Twilight Sparkle was normally not a nervous woman… Ok, that was a bold-faced lie. When it came to anything that she was uncertain about, anxiously anticipating, or just didn’t think she was equipped to handle, Twilight Sparkle usually tended to be a chaotic wreck on the edge of a breakdown. Even now the lavender haired young woman was pacing back and forth in her bedroom, trying her absolute best to remain as quiet as possible. The reason for that being the sleeping form of the beautiful red and gold haired young woman in Twilight’s bed.
If there was anytime that Sunset Shimmer looked the most beautiful to Twilight, it was when her girlfriend was sleeping. Gone were the sarcastically raised eyebrows and teasing words of her lover and in its place was the calm, relaxed peacefulness of rest. There were times where she could just stare at her for hours…
Get a grip, Twilight! She thought, shaking her gaze free of her girlfriend’s pretty face. I still need to figure out how I’m going to do this. I don’t think it’s possible for me to do this in public, I’d freak out! But it’s not all that special if I just ask her right at home… I’ve got to find the most perfect moment or otherwise Sunset might think I don’t love her at all!
That, of course, couldn’t be further from the truth as Twilight turned to the collection of framed photos all standing silently on the dresser across the room. While the ones that held a picture of her family and a group photo of the Rainbooms were always cherished, it was the other three that the lavender woman loved the most. The first of the three was simple shot of the evening sky, Sunset and her sitting side by side enjoying the stars. That had been the night that they had confessed their feelings to each other and it still made her heart beat faster when she looked at that image.
The second photograph had been during Prom night, with the two girls both in dresses designed by Rarity and both in their respective colors. Sunset’s was a strapless red and gold that had hugged her figure, while Twilight’s own purple and pink dress looked more like a ballgown from a fairy tale. The fashionista had later explained because she wanted Twilight to feel like a real Princess without any comparisons to her Pony counterpart. Regardless of the reasoning, all the intelligent young woman had recalled was how her breath had been stolen away by Sunset that night.
The final one had been taken not too long ago; Just last Christmas. As the couple at the party, of course her friends had moved her and Sunset underneath the mistletoe. And Pinkie Pie, being the party girl she was, had a camera ready just in time to capture the simple act of the two girls kissing. While Twilight had felt mortified to know that she had been photographed while wearing one of her ugly Christmas sweaters, as was tradition for her family during the holidays, she couldn’t bring herself to hate the wonderful image of the two locked in a soft kiss.
A small groan escaped Twilight’s throat as she raked her fingers across her scalp, not caring if she mussed up her hair. She loved Sunset, that much was certain. But could she really do this? Was it worth the risk? Twilight completed another lap in her pacing, fretting all the while, when a tired, sleepy voice broke through her thoughts. “Got something on your mind, Twi?”
“I’m sorry, Sunset. Did I wake you up?” Twilight asked, cringing a bit. She thought she had been so quiet! But here her girlfriend was, sitting up in bed with just a simple shirt covering her curved frame, her hair messy as it always was after bed and curled about her head like a wild flame. A small yawn broke past those lips that Twilight had kissed not too long ago, covered for a moment by pale amber hand.
“Eh, it’s alright, hun. You know me, I'm always bit of a night owl anyway.” Sunset said, trying to stop another yawn from escaping her. She shook her head lightly, causing her red and gold hair to bounce about before looking up to Twilight. “You, on the other hand, are only ever up this late and pacing when you’ve got something on your mind.”
Busted… “What me? Up this late? No, I’m just… sleep walking!” Twilight sputtered, trying to think of a reasonable excuse. As intelligent as she was, Twilight was never the one to think on her feet. “Yeah! I was sleep walking and you woke me up when you called out my name and you’re not believing a word I’m saying right now, are you?”
“Twilight, if you hadn’t made it a habit of doing this whenever you’re thinking about something bothering you, I might have bought that.” Sunset pointed out, a teasing grin on her lips as she held her chin in one hand. “I gotta admit, I’ve always found it a little cute… especially when you turn around and your nightgown flairs up around your legs.”
