look. Twilight wasn’t sure but she thought she heard the mare sigh under her breath.

Twilight tried her best to change the subject again. “So how’s school going?”

“Oh, it’s pretty interesting! I have a lot of fun seeing the gaps between Equestrian and Human knowledge. Did you know they actually figured out what the fundamental building blocks of their universe are?”

Twilight usually found these discussions fascinating, but today it was hard to concentrate. The other Twilight was a brilliant scientist in her own right. She probably knew all this stuff already. She probably had a lot of interesting insights about magic, too. She’d basically discovered it from first principles on her own.

“Princess? You okay?”

“Sorry, Sunset, I’ve just got a lot on my mind. Guess I’m a little distracted.”

Sunset scooted a little closer to Twilight, placing hoof on hers. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

Twilight forced a smile. “Thank you, Sunny. But I’ll be fine, really.”

Sunset was clearly not convinced, but she leaned over and kissed Twilight on the muzzle.

“I love you, Princess.”

“I love you too, Sunny.”

The two were quiet for almost a minute. The birds chirped in the clearing. A solitary pegasus flew overhead, not noticing the couple down below.

Sunset finally broke what Twilight had thought was an easy silence. “You’re thinking about Fluttershy and my Twilight, aren’t you.”

Twilight coughed a little on her lemonade. “What? I’m just happy spending time with you.”

“That wasn’t what I asked, Princess. You don’t have to lie to me.”

Twilight looked at the ground, giving her drink a stir with her magic.

She looked back up at Sunset sheepishly. “That obvious, huh?”

“Twilight, even if I had just met you yesterday I could tell your mind was elsewhere. And you’ve brought up Fluttershy practically every other sentence.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Princess, I’m not mad at you. I’m just... worried. Why didn’t you think you could talk to me about this?”

“I just... I wanted to be happy for her. I wanted everything to be okay.”

“You can’t just will yourself to be okay with everything, Twilight. Sometimes this sort of thing takes work.”

Twilight frowned. “But everything I read just talked about ‘compersion’ and being happy for your partner. Jealousy is a bad thing, and I... I don’t want to be a bad partner.”

“Oh, sweetie.” Sunset wrapped her forelegs around Twilight and gave her a squeeze. “You should never try not to feel something you’re feeling.”

There came the cursed tears again. “I just... I just wanted to be a good marefriend. Girlfriend. Whatever. I love Shy and wanted to show that.”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. You’re not a bad partner.”

Sunset just held Twilight for a minute. Twilight did her very best not to feel guilty about it.

Sunset gave her a squeeze, then looked directly into her eyes.

“Listen to me, Twilight. Jealousy is a natural part of relationships. The important thing is to talk about it before it can fester.”

“So, the exact opposite of what I was doing.”

Sunset smiled weakly. “A little bit, yeah.”

Twilight flattened her ears. “Guess I missed that chapter, huh?”

Sunset playfully tussled Twilight’s mane. “If I say you can’t learn everything from books, are you going to be mad at me?”

“You certainly wouldn’t be the first. Old habits die hard, I guess.”

“I don’t think there’s a book on your marefriend dating your ape twin from a mirror world. But we could check your card catalogue when we get back.”

“Hey, you leave Carter out of this! He does his best!”

The pair broke into giggles. The tension was mercifully broken.

Sunset playfully nuzzled Twilight. “Now, what are you worried about? You know Fluttershy and I both love you to pieces.”

Twilight pawed at the dirt. “It’s stupid.”

“Hey, Twilight. Look at me?” Sunset put a hoof under Twilight’s chin.

It took some effort, but Twilight managed to meet her gaze.

“We all want the same thing here, Princess. Me, Fluttershy, even the other Twilight want to make this whole thing work. But the only way that’s going to happen is if we all work together..”

Twilight knew she’d need to answer eventually but at the moment there was something more pressing. Fluffing her wings, she closed the distance between the two of them into a deep kiss.

Sunset seemed surprised at first, but soon leaned into it. Privately the two of them agreed, no matter how long they spent in the mirror world, kissing in Equestria just felt... nicer.

Eventually the unicorn pulled back, like Twilight knew she would. And then chided Twilight that she wouldn’t get off that easy, like Twilight knew she would.

“I know you two love me,” Twilight started.

A breath, a moment to collect her thoughts. She’d intended to keep this inside forever.

So it wasn’t the well rehearsed speech a lot of what she said was. “I just... worry sometimes.”

“Worry?”

“She’s just... closer to you. She knows all your pop culture references, she went to school with you, she’s human...”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “You remember I was born in Equestria, right?”

Twilight blushed. “Well yes, but don’t you think you’ve sort of, I dunno, gone native? You’ve been there for almost a decade.”

Sunset nodded, giving her the point. She motioned Twilight to continue.

“Not to mention she’s more experienced. You wouldn’t have to teach her all this stuff you have to wade through with me.

A tear rolled down Twilight’s cheek. “Sometimes I feel like she’s just me but... better. Easier.”

In an instant Sunset was by her side, foreleg wrapped around her barrel. In response, Twilight draped a wing around the unicorn and squeezed tight. By now the tears
“You know, I think I was wrong before,” Sunset finally said.

Twilight looked up at her. “I said there was no wrong way to feel, but it’s hard to imagine something more wrong than you thinking anyone could ever replace you. For either me or ‘Shy.”

Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but Sunset cut her off. “You’re brilliant, cute, funny, very soft, and a freakin’ Princess besides. There’s no-one in any world that’s like you.”

“But your Twilight...”

“Is a completely different person, Twilight. She’s actually a person, for one thing. And nothing can touch my pony Princess. And maybe she’s slept with more people, or knows what Star Wars is, but that doesn’t make her better for us. It just makes her different.”

Twilight was still crying, but she was smiling through the tears. “You mean that?”

“The whole point of dating multiple people - or ponies - is notneeding to compare people like this. You make me and Fluttershy very happy. We will happily keep trekking through that portal for the rest of our lives for you. Maybe the other Twilight will make Fluttershy happy too, but it’ll be a different happy.”

Happy tears. “I love you so much, Sunset.”

“I love you too, Twilight. Now what do you say we finish this salad? It’s getting late.”

Evening found the two of them curled up with each other inside Twilight’s library. They both had their noses in textbooks, Twilight’s was magical and Sunset’s was from the mirror world. The two were mostly silent, pausing occasionally to share a particularly interesting snippet.

“You know, Sunset, I was kinda nervous about meeting up without Fluttershy. It felt kind of like... cheating.”

Sunset carefully placed a bookmark in her book, then motioned for Twilight to continue.

“I’m glad we got to do this, though. It’s been nice just chatting with you. I’ve always felt bad getting all theoretical with ‘Shy here.”

“Yeah, there’s something to be said for having some study time with my favourite egghead.” Sunset gently ribbed Twilight for emphasis.

Twilight stuck out her tongue. “Whatever you say, Rainbow.”

Sunset blushed. “Yours too, huh?”

“I guess some things are just constants.”

“Some things. Maybe less than you’d think.”

Sunset suddenly looked lost in thought.

“Hey... we don’t have to talk about the other me again if you don’t want to.”

“You’re okay?” Sunset’s tone was gentle but had a hint of familiar worry.

“I’m... better.”

Sunset frowned. “Very diplomatic, Princess.” Suddenly she stood up. “You know, I think only one thing is gonna fix this.”

“What’s that?”

“Do you want to meet her?”

Twilight absolutely did not. Her internal peace with the other Twilight was new and tenuous.

“We’ve met several times, Sunset! I’m pretty sure we even went to a sleepover together.”

“When’s the last time you said more than hello to each other? What’s her favourite colour? Her favourite food? Her favourite animal?”

“Purple, Daisy sandwiches, and dragons, obviously,” Twilight rattled off without really thinking about it.

“It’s green, she can’t even eat daisies, and she’s never met a dragon. You’re not the same person, Twilight. You barely even know her.”

Twilight lifted a hoof to rebut, but silently set it down.

Sunset had a point, as she often did. That was the problem with dating someone so smart.

“I think it would mean a lot to Fluttershy if you got to know her a little bit.” Sunset leaned forward to nuzzle Twilight, probably in an attempt to persuade her.

It worked.

“Okay, okay. For Fluttershy.”

The nuzzling continued.

“...And for my favourite unicorn.” Twilight pulled back so she could stick her tongue out at Sunset.

Sunset grinned, then started walking out of the study.

“Where are you going?” Twilight called.

“To send a text. I’m going to ask Twilight and Fluttershy to meet us at my place after dinner.”

Twilight blanched. “We’re doing this tonight?!”

“Sure. No time like the present, right?”

“Um, yeah, definitely! That’s fine, I can totally do this! No need to prepare for this stressful meeting or anything.”

“Hey.” Sunset walked back, looking serious. “If you’re uncomfortable, I promise we can go home. This doesn’t have to be a big deal.”

“If I go home we’ll be right back where we started! I don’t want to put Fluttershy through that.” Twilight paced. “I need to be strong for her. But what if I don’t like the other Twilight? What if I can’t accept it?”

Sunset grabbed Twilight mid-pace. “Hey. Deep breaths.”

Twilight didn’t realise it until then, but she was practically hyperventilating. She made a point of slowing her breathing, and squeezed Sunset with her fetlock.

It was hard to be anxious with Sunset holding onto her.

“It’s gonna be okay, Princess. If you don’t like her the three of us will talk about it.”

“Okay. Talking is good. I can do talking.” Twilight pawed at the ground, trying to steel herself.

“I’ll be right back, okay?”

Sunset started to get to her hooves.

“Wait, Sunset!”

Sunset turned, quirking an eyebrow.

Twilight lifted her head and pecked sunset on the cheek. “I love you.”

Sunset stuck out her tongue. “I love you too, Princess Dork.”

She headed for the portal room. She was wearing Twilight’s favourite smile, the one reserved exclusively for her marefriends.

Twilight would do anything for that smile. She’d literally fought monsters, crossed worlds, and completely turned her understanding of romance on its head for it already. What more was one more spot of weirdness?

