Twilight Sparkle was gently coaxed awake by the heavenly scents of coffee and frying bacon. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, then fumbled around on the nightstand until she found her glasses. She slid them on, checked the time, and raised her eyebrows in surprise as she saw that it was barely past eight. She and Sunset had stayed up late last night, with the intention of sleeping in today since neither had anything planned. Still, if Sunset was making breakfast, Twilight had no intention of missing it.
She yawned and stretched, then set her feet on the carpeted floor and stood up. She straightened her pajamas, wrinkled from sleep, then shuffled toward the kitchen and its delicious smells. She stood in the doorway rubbing one eye. Even to her bleary, not-quite-awake gaze, Sunset's head of radiant red and gold hair was unmistakable, and beautiful.
"You're up early," Twilight noted.
"Yeah, a bit, I guess. You, on the other hand, are just in time!" Sunset replied. She gestured toward the counter, where a plate of bacon and eggs sat next to a cup of coffee; black and strong, just how Twilight liked it in the morning. She turned back to the stove, where she was frying up another few pieces of bacon for herself.
Twilight walked up and wrapped her arms around Sunset from behind, eliciting a happy sigh from the other girl. Sunset transferred the bacon onto a second plate, then cracked two eggs into the hot grease that was left in the pan. Her movements were slightly hampered by Twilight's arms, but she didn't seem to mind.
"How are you doing?" Twilight asked.
"Good," Sunset answered. She finally dislodged Twilight enough that she could turn around and see the other girl, and the skeptical expression on her face.
"Really, I'm feeling a lot better today," Sunset insisted. "I guess I just needed to, you know, cry it out." She rubbed an arm uncomfortably. "Sorry about that, by the way."
Twilight shook her head with a small smile.
"You have nothing to apologize for," she assured her girlfriend. "I'm just glad you're okay." She leaned in and softly pressed her lips against Sunset's.
Sunset returned the kiss, and a warmth that was better than any cup of coffee spread downward through Twilight's body, until even her fingers and toes tingled from it. Sunset broke the kiss first, but only so she could rest her head against Twilight's shoulder.
"I hope I helped," Twilight said anxiously. "I'm afraid I'm not always the best in emotional situations."
Sunset smiled and raised her head enough to kiss Twilight on the cheek.
"You helped," she promised. "More than you know."
They had stayed up long past midnight, talking about nothing in particular while Twilight held Sunset close. Sunset liked to express her feelings through touch, especially when she was sad or upset, and Twilight was always happy to oblige. Twilight herself preferred to show her affection through acts of kindness and devotion—but, she'd learned, sometimes those acts could be as simple as offering her shoulder to a loved one who needed it.
"Your eggs are burning," Twilight noted a few seconds later.
"Oh, Faust!" Sunset cursed. She hastily turned the stove off and slid the eggs, only slightly crisped, onto the plate next to her bacon.
Twilight snorted softly.
"That was your fault, you know," Sunset said teasingly.
Twilight stuck her tongue out, but offered her own plate to Sunset instead.
"No, no," Sunset laughed, "it's fine. Look, they're barely overcooked." The edges were a little brown, but the eggs were fine otherwise.
"Okay, then." Twilight took her plate and cup of coffee over to the table and sat down. Sunset joined her shortly after.
"Actually," Twilight began. Something in her tone made Sunset put her fork down to listen.
"What is it?" Sunset prompted her after a moment.
"Well," she continued uncomfortably, "I was just wondering if, when I let you... um, read my mind. If that was helpful?" She twisted the sleeve of her pajamas nervously. "I felt like there were things I wanted to tell you that I just didn't know how to express otherwise."
Sunset smiled at the memory of the warmth, the devotion, the sheer love that she'd felt when she used her empathy magic on Twilight.
"Twilight, it was wonderful," she said earnestly. "I tell you all the time how beautiful you are, but it's not just physical. Your mind; your soul, I guess, for lack of a better word, is just so beautiful."
Twilight glanced away, and Sunset's smile faltered.
"Listen," she continued more soberly, "I know it makes you uncomfortable to have me inside your head like that. I really appreciated it yesterday, but you know that I would never want you to do something that you're not okay with. It's fine if that was a one-time thing."
"Thank you." Twilight looked back into her eyes and smiled.
They ate in silence for a little while. Or, at least, Twilight ate. When she looked back across the table she saw that Sunset had barely touched her breakfast.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Twilight asked with concern.