The lavender woman couldn’t help but blush at her girlfriend’s comment, her hands even reaching down to push her gown a bit further down her body. Sunset let out a small chuckle in reaction to that before pulling off the blanket and sliding her legs over the bedding. “Alright, so are you going to tell me what’s bothering you then, hun? Or is it something secretive I’m not allowed to know?”
Twilight couldn’t help but reach up to her hair, twirling one dark purple strand around her index finger, a nervous tic that she had never been able to get rid off. “Of course, you can know! Why shouldn’t you get to know? I just have to tell you and everything will be fine unless it won’t and I want it to be important and wonderful and I’ve got to-”
“Twilight!” Sunset said, snapping her girlfriend out of her rambling worries, something that she was all too familiar with. She had slipped off the bed by this point, her hands planted softly onto Twilight’s shoulders. The motion itself had a calming effect, as did the flame haired woman's words. “Sweetie, calm down.. take a deep breath, and tell me… what’s got you so worked up?”
Breathing in as deep as she could, the bespectacled girl bit her lip for a small moment before deciding to take the plunge. “I’ve… got a really important question to ask you, Sunset.”
“And…?” Sunset pressed, giving Twilight a teasing look, waiting for the question.
I guess… it’s now or never… Taking another deep breath to steel her nerves, Twilight turned over to the dresser in their bedroom, opening up her personal drawer, and pulled out a small box. With shaking hands, labored breath, and her eyes focused on the floor beneath her in fear, Twilight Sparkle knelt down onto the ground on one knee and opened the box before her girlfriend. Inside lay a small, simple ring of gold and violet, with a red gem embedded within it. “Sunset Shimmer...” Twilight said, her voice wavering for only a moment. “Will you marry me?”
A soft thump was Twilight’s answer and, breaking from her staring contest with the floor, she looked up in confusion. Of all the reactions the young woman had expected, ranging from the unlikely but enthusiastic ‘YES’ to being laughed at like it was some kind of joke, Sunset’s legs giving out on her and the woman staring wide eyed at the engagement ring wasn’t one of them. Her girlfriend’s lips opened and closed for a moment, no words escaping them until she caught Twilight’s eyes. “You… and me… marriage?” she croaked out.
The purple-haired woman nodded slowly, though her eyebrows were furrowed in confusion and worry. It wasn’t like Sunset to be like this. “Of course…” Twilight said after a moment, voice soft. “I’ve been thinking about it… for a long time now.”
“But Twi...” Sunset started, shaking her head. Tears welled up at the corners of her aqua eyes as she finally looked away. It was a motion that Twilight well recognized… when Sunset’s personal demons caught up with her and she started blaming herself. Even after all this time, after everything they’ve been through together and with their friends, the flamed-haired girl still held herself responsible for everything. “I shouldn’t be your choice in a partner… I’m not worthy of that.”
“Sunset Shimmer!” Twilight snapped, the tone and volume of her voice causing the taller woman to jump slighty, her tear-streaked face raising up to see a glare coming from purple eyes that could match Fluttershy’s. Confident that she had her attention, Twilight let her face and voice soften, looking at the woman she loved.
“I know… that nothing I can say will ease the guilt that you feel. The way that you find a way to hate yourself for what you’ve done.” She said, a small frown covering her face, wishing she could do something for that core part of Sunset. She shook her head and looked back into her lovers eye’s, a warm caring smile turning her lips. “But know this… Even with all that… I love you. You’ve changed so much since we were in high school, and you’re so much better than you give yourself credit for.”
Sunset gave a loud sniff, tears continuing to slide down her face. Twilight could tell that the woman before her was trying to resist a smile and was failing quite badly at that. Still, she looked lost and almost sad as she spoke again. “But I’m not human… I mean, I love being in a relationship with you, Twi. More than anything… but do you really want to tie yourself down with me? A pony from another world?”