A few hours, one nauseating portal trip, and oane very familiar bus ride later, the two found themselves in Sunset’s apartment. Fluttershy and her date hadn’t made it back yet, so the two were sitting on the couch.

Twilight had changed into one of the outfits she kept stashed in Sunset’s closet, since the portal always dressed her in the same “high schooler” outfit.

Both of them had textbooks out again, but this time Twilight’s was human instead of Equestrian. Twilight was talking animatedly about pretty much everything she saw while Sunset offered up little tidbits she’d learned.

“I can’t believe nobody in Equestria has thought up linear algebra yet! This is totally going to revolutionise how we cast sorting and ordering spells! Not to mention the implications for finance and potion-making! It’s such a simple idea, did you know about this?”

Sunset was saved from answering by the sound of a key turning in the apartment’s lock. Twilight froze. She’d been distracted earlier and spurned on by Sunset’s confidence, but with the moment actually here all her previous nervousness returned.

Without saying a word, Sunset’s hand found hers and gently squeezed it. Some things were much easier this side of the mirror.

A soft voice called out as the door opened. “Hello everybody, we’re home!”

Sunset gave Twilight’s hand another quick squeeze, then jumped up to meet Fluttershy. Twilight started to get up too but froze when she saw the woman standing behind Shy.

Human Twilight Sparkle didn’t look how she remembered. She still had her trademark glasses, mostly unchanged, but her hair had been clipped to a very short pixie cut. Instead of her old crystal prep uniform, she was wearing a shiny blue cocktail dress and a dark blue shawl.

Twilight whispered to Sunset as she walked back to the couch. “Celestia, am I that cute?”

“Between you and me?” Sunset flashed a devilish smile. “You’re much cuter.”

“Um, hi everybody.”

The newcomer sounded just as nervous as Twilight. At the very least they had that in common.

“Hey, uh, Twilight?” Twilight didn’t mean to phrase it as a question, but it was a hard thing to say with confidence. “That’s gonna take some getting used to, huh?”

“Yeah,” the other Twilight agreed.

She fiddled with the hem of her skirt a bit.

Sunset came to their rescue. “We sometimes call her Princess, if that helps.”

“Right!” The other Twilight turned back. “Should I um, bow or something?”

“I would really prefer you didn’t.”

“Cool. Great!”

Twilight poked at the ground with her foot. The other Twilight twirled her fingers through her hair. Next to them, Fluttershy coughed quietly.

Twilight, who reminded herself that she was literally the Princess of Friendship, decided to try again. “It’s, um, nice to see you again! I don’t think we’ve talked much since that picnic by the statue.”

“Yeah uh, you too... Princess! What have you been up to?”

“Um, the usual! Stopping world-ending villains, solving Equestria’s friendship problems, teaching students... you know how it is.”

“I’m in grad school,” the other Twilight said quietly.

“So you’re a student then! Tell me, do you read a lot of books?”

“Sort of. I’m studying sociology, which is a really hands-on field. I do a lot of interviews and talking to people.”

“Sociology is like... the study of society, right? So like, interactions between people?”

“Exactly!” The other Twilight lit up. Clearly this was familiar territory. “My research is focused specifically on interactions between small groups of people.”

“So things like... Friendship?” Twilight asked cautiously.

“Oh yes! That’s what got me into the field in the first place! Sunset was a huge inspiration for me after the friendship games. I want to learn everything I can and contribute back to the community.”

A smile spread over Twilight’s face. “I think you and I are going to get along just fine. Tell me, do you submit your reports to this world’s Celestia?”

“Um, no? She’s a high school principal, we barely talk anymore. My advisor at the university reads my reports but I have to submit them to a peer reviewed journal.”

The two of them sat down on the couch began talking excitedly about their research. The other Twilight admitted she had originally wanted to study magic but Sunset explained how it might be best if that sort of thing didn’t reach the greater scientific community. She even showed off her levitation skills and Twilight insisted she come visit Equestria sometime to practise her unicorn magic.

There were definitely similarities between the two of them but it was clear their approaches were very different. Where Twilight mostly went with her gut and experience on friendship issues, her counterpart conducted rigorous research, read studies, and dealt with ethics review boards. The other Twilight was also a gold mine of scientific tools and ideas Equestria hadn’t discovered yet.

During a lull in conversation, Twilight noticed the bright green earrings the other girl was wearing. She remembered what Sunset had said earlier.

“Hey Twilight? What’s your favourite food?”

Her counterpart thought for a second. “Hmm, probably falafel.”

Twilight frowned. “Uh... What’s a ‘fella-fell?’”

Wide-eyed, the girl looked over to Sunset and Fluttershy, who just shrugged. “You’ve never had falafel?”

“I don’t think so!” Twilight shuddered. “It’s not made of meat is it?”
“Oh no, it’s made of chickpeas. We have got to take you sometime.” She turned to Sunset and Fluttershy “Girls, what do you think? Have I taken you to that Lebanese place on Everfree Boulevard?”

Twilight cut in before they could answer. “Actually, Um, Twilight?”

“Yeah?”

Twilight scratched at the floor with her foot. “Maybe we could go sometime? Just the two of us?”

A very high pitched squeal was Fluttershy giving her approval in the way only she could.

The other Twilight flushed, but she was still smiling. “I think it’s worth a try.”

“What’s your Saturday look like?”

7 - Crash

“Madam Ambassador, Mr. Gregory, on behalf of all of Equestria I would like to welcome you to Ponyville. I trust you had a safe journey?”

Ambassador Gilda gave a respectful bow, spreading her wings wide. “The pleasure is all ours, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. The journey was long but we got an excellent view of your beautiful country.”

Twilight knew this was hardly the first time Gilda had been to Ponyville, let alone Equestria, but there was a formality to diplomatic greetings that must be observed.

“Thank you Ambassador. Elements of Harmony Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash both had good things to say about Griffinstone as well.”

That wasn’t entirely false. They both had said good things about the Griffin capital. If it happened to be amongst a sea of criticisms, well, that need not be mentioned.

Twilight exchanged a few more pleasantries with Gilda and her attaché, Gregory, before showing them to the drawing room where negotiations were to commence. A pair of guards, one a tall pegasus stallion and the other a stocky griffin hen, flanked the entrance. Both saluted as Twilight pulled the doors open with her magic.

“I understand your time is precious, so we shall begin immediately. Have you reviewed the treaty?”

Gilda looked to her colleague, who nodded. “We appreciate you taking time to meet with us so quickly. This situation is... rather delicate.”

Gregory pulled a bundle of parchment out of his saddlebag.

Twilight immediately noticed the notes and red ink that covered the treaty. Weeks of training with Celestia prevented her from audibly sighing. Of course they had revisions. Much of them would simply be posturing, a show of power, an application of leverage. With luck the final treaty wouldn’t be too different from the one she and Cadance had drafted.

Twilight laid her own copy on the table. “Where should we begin?”

Gilda and Gregory conferred quietly for a few seconds, then turned back to Twilight.

Gilda then pointed to a section near the top of the roll of parchment “We have some concerns over the proposed border between Griffonia and Equestria. The town of Featherfall lies directly on the bank of the Down River, meaning...”

Twilight listened patiently to the ambassador’s arguments, relieved to find the griffins more than willing to compromise on some of the smaller issues. She made a mental note to thank Pinkie and Rainbow the next time she saw them.

A knock at the door interrupted the diplomatic talks. The pegasus guard poked his head through the door, bowing when Twilight acknowledged him.

“Spike has an urgent message, your Highness,”

Twilight turned to the other two griffins poured over the table. “Would you mind if we took a quick recess?

Gilda frowned. “Of course, your Highness.”

Best to make this quick.

“Please ask the guards if you find yourselves in need of any refreshments.”

Twilight trotted through the door and shut it behind her quietly. Spike was standing outside, a glowing book in his claws.

Twilight swallowed. Sunset and Fluttershy knew she was busy today, so this must’ve been really important. With some trepidation she opened the glowing journal.

Twilight, are you there? I know you said you were busy today, but we’ve got a bit of a situation here. Rainbow broke up with Fluttershy. We could both really use your company right now.

Twilight summoned a quill and inkwell in a bright flash of magenta, but then paused.

Should she go?

The quill danced on empty air as Twilight mentally weighed her options.

On the one hoof, she was acting as ambassador to all of Equestria right now. The other princesses were counting on her to represent their interests and she absolutely did not want to disappoint them. Worse still, a delay could cause further tensions, or even outright conflict. The treaty was a good one, but it would be at least a day of work to hammer out the differences before Griffonia would agree to sign it.

On the other hoof, she wasn’t the Princess of Foreign Policy or Treaty Negotiations. Somewhere out there Fluttershy was hurting. One of her best friends, her marefriend, was upset, scared, and needed her there.

Twilight Sparkle did not abandon friend a friend in need, no matter the cost.

She dipped her quill in ink.

I’m on my way.

The bus ride from the portal to Sunset’s house always took forever, but this time Twilight was painfully aware of just how long it took. Her fingers drummed nervously on the seat in front of her, drawing dirty looks from her fellow passengers.

She didn’t care.

Fluttershy was upset, and this Tartarus-forsaken bus was stopping at every traffic light and stop sign it encountered. Surely some of them must be optional.

The drumming continued.

Eventually the snail-like bus announced her stop. She nearly pulled the stop request cord off the wall, and quite literally jumped out of her seat for the door. She turned sideways to slip out before it fully opened, sprinting up the road to Sunset’s apartment complex.

Twilight remembered how slow Sunset’s elevator was, so she turned for the stairs. Two flights of stairs taken two at a time left her panting but finally at the door. One deep breath, a hand run through her hair, and she opened the door.

“In here, Twilight,” called Sunset from down the hall.

Twilight walked into the bedroom and her heart broke a little bit.

Fluttershy was completely hidden behind her hair, surrounded by a mess of tissues. Sunset was holding her by the shoulder Her shirt was stained with tears.

“Hi Twilight. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything *sniff* important.” Fluttershy was barely audible.

She brushed her hair to the side and smiled weakly at Twilight. There were still fresh tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Nothing’s more important than making sure you’re okay, Shy.”

Twilight sat down on the bed, cautiously wrapping an arm around the distraught girl. Not for the first time she wished she had her wings, and could wrap them protectively around Fluttershy. Arms just weren’t the same.

The three of them sat there in silence, Sunset and Twilight holding Fluttershy as tight as they could. Every once in a while Sunset or Twilight would offer a tissue, or a glass of water, or a soft kiss on the cheek.

Eventually Fluttershy started to drift off and the two gently tucked her into bed.

The two of them retreated to the kitchen. Twilight busied herself making tea while Sunset tapped out updates on her phone for Rarity and Pinkie Pie. A beeping tea kettle was quickly silenced, tea bags were selected, mugs were filled. Messages were sent, emojis selected, parties politely turned down.

Twilight fiddled with her teabag. “How long were the two of them together?”

“A few months longer than me and Shy, I think. Almost two years.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you know what happened?”

Sunset looked at her hands. “Not really. She was pretty upset when she got here. All I could tease out of her was that Rainbow wanted to be ‘just friends.’”

“It wasn’t too long ago I would’ve been confused over what was so bad about being ‘just friends,’ huh?” Twilight gave a weak smile.

“And now?”

“Now I’m glad I’m ‘just’ the Princess of Friendship. Cadance must have the hardest job in the Equestria.”

Sunset smiled. She reached across the table to give Twilight’s hand a squeeze.

Twilight squeezed back, but was getting lost in her thoughts. She and Fluttershy had been dating for scarcely a year. It was already impossible to imagine life without her.

What had happened to her and Rainbow? They always seemed happy together. If it could happen to them...

Sunset frowned. “Twilight? You okay?”

Twilight made a quick decision. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just worried about ‘Shy.”

None of them needed to deal with this additional stress right now.

Sunset nodded. “She’ll be okay. She’s tougher than she seems.”

“Pony Fluttershy stared down a cockatrice once, so I believe it.”

“Wait, seriously? Don’t they turn people to stone?”

“They certainly do. In fact, I was actually encased in stone at the time. I only found out about it later.”

“I didn’t even know that was possible! Remind me to shake her hoof next time.”

“Shake whose hoof?” asked a groggy human Fluttershy.

She slowly shuffled over to the table, sitting down next to Sunset.

“Uh, yours. Pony-yours, I mean. The other Fluttershy.” Twilight said. “Can I get you some tea, Shy?”

“Um, if it’s not too much trouble?”

“None at all.” Twilight walked back to the sink to fill the kettle again.

“Feeling any better, Shy?” Sunset asked.

She wrapped an arm around the girl, who leaned into the embrace.

“A little bit. Um, sorry for being a mess back there.”

The end of her sentence was scarcely more than a squeak.

“It’s okay, ‘Shy. I think being a bit of a mess is well earned.”

“We’re always here for you,” Twilight added.

“Thank you,” Fluttershy mumbled. She turned back to Twilight, who was staring at the kettle. “I’m um, really glad you’re here, Twilight. You’re sure you’re not missing anything important?”

Two angry griffins chastising her briefly filled Twilight’s thoughts, but she chased them away. “Nothing that can’t be fixed later.”

She closed the distance between them and nuzzled Fluttershy. The gesture felt far more awkward as a human, but she knew Fluttershy liked it.

“Do you uh, want to talk about it?”

That was what people asked in these scenarios, right?

Twilight’s only experience with this was consoling Rarity after her latest failed date, and Rarity didn’t usually need prompting to talk about things.

Fluttershy looked like she might start crying again.

Twilight’s heart sank. Not the right words, then.

She reached out again, but hesitated.

Did Fluttershy need space? Physical comfort? Soothing words?

Fluttershy looked miserable, and it was breaking Twilight’s heart.

Fortunately Sunset came to her rescue, wrapping the distraught girl in up in strong arms. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, Shy, but it might help.”

Tears were streaming down Fluttershy’s face but she nodded.

Sunset squeezed her. “Take your time, Shy. We’re not going anywhere.”

It seemed like Fluttershy looked like she was about to say something. Instead she looked between Twilight and Sunset then burst back into tears again.

A few words slipped past her choked sobs. “I don’t... I... she said...”

Twilight took a seat beside Fluttershy. “You know you can tell us anything, right hon? We won’t judge you.”

“We love you ‘Shy,” Sunset added.

She gave Fluttershy a peck on the cheek.

“I love you too.” Fluttershy was barely whispering now. If they hadn’t been embracing they might not have heard it. “Rainbow said... she said she never got to see me anymore. That I spent all my time with you two.”

“What?!” Twilight reared back. “How could she do that to you? She knows...”

Twilight saw Fluttershy flinch at the anger in her voice. Sunset was looking at her too, eyes wide.

Twilight shrank back. “I just... I thought she liked us. Respected us. Why would she make you choose?”

“Nobody asked Fluttershy to choose, Twilight.” Sunset lightly kissed Fluttershy on the cheek. “Rainbow made her choice.”

“I made my choice a long time ago.” Fluttershy was still quiet but it was a quiet conviction. The tears were flowing freely again. “When I made room for you two.”

At that moment Twilight desperately wished that she could still teleport. She actually tried, in fact, reaching out with magic that wasn’t there. Instead, she needed to be a grown mare – woman, whatever – about this.

“I... I didn’t know. I’m sorry.,” Twilight said.

The tea kettle beeped. Maybe this world was apologising for her lack of magic. Twilight rose and stepped into the kitchen.

Even though she was scarcely two metres away, Sunset and Fluttershy’s whispered conversation was out of earshot.

As she poured the water into the waiting mugs, her own thoughts swirled.

Her Rainbow was the Element of Loyalty. Would she do something like this? What had happened between this Rainbow and Sunset? And...

A burning sensation nipped that anxious spiral in the bud. The mug was overflowing onto her hand. She hissed and reached for a paper towel under the counter.

Sunset craned her neck to look at her. “You okay Princess?”

Twilight chuckled nervously.“I’m fine, just a little clumsy. You know how hands are.”

She very carefully brought Fluttershy’s tea back to the table.

“Thank you Twilight.” Fluttershy was almost back to a normal speaking voice. That had to be a good sign.

“Anything for you, Shy.” Twilight smiled, and happily Fluttershy returned it. Twilight never got sick of that smile. “I’m sorry I yelled. I was just so... surprised.”

“It’s okay, Twilight. I didn’t do a very good job of explaining.”

Sunset reached across Fluttershy to grab Twilight’s free (and unburnt) hand. “Nobody has infinite free time, Princess. Everybody has to make these choices.”

“It wasn’t just about time,” Fluttershy said quietly.

Twilight turned, looking at her. Sunset seemed caught off guard as well. Her eyes widenened as she looked to Fluttershy, who was staring into her tea mug.

“What do you mean, Shy?” Sunset’s voice was gentle, but Twilight could sense the slight tinge of concern.

“She talked to me about it before I left. She missed getting to see me, but that wasn’t the only reason. She... she wants to start a family.”

The kitchen was silent.

A single tear rolled down Fluttershy’s cheek. “Rainbow... she wants a partner she can move in with. She wants to get married, have kids.”

“And you don’t?”

Sunset was quiet, bringing herself to Fluttershy’s volume.

“Not...” Fluttershy wiped another tear aside. “Not with her.”

Sunset and Twilight moved as one, embracing their girlfriend from either side. Fluttershy broke into sobs again as the three of them held each other for dear life.

“I love you two so much,” Twilight whispered into Fluttershy’s hair.

Twilight couldn’t think of anything else to say, but it felt right anyway.

Fluttershy managed to crack a smile. “Me too.”

“Me three,” Sunset grinned. “Now, I think it’s time to show the Princess another human tradition.”

“You have a tradition for breakups?”

“Absolutely.” Sunset got up and crossed over to the freezer, pulling out a two of quarts of ice cream.

“Oh, I think we have this one too,” Twilight snickered. “Pretty sure I’ve found Rarity surrounded by half-eaten cartons more than once.”

“Yours too, huh?” Sunset came back, three spoons in one hand and the ice cream in the other. “Well, come on. Let Dr. Rocky Road sooth your worries.”

“I’m pretty sure I know a Rocky Road. Worked in an ice cream parlour in Canterlot.” Twilight managed to get out between bites.

“Oh, we should go sometime!” Fluttershy said.

She already seemed happier. Chocolate had that effect on her. Though that was true for most people.

“Absolutely.”

“You okay, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight looked up from her book to see a concerned Fluttershy looking over at her from the other side of the couch.

“Yeah, fine, why do you ask?”

“You um, haven’t turned your page in half an hour.”

Twilight looked down at her book and sure enough it was still open to page three. She may have been a slower reader without magic, but definitely not that slow.

She closed the book and sighed. “Sorry. Just a bit distracted.”

Fluttershy scooted over gently wrapped her arms around Twilight. “Is this about me and Rainbow?”

Twilight nervously fiddled with her book. “I don’t know. Maybe?”

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

Twilight halfheartedly stuck her tongue out. “That’s Sunset’s line.”

“Doesn’t make it any less true. Didn’t you use it on me an hour ago?”

“You got me, ‘Shy. It’s just... argh. This night is supposed to be about taking care of you, not me.”

“Oh, I don’t mind. Having too much attention on me always makes me nervous, anyways.”

“Heh, I suppose that makes sense.”

Twilight placed her book down on the floor and leaned over, resting her head on Fluttershy’s shoulder.

“What’s bothering you, Twilight?”

“It’s just... you and Rainbow were together for so long. I guess I sort of thought you’d be together forever.”

Twilight flinched, hoping she hadn’t reopened that particular wound. Fluttershy, however, just nodded for her to continue.

“It just makes me wonder, I suppose. Are we going to fall apart in a year? What if something happens?”

“None of us can see the future, Princess.” Sunset said.