“Pony or Person… it doesn’t matter to me. It never has.” Twilight whispered in soothing tones, reaching out with her hand. She brushed her lavender hand against her lover’s pale amber cheek, wiping away one of the tears that trailed down it, her hand remaining there and cradling the crying woman’s face. She had to speak from the heart, to let Sunset know just how much she cared. “More then anything, Sunset… I want to be with you… to grow old with you. I want to know that I can always be there for you, as you have been for me.” She stopped, feeling her own tears sting at her eyes, Twilight taking a deep breath to steady her voice. “I love you, Sunset… Nothing else matters to me.”
A heavy sob broke past Sunset’s throat at that declaration, though the wide smile on her face told Twilight it was a cry of happiness instead of pain. Her shoulders shook for a moment as she looked back up at her girlfriend, love plain on her face. Twilight took another breath before looking down at the floor again, closing her eyes shut for a moment before forcing herself to look up at her lover once more. “Please… tell me you’ll have me… Will you marry me, Sunset?”
“Yes...” Sunset whispered, blinking away more tears. The flamed-haired girl took another breath before saying, stronger this time. “Yes, of course!”
Twilight felt her tears slide down her face as she pulled the engagement ring from the box, slipping onto her lover’s finger. She watched Sunset gaze at the ring for a soft moment before bringing her fiance into a kiss. It was different from their normal ones; Where Twilight’s kisses had always been shy and unsure and Sunset’s were usually seductive and teasing, this one… this one sealed the fact that they promised to marry each other… It was soft, sweet, and filled with the love that the two girls had.
After they broke contact from each other, Sunset couldn’t help but let out a little giggle, shaking her head. “Oh Celestia...” She said in a mild swear, leaning her head back a bit. “I can only imagine what the girls are going to be like once they hear about this. I can practically hear Rarity’s squeals of joy.”
Twilight did her best, and failed, to contain her giggles at the rather accurate description of the fashionista's reaction. Taking off her glasses so as to properly wipe away her tears, she nodded to her lover. “It’s going to be better then Pinkie Pie’s reaction. We’re going to be getting three parties from this, minimum.”
That made Sunset burst out with a laugh of her own, the flamed-haired woman holding her sides at the thought. She continued on for a good minute before taking a deep breath. “Oh, oh! And Rainbow Dash probably bet that I’d propose first and end up giving AJ some money.”
Laughter came freely from Twilight now, leaning against Sunset as the image of their friends doing just that came to her mind. Her fingers laced together with her lover’s, grinning wildly. “We both know what Fluttershy’s reaction is going to be!” The purple-haired girl said between giggles, seeing the spark of excitement in Sunset’s eyes.
“Yay.” The two girls said in unison, both of them doing it in soft, quiet tones to imitate their pink-haired friend. Being so in sync with each other during this left both of them leaning against each other, laughter filling the bedroom. They continued like this for a good several minutes, riding the emotional roller coaster that was the night.
Sunset lay her head against Twilight's as they finally started to calm down, her soft amber hand held tightly between her fiance’s own lavender digits. Taking a shuddering breath, she looked down at her new engagement ring and then her lover. “We’re really going to do this… aren’t we?” She whispered, unable to break the smile that had enveloped her face.
“Y-yeah...” Twilight responded, biting her lip.
The flame-haired woman wrapped her lover in a tight embrace, squeezing just enough to be possessive, her face pressed against Twilight’s hair. “I hope I can give you everything you need.” She said softly, not letting go.
Twilight smiled before lifting her head upwards, catching Sunset’s aqua eyes with her own. “You already have...” She whispered, bringing her fiance close. The other woman leaned in, joining their lips for another kiss.
Author's Note
I couldn’t help myself. For some reason, I’ve been bitten HARD by the Sci-Twi/Sunset Bug and this story wouldn’t leave my head until I put it to paper. Thankfully, it’s just a fluffy, sappy one shot, which leaves me open to do other things. But yeah, blame the idea for this on the fact that nearly everyone who has these two love birds getting hitched does so with Sunset proposing. I thought it would be too cute to see the shy nerd being the one to finally pop the question!