She returned from the kitchen with a trio of tea mugs carefully held in her hands. She put the mugs on the coffee table and sat down on the other side of Fluttershy.

“Well I wouldn’t say none of us.” Twilight mumbled.

“Well, most of us, then.”

“I know that. I just... worry sometimes. I’m really happy now, the happiest I’ve ever been. I don’t want this to end.”

“Let me ask you this. If the three of us broke up tomorrow, would you regret your decision to go out with me?”

“Never,” Twilight said automatically.

She didn’t even need to think about. What was there to consider? How could someone regret the best thing that ever happened to them?

“You see?”

“What about you, Shy?” Twilight asked, treading lightly on the fresh wounds. “Do you wish you’d never asked Rainbow out?”

Fluttershy once again proved tougher than she looked. “Of course not. Sure, it hurts right now, but I wouldn’t trade our time together for anything.”

Twilight nodded, but her thoughts continued to swirl.

Sunset interrupted her spiral once again. “Okay, Princess, when was the last time you saw this world’s Twilight?”

“Um..”

How long had it been? Twilight found she could barely remember.

“Three weeks? Maybe four?”

“Do you think you’re still dating?”

Twilight froze.

They hadn’t talked in a while, it was true. And the last time they had gotten dinner together things had felt a little bit off. Did that mean things were over?

“I... I don’t know. Oh Celestia, do I need to talk to her? What if I hurt her feelings?”

Fluttershy gently patted Twilight. “I think you should probably talk to her, but it’s not a big deal. I think Sunset is trying to show you that some things just run their course.”

“What about us, though? Are we going to ‘run our course’ too?” Twilight didn’t like this conversation. She felt tears stinging her eyes.

“It’s possible. But... I think what we have here is really special.” Fluttershy gently kissed Twilight.. “I think this can last. If we all want it to.”

“Nothing’s for sure but... I think ‘Shy’s right,” Sunset added. “I think I can see myself with you two for a very long time.”

Twilight was definitely still crying, but it didn’t hurt anymore. Instead she allowed herself to get lost in Fluttershy’s soft embrace.

Now there was only one thought swirling through her head. What we have here is special.

And whatever happened, it’d work out. Even if she had to cause a diplomatic incident once in awhile in order to make it work.

Author's Note

Sorry about the delay everypony! It's been a hectic weekend.

8 - Home

“More tea?” Celestia held the delicate teapot in her golden magic.

Twilight looked at her teacup. It was still half full.

“No thank you,” she said.

Celestia’s ever-present smile faltered.

Most ponies wouldn’t have noticed, but Twilight had been around Celestia all her life. She knew concern when she saw it.

“Twilight, is something wrong? You’ve scarcely touched your tea.”

“Sorry, Princess. I’ve just... got a lot on my mind right now.”

“We are here to chat, Twilight. I’m always happy to listen.”

Twilight did know that. Celestia constantly reminded her that there need be no secrets between them. And yet, every time something like this came up, Twilight was sure this was the exception. From the missing friendship reports to the botched dinner party, it always just seemed easier to avoid having these conversations with Celestia.

Maybe it was time to try a different approach, then.

Twilight looked up from her teacup. “Celestia?”

“Yes, Twilight?”

“Has a Princess ever abdicated her throne?”

The ensuing silence gave Twilight plenty of time to doubt her decision. She could’ve handled this by herself. There was no need to go bothering the Princess. Now Celestia would be worried, or even worse, disappointed in her.

Nopony had asked Twilight if she wished to become a Princess, but neither could anypony claim she didn’t give it her all. Would Celestia think she was ungrateful? Lazy?

At last, mercifully, Celestia answered. “You’re a scholar of history, Twilight. So I suspect you’ve already done your research.”

Celestia frowned and this time it was no subtle lapse in smile. Somepony who’d never met her before would’ve seen she was bothered by this. To Twilight, though, she didn’t look angry, or disappointed, or anything of the sort. She just looked... sad.

“I suspected it wasn’t the sort of thing you would want history to remember, even if it had happened.”

“Very perceptive, Twilight.”

“Thank you.”

The two of them had said similar things to each other thousands of times over the years together. Yet, the distance between them had never been wider.

Twilight fidgeted with her teacup, the handle shimmering in her magic.

“Would I be correct in assuming that this is not a purely academic question?”

A beat. Twilight could still back out. A thousand excuses came to mind, some of which might even work. Everything could just go back to normal.

“It isn’t, no.”

“I see.” Celestia took another sip of tea. Her poise was as perfect as ever. “Tell me, Twilight, where did I go wrong?”

Go wrong? Celestia? What?

“Did I give you too much responsibility? Do you not feel supported? Is the travel too much?”

Oh, she thought... Oh!

“Oh, no no no no, Princess! The job is fine! I love helping ponies, I love seeing Equestia, and you’ve been with me every step of the way. It’s hard, probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I can do it.”

“But?”

“I’m...”

Deep breaths. Count to three.

“I’m thinking of moving to the human world.”

Celestia almost dropped her teacup. Her magic faltered for a second before once again grabbing the delicate china.

“I must say, Twilight, even after all these years you still manage to surprise me.”

“I’m... I’m sorry Celestia. I don’t want to leave, or hurt anypony. But I think I have to do this.”

“I’ve always trusted your judgement, Twilight. You know that. But i... what is calling you through the mirror?”

“It’s... well, it’s love.”

“Ah.” Celestia gave one of her trademark knowing smiles. “Tell me, is it Sunset?”

“Uhm. Yes, yes it is. How did you know?”

“You aren’t as subtle as you think, Twilight. You blush every time you talk about her.”

“O-oh.”

“I do wonder, though. Can Sunset not move to Ponyville?”

“She could, maybe. But, uh, it isn’t just her.”

“Oh?”

Twilight scratched her neck with a free hoof. “I’m dating the mirror world’s Fluttershy too. We, uh, both are.”

“Oh that’s wonderful! Starting your own herd?”

“My own what? Wait, you’re not upset?”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Why would I be upset?”

“Well dating more than one pony... or person, isn’t exactly common. I was worried you’d think I was depraved or something.”

“Perhaps it’s not common in this century.” In a flash of golden magic, a worn tome appeared before Twilight. “Time was, herds were the most common form of relationship in Equestria. I always figured this whole monogamy thing was a fad.”

Twilight opened the book offered to her. “A Young Mare’s Guide to Founding a Herd, by Chrysanthemum Bloom.”

“She was a very gifted matchmaker. Chrysanthemums were once considered the most romantic flowers because of her.”

Twilight scarcely registered Celestia, she was scanning the book in front of her rapidly. How had she missed this?

“Twilight.”

Celestia’s voice was gentle but firm, likely honed after years of needing to tear her out of a book.

“Yes?”

“I am not going to tell you what you should do with your life. As I have told you, I trust your judgement. However, you should not make this decision lightly. You have saved Equestria countless times and improved the lives of many, many ponies. Our world is a better place for having you.”

“I... I understand. I promise I will think it over very carefully.”

The two sat in companionable silence, until eventually Celestia rose.

“It is time for me to lower the sun. Shall I see you next week?”

Twilight rose to walk Celestia out, gently nuzzling her..

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

Twilight could’ve teleported home but flying helped her think. Celestia had given her a lot to think about. The fall air was bracing, but she hardly noticed over the heated debate raging within. She sailed high above a rapidly darkening Equestria, lost in thought.

Surely a princess’s first duty was to her subjects, a part of her argued. She helped keep Equestria safe, happy, and well, friendly. She had reformed villains, vanquished foes, and brought countless ponies closer together. Who was she to deny her country that, just for the sake of her own personal happiness?

She was a pony, said another part. She was entitled to her own happiness, her own goals and ambitions. She was not a piece of public property to be utilised for the greatest public good. Her happiness mattered too, and Sunset and Fluttershy made her incredibly happy. This was the next logical step in their relationship and she wanted to take it.

What about your friends here, said a third. What kind of Princess of Friendship abandons her closest friends to live with two people she’d been dating for scarcely a year? Those friendships had quite literally changed the world, Would she really just throw them away?

She was so deep in thought that she nearly overshot Ponyville entirely. Grumbling, she landed on the balcony of her depressingly empty castle. Spike was on a diplomatic mission to the dragon lands and Starlight had moved out weeks ago. So it was really just her. Her and her fragmented thoughts.

She wandered the identical halls, hoofsteps echoing on the hard crystal floors. When she had first moved in she had always thought there was somepony behind her. It took a few weeks of glancing over her shoulder, but eventually she realised she was completely alone. Just as she was now.

Twilight’s bedroom was a grand, impressive space. In the center lay a massive bed befitting a princess, plus maybe a consort or two. It, like the rest of her castle, was empty.

Twilight laid on her bed, spread-griffin, still arguing with herself. She wasn’t getting anywhere like this.

Almost instinctually, she reached into the drawer in her bedside table and pulled out the journal. She summoned a quill and inkwell in a flash of magenta, put quill to page, and... nothing.

What could she write?

“I want to abdicate my throne for you.”

“I want to leave behind all my friends and my entire world to be with you two.”

“Let’s get married and run away together.”

Silly, silly Twilight. She didn’t want to foist her burdens on Sunset and Fluttershy. They were probably having a lovely evening in together, cuddling on Sunset’s terrible couch, watching a movie...

Instead she wrote:

I love you both, and I miss you.

Twilight flopped back on her bed, vanishing the inkwell and quill. She stared at the kaleidoscopic crystal ceiling, willing it to impart some hint, some solution she hadn’t considered. Unfortunately it was just crystal, and all it imparted was a faint purple glow and a blurry reflection of a distressed lavender alicorn.

A buzz beside her must’ve been Sunset’s reply. She rolled over, summoning the book in her magic and flipping to the last page.

Hello Twilight! We miss you too. How’s your evening going?

Even if the handwriting hadn’t given it away, the diction was clearly Fluttershy’s

So they were together then.

Quill and ink were once again summoned.

Not a whole lot. Lonely evening at the Castle of Friendship.

The reply was immediate.

Oh, that’s too bad. You were going to get tea with Principal Princess Celestia, right? How’d that go?

Hmm, how to best sum up that whole exchange?

It was certainly interesting. She gave me a lot to think about.

Oh dear, did something happen?

So much for comfortable half-truths, whoops.

I may have asked her if I could move to the human world.

As soon as she finished writing that she wished she could erase it. Had she not just decided not to involve them in this? But the damage was done.

Princess, it’s Sunset. Why on earth would you do that?

In for a basket in for a bushel, then.

I just want to be closer to you two.

Tears began to sting her eyes, dripping onto the pages below her. She hoped tear stains couldn’t pass between the two journals.

We’re on our way over. Can you put the journal in the mirror?

Twilight winced.

This was exactly what she was trying to avoid. Now she had ruined their evening as well as her own.

She knocked her head against a pillow in frustration before replying.

It’s seriously not a big deal. You don’t need to come all that way.

The reply was scribbled, as if it’d been written in a hurry.

We’re already out the door, Princess. See you soon.

Twilight moaned and got to her hooves with a beat of her wings.

Halfway down the hall to the portal, the book vibrated again.

Twilight opened it to find a scrawled message from Fluttershy:

We missed you too.

Twilight paced back and forth front of the mirror. She was a mix of guilt for interrupting her partners’ evening, excitement at seeing them again, and apprehension for the conversation they’d eventually have.

She was frustrated at herself for having spilled her secret so quickly and so tactlessly. At the same time, she was relieved at not having to face it alone. She was, in other words, having a particularly Twilight evening.

Midway through rehearsing her speech about how she needed to do this, and trying to figure out what it was exactly needed doing, the mirror began to glow.

A pair of yellow mares stumbled out of it, collapsing onto a conveniently placed cushion. A few moments of disorientation later and they were both at Twilight’s side, wrapping her in a tight hug.

Fluttershy broke off first., “Twilight, it’s so good to see you again!”

Fluttershy’s mane was considerably shorter than her Equestrian counterpart, matching the short bob she had recently acquired in the human world.

“You too, Fluttershy! Your mane looks amazing!”

“Wow, it seriously does, Shy!” Sunset agreed.

Sunset looked roughly the same as she always did, which was incredibly, magically, impossibly beautiful.

“Thank you so much for coming. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important.”

The two mares shared a glance that suggested maybe she had, but it passed quickly.

Fluttershy spoke up first. “Twilight, nothing’s more important than you.”

Sunset nodded in agreement. “If you’re having trouble with anything, we want to be there for you.”

Twilight wrapped a wing over them, squeezing them into another tight hug.

“Thank you so much,” Twilight said. “Now who wants tea?”

The three of them walked through the echoing halls to the kitchen. Privately, Twilight marvelled at how much less empty the castle sounded with three sets of hoofsteps instead of one.

As they walked, Twilight carefully danced around the manticore in the room.

“How are your classes going, Sunset?”

“Fluttershy, how was work today?”

“Have you two seen any good movies lately?”

Years of statecraft and diplomacy had made Twilight very adept at avoiding touchy subjects but at some point the bit had to drop. A griffin ambassador had nothing on her marefriends, both of whom had considerable experience dealing with her evasiveness.

Once the tea was put on to steep, Sunset finally cornered her.

“Speaking of Celestia, I think we should hear more about why Equestria might soon be down an alicorn.”

Twilight’s ears flattened. “Maybe, yeah.”

Fluttershy reached over, placing a hoof on Twilight’s.

The gesture didn’t have quite the same effect that it did on the other side of the mirror, but it was sweet nonetheless.

“I’m a very good listener,” Fluttershy said.

Twilight smiled. “You certainly are, ‘Shy.”

She gave the hoof a squeeze with her magic, eliciting a quiet “eep” from the pegasus.

Twilight looked at the two mares sitting at her kitchen table. They were beautiful, loyal, and most importantly they were hers. Perhaps not hers alone, but hers nonetheless. She realised at that moment that she would do anything for the two of them. She took a deep breath and made her decision.

“I... I love you two. I love you so much.”

Sunset frowned. “I’m sensing a ‘but.’”

“It’s less of a ‘but,’ and more of an ‘and.’ I... I’m tired of being a world apart. I miss you every morning that I wake up alone in this empty castle. I want to be there when you come home from work with dinner. I hate being so far away when Shy has a bad day or Sunset wants help with her homework. I... feel like I’m missing out on a huge part of your lives.”

Fluttershy and Sunset wrapped their hooves tightly around her. Tears rolled down Twilight’s cheeks, but she continued on.

This had to be said.

“I know you two have basically moved in with each other. I’m guessing you have put off making it official because you’re worried how it’d make me feel.”

Sunset and Fluttershy looked at each other, then guiltily back to Twilight.

“Princess...” Sunset began

Twilight cut her off. “I’m not mad. I just... I want that too. Sunset, Fluttershy... Can I move in with you?”

For a horrible, gut-wrenching moment, the two of them just stared at Twilight, mouth agape. Mercifully, before Twilight could backpedal, Sunset spoke up.

“Princess... no, Twilight. You want to give up this castle, your friends, your title... for us?”

Twilight looked at her tea and nodded. Hearing it from Sunset made the enormity of the decision come crashing down. Tears flowed freely down her muzzle, completely ruining her tea.

If Celestia could see me now.

“Twilight...” Sunset’s voice was quiet. “We can’t let you do that.”

What?

“I don’t know much about this world, but I think being a princess is a really important job.” Fluttershy said. “isn’t it?”

Twilight took a deep breath. “It’s important, but you two are more important to me.”

Fluttershy blushed and squeaked something incomprehensible.

Sunset was undeterred. “Twilight you trained under the princess for most of your life for this. Don’t you think throwing that away is kind of rash?”

“I am trying to be open with my feelings here! Why can’t you just let me make this decision?”

Twilight tried to keep the edge out of her voice but judging from Fluttershy’s flinch she wasn’t entirely successful. She couldn’t help it. Sunset was getting her pretty frustrated.

“Don’t get me wrong Twilight, I’m both flattered and honored that you’d do this for us. But think about things from my perspective. There was a time in my life I would’ve given anything for what you have now. It’s just hard for me to let you let that go I guess.”

Fluttershy fluffed her wings anxiously. “Um, I think there might be another solution here.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight turned to the pegasus, eyebrow quirked.

“Well, um, your castle is really big, right? And this world is really important to you. Why can’t we just come live with you? It might be nice.”

“I... I did think about that, actually. But I didn’t think I could ask you to do that. You both have friends there, connections, lives. I can’t tell you to give thoset up.”

“But we can offer,” Sunset said gently.

Fluttershy nodded.

“I can’t let you do that. What kind of Princess of Friendship makes her marefriends give up their friends?”

“What kind of Princess of Friendship gives up all of hers to move to another world?” Sunset retorted.

“We’ll miss our friends for sure, but it’s not like we’ll never see them again. The portal isn’t going anywhere,” Fluttershy added.

“But what about your jobs?”

“Twilight.” Fluttershy said.

She sounded more determined than Twilight could ever recall her being.

“The Fluttershy of this world is a respected and successful animal caretaker. I make coffee. I think this world has a lot more opportunities for me than mine does.”

Twilight frowned. “I... I didn’t really think about that.”

She looked to Sunset. “Sunset, you haven’t even graduated yet...”

“Sure, it’d be nice to finish my degree. But I think you’re missing the point, Twilight. I’m a student at Canterlot University. You’re a head of state. Those aren’t even in the same category.”

“I just thought...”

“I know you thought, Princess. You think about everypony except yourself. It’s a very good quality in a princess, but I think it’s time for us to start thinking of you instead.”

“Sunset, please stop interrupting me.” Twilight couldn’t entirely keep the edge out of her voice.

Sunset’s ears flattened immediately and she looked at her hooves.

Twilight inhaled and exhaled deeply. “I just thought if you had wanted to come back to Equestria, you would’ve by now.”

Much to Twilight’s surprise, Sunset started laughing. “Oh, Twilight, you silly mare.”

“Sunset I’m trying to be honest with my feelings here!”

At this point Twilight wasn’t even trying to conceal her irritation.

“Princess, I never came back to Equestria before because there wasn’t anything here for me. But now there’s you. I love you, Twilight. And I’d go to the ends of any world for you.”

Twilight felt her cheeks heat up, tempered slightly by her once-again free flowing tears.

“I... I love you too Sunset. I love both of you so much.”

Fluttershy grinned through her own tears. “So um, what do you think? Can we move in with you?”

Sunset gently ribbed Twilight. “Think you’ll have room for us?”

Twilight responded by playfully swatted her with a wing.

“Are you two sure about this? You don’t have to decide right now, you know. There’s no need to rush into anything.”

“This isn’t the first time we’ve talked about it, actually,” Fluttershy said quietly.

“Every time she has a bad day at work she jokes about moving to Equestria.” Sunset shot a smirk at the blushing mare. “Eventually I think it stopped being a joke.”

“Oh really?” Twilight looked at Fluttershy. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard that particular oath from you.”

“We were, um, waiting for the right time to tell you,” Fluttershy said.

She fluffed her wings again. It was extremely cute.

“Which I guess is now,” Sunset added.

“Wow.” Twilight said.

She took a sip of her tea, but it was cold now and she could barely choke it down.

“This definitely wasn’t how I expected my evening to go.”

“Better, hopefully?”

“Much better.”

Fluttershy opened her mouth, probably to agree, but instead let out the most adorable yawn-whinny Twilight had ever heard.

“I think ‘Shy’s idea is a good one, Twilight,” Sunset smiled. “How about we get ready for bed?”

“That sounds lovely.”

Even curled up in between her two favourite mares, Twilight found herself unable to sleep. Her mind raced with the implications of the conversation they’d just had.

Had she pressured them into agreeing to this? Would the human world be okay missing two of its element bearers? What would Ponyville think of having two Fluttershys? What if...

A sleepy Fluttershy snuggled into Twilight, wrapping her hooves around the alicorn’s barrel.

And just like that, Twilight’s problems didn’t seem quite so insurmountable. At minimum they could wait until morning, when they could be tackled together.

Twilight snuggled in with her two partners, and everything was right with the worlds.

She could get used to this.

Epilogue

“Are you sure you’re ready for this, Shy?” Twilight asked.

The poor pegasus was practically shaking with nervousness, but she set her jaw and nodded resolutely. “I can do this.”

“They’re going to love you two, I’m sure.”

Sunset frowned. “Don’t most of them only know me from trying to steal the Element of Magic?”

Twilight shrugged. “We’re pretty big on forgiveness around here. I’m sure that’s all behind us.”

Sunset nodded, magically mopping sweat off her brow.

“Okay. Let’s do this. I’ll go out first,” Twilight said.

Twilight opened the door and stepped into the map room alone.

The other five Elements were already seated on their respective thrones. Off in the corner, Trixie and Starlight chatting with Spike. As the door opened the room went silent. All eyes landed on Twilight.

Twilight did her best to smile. “Thank you all for coming here. I know you’re all extremely busy.”

“Eh, it’s no big deal.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “But why are we here anyway? Do we need to save the world again?”

“Nothing quite so dire,” admitted Twilight.

Rainbow visibly deflated.

“Is this about your new amour?” Rarity asked?

Twilight blushed. “Kinda, yeah... What gave it away?”

“Oh, I have my sources.”

The unicorn gave a not-at-all convincing wink.

Behind her, Spike looked nervous.

“Right. Well, I guess we can skip the formalities, then.” Twilight flashed her horn and opened the door. “I’d like you all to meet my marefriend... and my girlfriend.”

The room once again went completely silent. Behind Twilight, a very nervous Sunset and Fluttershy walked through the door. Each waved an awkward hoof at the assembled crowd.

“I think you’re gonna need to run that one by us again, sugarcube.”

Leave it to Applejack to cut straight to the heart of the matter.

“I’ve been dating the two of them for over a year now. We’ve grown very close, and we want to take the next step together. They’re going to be moving in with me.”

Twilight hoped that didn’t sound too rehearsed. She’d even left the notecards at home.

“Two marefriends?” Rainbow Dash frowned. “How does that even work?”

“It’s pretty simple, really. I’m in love with both of them.”

Twilight demonstrated by walking between her nervous lovers, gently wrapping each in a wing.

“Both of them?” Rarity sounded unconvinced.

“Yep!” Sunset spoke up, to Twilight’s relief.. “It’s just like loving one pony, except you share it around with other ponies. Or people.”

“You can do that?” Pinkie Pie asked.

She had been uncharacteristically silent up to this point but now jumped up excitedly.

“Can you do it with more ponies?”

“Um, sure. As many as you can make time for.”

“Do you go on dates together? Like all three of you? Because three ponies makes a party and OH MY GOSH are all of your dates basically mini parties? Not that you can’t have a party with two ponies but that’s not really the same as a party-party. Dashie, can we have a party date?”

“So far so good,” Sunset whispered to Twilight.

Rainbow flew over to Pinkie and the two began discussing something in ver animated whispers. Rarity was looking over at the triad with what was either awe or envy, Applejack’s brow was furrowed, and Fluttershy...

“Um, excuse me.” The Equestrian Fluttershy was barely audible, but Sunset and Twilight’s Fluttershy Listening Skills were finely honed at this point. “Is this the um, me from the other world?”

“Shy? You wanna take that one?” Sunset asked.

She gave the mare an encouraging smile, and was rewarded with a squeak.

“Yes, I am. It’s very nice to meet you, uh, me.”

The longer-mained Fluttershy trotted over to her counterpart, looking her over.

“It’s nice to meet you too! I like your manecut.”

“Oh, thank you! To be honest I think it looks better in the human world but I still really like it.”

“I suppose that’s one difference then. I love having a long mane, even if it gets a little annoying.”

The longer haired Fluttershy tousled her hair and smiled.

“Normally I’m very shy around new ponies but, well, I guess I don’t need to explain this to you, do I?”

“I think I know what you mean. I’m pretty nervous around new people. Or familiar people. Everyone really.”

The two Fluttershys wandered off, chatting like old friends.

Rarity approached with an unreadable expression. “Excuse me darlings. I was wondering if I might ask you a few questions?”

Sunset relaxed a little, but only just.

“We’ll answer as best we can, Rarity. What’s up?”

“My first question is for Twilight. How in Equestria did you manage to snag two beautiful mares when I’ve barely had a single coltfriend?”

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but a sentence stubbornly refused to form. Once again, years of diplomatic training undermined by a single question.

Sunset, as was becoming common, came to her rescue. “Rarity, I realise we just met, and this is going to sound very forward, but have you given any consideration to mares?”

To Twilight’s surprise and amusement, Rarity immediately blushed.

The more things changed between worlds...

“I... Sunset Shimmer, are you asking me out?”

Sunset, wide-eyed, quickly backpedaled. “Oh, no, not necessarily! I just meant in the abstract, I guess. See I have this friend back in the human world who’s a lot like you and well... Wait do you want to go out?”

“I would love to. Meet me at Chez Cheval at nine o’clock this Friday.”

Rarity turned away, not even giving the open-mouthed Sunset a chance to respond.

Twilight was about to laugh at her when a very excited Pinkie Pie bounced over.

“Twilight! Do you remember that time we went on a date and it was kinda sad and not-super-fun? Because you didn’t really know what was going on and I didn’t really either? Plus we kinda just didn’t click?”

“...Yes?”

“You wanna try again?”

“What.”

“Well I think since you can date a bunch of ponies, we could try hanging out again! Like, date-date hanging out! Because you’re super smart and really cute and I’ve kinda wanted to snuggle you for a while! I love my Dashie more but now I don’t have to choose!”

Twilight heard herself respond more than she actually spoke. “Uh, sure Pinkie. That sounds nice.”

“Super-duper! I wonder if I still have that suit... By the way these are for you two. And here’s another one for Fluttershy.”

Pinkie hoofed over a trio of pink envelopes labelled Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle (Alicorn) and Fluttershy (The short haired one).

Opening hers, Twilight found an invitation to a “Welcome Sunset and the New Fluttershy to Ponyville and Also Celebrating Twilight’s Two Marefriends” Party.

Twilight was so dazed from her and Sunset’s surprise dates that she barely noticed Applejack approach.

“Howdy Twilight.”

“Hey, Applejack. You uh, don’t want to go out with any of us do you?”

Applejack, to her credit, was only momentarily lost for words.

“Eeenope. You both seem like lovely ponies but y’all ain’t really my type.”

“Fair enough. Sorry, it’s been a weird, uh, five minutes or so I guess.”

“For you and me both, sugarcube. Actually, all I wanted to tell you is congratulations. Y’all make a mighty cute couple.”

“Oh, thank you! That means a lot. I’m so glad you girls are so accepting.”

“Tweren’t nothing to it. You’re our friend and we’ll stand by you no matter what.”

Twilight leaned over to give Applejack a small nuzzle, her eyes a little misty.

“You are the best friends a pony could ask for Applejack.”

Applejack just smiled and nuzzled back.

Eventually Applejack leaned back. “I also noticed your Fluttershy’s without a cutie mark. Is she gonna get one?”

“As far as I know she will! Just as soon as she discovers what her special talent is.”

“Maybe you should put her in touch with my sister and her friends. This is sort of their specialty, y’know.”

“Oh! That’s a great idea Applejack, thank you!”

“No problem. They’re always excited to take on new clients.”

Applejack couldn’t quite keep the pride out of her voice.

“I’m sure they’ll get along well. Well, as long as she can keep up with them.”

“Ain’t that the truth. Give your Fluttershy my best and tell her she’s always welcome ‘round Sweet Apple Acres.”

“I certainly will!”

“That goes for you too, Sunset. Y’all are part of the family now.”

Sunset just smiled, eyes watering.

Fluttershy trotted back over with a smile on her face. “I think I’m going to like it here.”

Sunset wiped a tear away. “I know what you mean. But we could be moving to Tartarus itself and I’d still be happy, as long as we’re together.”

Twilight wasn’t even trying to hide her tears now. “I love you girls so much.”

“Love you too, Princess.”

In her head, Twilight was already drawing a new graph.

Author's Note

And that’s a wrap. Thank you all so much for reading! This has been a real labour of love for me - I know some authors who could bang out a fic like this in a month, but I’ve been working on and off for almost a year. I want to give a special shoutout to my editors, especially Gara, who has been by my side for the entire process.

The timing on this ended up being perfect, because I’m hoping to do NaNoWriMo this year! So if you like my work, hopefully you’ll like what I come up with next.

Please let me know what you think! Like all authors, I absolutely love seeing comments. Unless you hated the whole thing. You can keep that to yourself.

<3 Beta

3 - Princess

“So, Twilight.”

Two mares sat around a tiny kitchen table in the castle’s dining hall. It was the sort of room that should’ve had a long, imposing table fit for a mighty feast. Instead, Twilight had filled it with a single small table and pair of chairs from NeighKEA. She and Sunset were eating cornflakes.

Twilight, in fact, currently had a mouthful of said cornflakes. So, she daintily covered her mouth with a hoof before responding. She was a princess, after all.

“What’s up?”

Sunset flicked her eyes to Twilight’s muzzle. Twilight blanched and brushed an errant corn flake off her cheek.

“Are you busy Thursday?”

“Yeah, I think so. Let me check my calendar. But... wait, isn’t that usually your date night with Fluttershy?”

Sunset looked at her hooves. “Yeah, it is. I was, uhm, hoping maybe you could join us?”

Twilight frowned. “Oh Sunset, I don’t know...”

“Twilight...”

Sunset was trying to be gentle but Twilight could tell she was frustrated.

“I know, Sunset, I’m sorry, I just don’t know if I’m ready yet.”

“Twilight, you don’t need to be sorry. I’m not upset. I just don’t understand! We’ve been dating for three months and you haven’t wanted to meet a single one of my partners!”

Sunset’s voice had an edge that surprised Twilight. In spite of herself, she felt the sting of tears welling up in her eyes. She hated crying in front of Sunset but sometimes there was nothing for it. She flinched as Sunset’s face fell, feeling even guiltier about derailing their conversation, and that just made her feel worse.

As Twilight’s mood spiralled she felt a hoof on her shoulder. Sunset had walked around the little wooden table and pulled Twilight into a hug. Her face was full of concern, which didn’t help Twilight at all. The hug, however, was a much better salve.

She nuzzled Sunset’s neck.

“Twilight, talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“I...” Twilight wiped an errant tear from her eye with a hoof. “I’m sorry.”

Sunset squeezed her. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you, Princess. I know this is stressful for you, but... we can’t keep going like this. It’s not fair to any of us.”

“Sunset... are you saying...”

Twilight had mostly gotten a handle on her tears, but with that ominous statement they threatened to start up again.

“No! No of course not. I just... we need to talk about this, Twilight. Tell me what you’re afraid of.”

Twilight exhaled, inhaled, exhaled. She looked at her hooves, unable to make eye contact with Sunset.

“Sunset, the last three months have been... perfect. I love hanging out with you, I love cuddling you, I love your jokes... but I’m so new to this. I’m happy with what we have and I’m so scared of changing it.”

“I understand that, Twilight, I do. But Fluttershy isn’t a stranger or unknown quantity. You two used to be friends!”

Used to be.

Sunset was right. It was one thing for her to forego tagging along on Sunset and Fluttershy’s dates, but she had been totally avoiding the poor girl. Even when she hung out with the rest of Sunset’s friends, she couldn’t remember having said more than a few words to Fluttershy. There was always Pinkie to talk to, or Rarity to go shopping with, or Applejack to help out...

“Some Princess of Friendship I am,” Twilight mumbled.

She sighed, and finally managed to look at Sunset.

“This doesn’t have to be a big deal, Twilight,” Sunset said gently. “Just come hang out with the two of us. It’ll be just like old times.”

“It won’t really, though, will it? Everything’s different now. What if I feel super jealous of her? What if she’s jealous of me, sneaking into her happy relationship?”

“Then we’ll talk about it, Twilight. All three of us. We’re all adults here and this sort of thing is like, basically your job, isn’t it?”

Sunset gave Twilight a little peck on the cheek.

“Plus, I think there’s a possibility you haven’t considered,” Sunset added.

“There is?”

“You might really like it! Seeing Fluttershy with her partners always makes me really happy, because I love her and I like seeing her happy.”

“I... hadn’t thought of that.”

She imagined hanging out with Fluttershy and Sunset, and for the first time, she just saw three girls having fun. But unlike most times she thought about it, nobody was crying or upset with anyone else. Sunset and Fluttershy were pretty cute together.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

“I think I can do this.” Twilight tried to sound resolved.

“There doesn’t need to be a big ‘this’ to do, Twilight! I’m sure you’ve got a bunch of worst-case scenarios cooked up —” Twilight blushed at this — “but it’s just gonna be three girls hanging out.”

“Okay. Yeah, okay.”

“And if it doesn’t work out... we’ll figure something out, okay? I’m not gonna force you to do anything you don’t want to. I just want you to try.”

Sunset gave Twilight another hug.

Twilight squeezed back. “So... Thursday you said? Is it uh... okay to steal your and Fluttershy’s date night?”

“Oh, I don’t think she’ll mind.” Sunset shot Twilight a small smile. “She misses you, Twilight.”

Twilight sighed as yet another wave of guilt washed over her. But mixed in was some optimism, and maybe even a little touch of excitement.

“Thursday it is.”

Thursday came, and despite Equestria’s best efforts, Twilight was ready to make her way through the portal. Since gaining a marefriend, she had learned that while the job of a Princess was never done, it could, on occasion, be postponed. Free time would never be willingly given, but could occasionally be clawed back, kicking and screaming, from the demands of her title.

Every noble and petitioner, of course, thought their concerns were urgent, and needed to be tended to immediately. Every document needed her signature ideally six hours ago, and maybe now would do in a pinch. But if it had waited six hours, it could usually wait six more. And, well, no petitioner had come to pester her on the far side of the portal. At least not yet.

Landing, as was customary, on all fours, a pale yellow hand was offered to her in place of the customary goldenrod one. Fluttershy stood before her, wearing a pair of of heavy leg warmers and a thick coat to protect against the bitter Canterlot winter.

One of the things Twilight had learned about the portal was that you only ever got one set of clothes. In summer this was fine, if a little monotonous, but Twilight’s mini skirt and thin blue top offered little protection against the elements.

Just as Twilight’s teeth began to chatter, Fluttershy offered her a thick orange coat.

“Um, Sunset said you would need this,” Fluttershy whispered.

“Thanks,” Twilight whispered back.

“Sunset’s at her apartment, making us dinner. She uh, asked me to pick you up. I um, hope that’s okay?”

“Sounds good to me! Anything to get out of this cold.”

“Oh dear, is the coat not warm enough?” Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Sunset told me to bring one, but I didn’t have any spares, and oh gosh now you’re cold and I messed everything up!”

“Oh no, the coat is great! It’s very cozy. I’m just uh, not used to not having fur,” Twilight stuttered, alarmed by Fluttershy’s clear distress.

Fluttershy responded by squeaking what Twilight was pretty sure was another “I’m sorry!”

Conversation petered out as the two headed for the bus stop. By the time they had boarded they were sitting in nearly complete silence. Twilight’s attempts at conversation went thusly:

“So, Fluttershy, how’s work?” Twilight would say.

“Oh it’s um, fine.” Fluttershy was barely audible over the rumble of the bus.

“Anything interesting happening?”

“Not really.”

“...”

After the second attempt, Fluttershy got out her phone and started staring at it. Twilight knew enough about human social customs to take that as a sign not to try small talk again. Lacking a phone herself, and being unable to see much out the window into the darkened city, she directed her gaze over the other passengers on the bus.

After spending so much time on this side of the portal, Twilight had made a game out of trying to spot human versions of ponies she’d met back in Equestria. The woman in front of her, for example, bore a striking resemblance to File Folder, one of the bureaucrats that made up her government's vast apparatus. The old man sitting behind the driver bore a striking resemblance to Cranky Doodle, the donkey Pinkie had befriended. And that girl with the pink hair...

Twilight was pulled from her reverie by Fluttershy quietly rising to pull the stop request cord. They walked in silence up the street to Sunset’s run-down apartment building. Twilight moved to the buzzer system to call Sunset, as she’d been told to do on the rare occasion Sunset hadn’t been able to mee. Instead, Fluttershy surprised her by pulling a shiny silver key from her purse.

She has a key to Sunset’s apartment, Twilight though. She couldn’t help but feel a small pang of jealousy. Of course Fluttershy did, she and Sunset lived in the same world, and had been dating for almost a year. This did little to calm the pit in her stomach though.

Inside Sunset’s apartment the smell of lemongrass and fried onions filled the air. A loud sizzling came from the kitchen and there was a slight haze hanging around the ceiling.

“Sunset, we’re here!” called Fluttershy, louder than Twilight heard her speak in quite a while.

“Hey girls! Perfect timing, the curry’s almost done!” Sunset answered. “Could one of you set the table?”

Twilight was about to volunteer, but Fluttershy called “on it!” before she could respond.

“Chopsticks or forks, Sunset?” Fluttershy asked from the kitchen.

Sunset walked out of the kitchen and gave Twilight a gentle kiss. “Can you use chopsticks, hon?”

“What are chopsticks?”

“Forks, Fluttershy!” Sunset laughed, and wrapped her arms around Twilight. “I missed you, Princess. Sorry I didn’t meet you this time.”

“It’s okay, Sunset. Dinner smells delicious.” Twilight pointedly licked her lips.

“How was hanging out with Fluttershy?”

“Oh! It was... fine.”

Twilight tried her best not to show how awkward the ride home with Fluttershy was.The look on Sunset’s face told her exactly how successful she’d been.

Sunset looked like she was about to say something, but a loud hiss came out of the kitchen and she ran back in after it. Twilight took this opportunity to stand awkwardly in the entryway. Should she go sit on the couch? Down at the dinner table? What was the etiquette here?

Sunset’s apartment was not very large, though, and eventually Fluttershy noticed her standing there.

“Um, dinner’s ready, Twilight.”

“Oh! Sorry! I was just... um, yeah...”

She quickly hung up the orange coat Fluttershy had brought her in a closet and walked toward the living-slash-dining room. Sunset and Fluttershy were already seated at a table remarkably similar to the one in Twilight’s dining hall. A delicious smelling stew and pot of rice sat steaming on the table between them.

“You get lost on the way here, Twi?” Sunset teased.

Twilight felt herself blush and mumbled an apology. Fluttershy and Sunset both laughed, the former getting to work doling out dinner to the waiting bowls. Twilight politely waited for everyone to be served and then dove in greedily.

“Sunset, this is amazing.” Twilight barely contained a moan as a dozen flavours washed over her.

“Come on Twilight, it’s nothing special.” Sunset blushed. “Just some random store bought spices and stuff.”

“I’m telling you, this is the best thing I’ve eaten in weeks!”

“That’d mean more to me if you’d eaten anything besides cornflakes and daisy salads in the last week, Princess.”

“Hey, daisy salads are delicious!” Twilight stuck out her tongue. She hoped there wasn’t any “curry” still on it.

“You eat flowers?” Fluttershy knit her brows. “I mean, I suppose that makes sense. You are ponies after all. I just never thought... huh.”

“Did I ever tell you about that time I tried to eat roses after I came through the portal?” Sunset asked, in between quick bites of curry.

“What? No!” Fluttershy and Twilight answered in unison.

They glanced at each other and Twilight felt her face flush a little. Sunset didn’t seem to notice.

“I’d just come through the portal a few days ago, and I didn’t understand how this world worked at all. So, I was super hungry, and I saw this bush full of roses outside the school...”

“You didn’t!” Fluttershy gasped.

“I did! Ate half a dozen of ‘em before I realised they were making my stomach hurt. That was my first hard lesson in the difference between pony and human anatomy. I was sick for days.”

“I wondered why you always picked the roses out of your salad back in Equestria. You poor thing.”

Twilight was trying her absolute best not to laugh. It wasn’t going well.

“I still don’t even like the sight of them. And they used to be my favourite! Neither of you ever get me a bouquet. I might throw up.”

Sunset grimaced, and the three of them cracked up. Privately, Twilight thanked her lucky stars that she’d never tried to buy Sunset a corsage. Her lucky stars were, of course, Alpha Centauri and Xi Andromareda.

Sunset took a quick sip of water before turning to Fluttershy. “So how’s work been going, Shy? It sounded like you had some good news on the phone.”

Fluttershy beamed. “My manager says he’s going to give me a raise! Apparently a bunch of customers have left really nice compliments about me in the suggestion box.”

Sunset leaned over to give Fluttershy a peck on the cheek. Twilight braced herself for the familiar knot to form in her stomach, but to her surprise it never came.

“That’s so great, Shy! It must’ve taken some doing to make an impression on that horde of caffeine zombies.”

“Caffeine zombies?” Twilight asked incredulously. “I thought you worked at the animal shelter, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy let a sigh escape, but quickly collected herself. “The animal shelter is just a volunteering thing right now. I’d love to work there full-time, but they just can’t afford it right now. So I work at a little coffee shop by Canterlot Central.”

Sunset chimed in. “Plus, she’s saving up for veterinary school”

“Oh, yes! I’ve still got a long ways to go before I can do that, but this little raise will put me that much closer!”

“You’ll be there before you know it, Shy. I know you will.” Sunset beamed.

“I know, Sunset. It just feels so far away right now. Looking at the poor little animals coming through the shelter every day and not being able to help them is just so... frustrating sometimes!”

“For what it’s worth, Fluttershy, I think you’re gonna make a great vet someday.”

Without even thinking, Twilight’s put her hand on Fluttershy’s and giving it a squeeze.

“Th-thank you, Twilight. That means a lot to me.” Fluttershy was definitely blushing now.

Twilight, now extremely aware of what she was doing, pulled her hand back and spent some time concentrating on her meal. Unfortunately, she was no longer hungry. Probably because of all the butterflies she’d clearly eaten.

A pregnant pause fell over the table. Twilight wasn’t willing to make eye contact with Fluttershy again and one look at the grin on Sunset’s face sent her back to poking at the curry in front of her. The quiet clatter of forks quickly died down, signalling the end of the meal.

“Anyone want seconds?”

Sunset’s question was mostly a matter of formality. Twilight and Fluttershy both still had food on their plate when they laid down their forks in defeat.

“Oh, I couldn’t eat another bite.” Fluttershy said.

“It was delicious, Sunset, but I’m completely stuffed.” Twilight agreed.

Twilight set about clearing the plates from the little table before its other two occupants could offer. Sunset had cooked, Fluttershy had set the table, and Twilight would not sit idly by and let one of them take care of the cleanup. She precariously balanced the three plates on top of each other — what a time to not have magic! — and walked over to the small kitchenette.

The sound of running water and scrubbing dishes almost, but not completely, disguised the footfalls behind Twilight as she tried to clean the bottom of the pot of rice.

“It’s okay, Sunset, I can take care of this,” she called over her shoulder.

“Um, it’ll go faster if we work together.” Rather than Sunset, a quiet Fluttershy answered. “Then maybe we can all watch a movie? If that’s okay?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

A quick glance back confirmed Sunset was already laying down on the couch, staring at her phone. Fluttershy was putting on an apron.

“You wash and I’ll dry?” Fluttershy offered.

By way of answer, Twilight handed her a slightly dingy towel. “Thanks, Fluttershy.”

“Oh, it’s my pleasure.”

They quickly fell into a quiet cadence. One might think there is a limit to the amount of dishes a small kitchenette could hold. Let alone how many a single dinner would generate. From the tower of plates , though, it was obvious that Sunset hadn’t actually done her dishes in quite a while.

Twilight broke the silence. “Fluttershy?”

“Yes, Twilight?”

“I’m sorry if I, uh, belittled your job at all. At dinner. I know this world works differently from mine, but sometimes I forget”

“Don’t worry about it, Twilight. I wasn’t bothered.”

“I’m glad, but I should still be careful. It’s just... weird.”

“Knowing me on the other side?” Fluttershy asked gently.

“Y- yeah, actually. How’d you know?”

Fluttershy put down the bowl she was drying and picked up a chipped mug. “There’s a Twilight who lives here too, remember? She’s off at university and I haven’t seen her in a while, but she used to be... one of us.”

She made a sweeping hand gesture towards Sunset.

“I guess I hadn’t really thought about that.”

“You two are definitely similar in a lot of ways, but in others you couldn’t be more different. It’s definitely... weird.”

A few more mugs were washed in silence.

“How about this, then. I won’t compare you to my Fluttershy and you won’t compare me to your Twilight.”

Fluttershy mumbled something under her breath that Twilight couldn’t quite make out, then brightened.

“Sounds like a deal, Princess.”

“Oh no, not you too!”

As the two giggled, Twilight reached for the next dish, only to come up empty. Beside her, Fluttershy was putting away the last few pot. A quick wipe down of the table and the counter and the two girls declared victory.

“You two make a good team,” Sunset called from the couch. “You want to do my bathroom next?”

Twilight rolled her eyes, but Fluttershy spoke up. “Would you like me to?”

Sunset furrowed her brow in mock concentration. “Tempting, but I think I’d rather cuddle instead.”

She adjusted herself on the small couch to allow Twilight and Fluttershy to sit on either side of her. Fluttershy immediately curled up on her left, and Twilight sat gingerly on the far right side of the couch.

Usually when she and Sunset watched TV together they cuddled. Didn’t they? But Fluttershy was curled up next to Sunset now. Should she go over there? Was that rude? Was it rude not to? How did any of this work?

Sunset gave her a little nudge. “You gonna hang out there all by your lonesome or are you gonna join us?”

Twilight’s face must’ve betrayed her inner turmoil because Sunset suddenly looked concerned.

“Twilight, are you okay?”

Fluttershy lifted her head to look at Twilight too, peeking out from under Sunset’s hair.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

Twilight was surprised to hear herself say it, but she was even more surprised to realise that it was true. She had been worried that seeing the two of them being affectionate would make her miserable, but instead they just looked cute. Fluttershy had gone back to Sunset’s shoulder with a content smile on her face, and Sunset was absent mindedly fiddling with her long pink hair.

Twilight took a deep breath and lay her head down on Sunset’s free shoulder.

Fluttershy soon realised that Twilight had missed out on basically the entire worldwide corpus of movies and TV shows. It then ceased to be a question of “what should we watch” and “what should we watch first.” Twilight had rarely seen the girl so animated as when she expressed her ignorance of the entire concept of “romantic comedy.” Sunset gave her a look that said something like “oh, here we go,” but she was definitely smiling through it.

They were now midway through one such film, wherein a supposedly straight high-powered lawyer falls for a cute girl at her local coffee shop. Twilight had attempted to make a comparison to an old Equestrian playwright, but Fluttershy had politely but firmly shushed her. This was clearly not the kind of movie you chatted through, at least for Fluttershy.

Sunset and Twilight always chatted through movies. They tended to watch cheesy science fiction, lambasting the “science” contained within and cheering on the plucky but improbable protagonists. But one look at Sunset told Twilight she was just as engrossed as Fluttershy was.

It was really something special: not just seeing this side of Sunset, but seeing Sunset and Fluttershy’s relationship. Even though the two of them were just sitting on the couch together, it somehow felt like a very intimate moment. Twilight smiled and curled into Sunset just a little more.

Something shifted behind Sunset and a hand brushed against hers. Instinctively she grabbed it.

Wait, how is Sunset’s hand behind her... She just barely had time to think before a quiet “eep” emanated from the other side of Sunset. For the second time this evening, she’d accidentally held Fluttershy’s hand.

“Fluttershy, I’m so sorry, I thought that was Sunset’s hand!” she whispered urgently. “I’m an idiot, how would her arms even bend to get back there?”

“It’s okay, Twilight,” came the whisper from the other side of Sunset. “It’s, um, nice.”

“Huh?”

“You can, um, if you want to...” The whisper was barely a squeak now.

“You mean, uh...” Twilight whispered.

She scarecly hear herself over the sound of her heart pounding.

Between the two of them, Sunset shifted, shaking them off herself, then stretched. “I’m gonna go get us some more popcorn.”

Neither of them said anything as she walked to the kitchen and started rummaging through the cabinets.

Twilight scratched the back of her neck. “So, um, yeah...”

Fluttershy was hiding behind her long pink hair. She let out a sound that sounded a lot like “I’m sorry!” but it was hard to be sure.

Slowly, carefully, over what felt like minutes, Twilight reached her hand over until she found the Fluttershy’s, and gently entwined their fingers.

“Is um.” Twilight fought to control her breathing. “Is this okay?”

“Yes, please.”

Fluttershy’s hand was impossibly soft. Her thumb ran slowly and unsteadily over Twilight’s wrist. Twilight gave an experimental squeeze, and received one in return.

Out in the kitchen, the microwave beeped. Sunset, however, did not return to the couch.

The movie played on in front of the two of them, forgotten.

From the other side of the couch, Fluttershy whispered, “Would you um. Like to be closer?”

“I... I would.”

Twilight wasn’t sure if she meant physically or romantically, but at that exact moment she didn’t really care.

Fluttershy carefully scooted over on the couch and leaned up against Twilight. Carefully, slowly, gently, Twilight placed her free arm over her shoulder.

“Is this okay?” Fluttershy asked, her voice trembling.

“This is perfect, Fluttershy,” Twilight replied.

Twilight happened to glance at the coffee table in front of her. The bowl of popcorn was full.