"Huh?" Sunset seemed to snap out of whatever she'd been thinking about. "Oh, yeah. I wasn't thinking about—" She gave her head a small shake, which sent her thick red and gold hair swaying. She reached one hand across the table, and Twilight held it with one of her own.
"What's on your mind?" Twilight asked.
"I was just thinking that I wish I could return the favor," Sunset explained. "I've told you what it's like to use my magic, but it's not the same as experiencing it. I just wish there were some way for you to see me the same way I've seen you."
"Oh!" She couldn't deny that the idea of clearly seeing Sunset's thoughts and feelings was intriguing, though also a bit scary. It was just so intimate, more so than most people could ever be. That was a frightening thought for Twilight.
"Well, it's alright," Twilight stammered. "You're much better at expressing yourself than I am. Really, it's lucky that you're the one who ended up with that ability instead of me."
"I'm not sure that luck had anything to do with it." Sunset gave her hand a squeeze, then let go so that she could eat her breakfast.
"What do you mean?"
"Harmony doesn't work by chance," Sunset said. "I have this power because I was meant to have it. Same thing with yours."
Twilight took a breath and let it out.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I still don't buy that Equestrian energy is somehow sentient, that it means for these things to happen."
"What other explanation is there?"
"I don't know yet," Twilight said, "but that's why I'm doing my research. You know," she adopted a more academic tone, "for millennia, people thought that all kinds of natural phenomena had to be the work of some all-powerful deity. Everything from diseases to weather patterns were chalked up to the whims of divine beings, but now we know better."
"And you think that magic is the same way."
"Yes. There must be an explanation beyond just, 'magic.'"
"Well," Sunset said slyly, "you did promise that you'd tell me all about your presentation today. So go on, what have you got so far?"
Twilight's eyes widened as she realized how deftly Sunset had gotten her talking about her work. She really did have social skills that Twilight could never hope to match.
"Well, first of all," Twilight began nervously, "I didn't tell them this at the convention, but I think it's likely that my work is going to be to magic what alchemy was to modern chemistry. Nearly everything that alchemists thought they knew has been proven wrong, and yet their methods laid the groundwork for us to start understanding the world. As far as I know, this is an entirely new field of study, so I'm going off of speculation and educated guesses as much as anything."
"I don't know about that," Sunset interrupted. "You invented a device that could detect and store magic when you were working all on your own, in high school. Give yourself some credit."
Twilight gave an anxious smile and stared into her coffee cup, as though looking for answers in its depths.
"Anyway," the scientist continued, "I started with what we know from observations. And you were right about leading with the incidents at CHS and Camp Everfree," she said to Sunset. "It certainly caught their attention, and the events are well-documented, so they knew it was all real.
"Anyway, we know that Equestrian energy can cause physical changes, manipulate objects at a distance, boost physical and mental capabilities, cause an effect similar to brainwashing, and so on. We'd be here for hours if I listed everything that we've seen Equestrian energy do. The real question is, how does it do all of these things?" She'd subconsciously slipped into lecture mode.
"My working theory is that there are actually multiple types of Equestrian energy, and I have some data that supports it." She suddenly remembered that she was at the breakfast table, and not at a podium with her notes in front of her. "Uh. Not here, obviously. But the gist of it is that different types of energy have different sources and different behaviors, and Equestrian energy seems to be the same way..."
She glanced up at Sunset, and stammered to a stop at the dreamy smile on the other girl's face.
"What?" Twilight wiped at her mouth, wondering if she'd gotten something on herself.
"Nothing," Sunset said, "I just love listening to you talk about your work. You're so passionate about it."
Twilight felt her cheeks heating. "Passionate" wasn't a word that most people would use to describe her; but then, Sunset had always seen things in her that others didn't. Sometimes she seemed to see things that even Twilight herself couldn't. Twilight cleared her throat awkwardly.
"So, uh. Well, you know most of the research already, since you helped with it," Twilight fumbled for the thread of the conversation. "I think the people there were pretty skeptical about most of it, but there was some definite interest in potential medical uses."
"Right, you mentioned that. What medical uses did you have in mind?"
"Well, we know that this energy can change people's bodies. For better or worse, as we both know all too well. If we can learn to control the transformations, there may be possibilities to regrow missing limbs, fix genetic defects, maybe cure cancer!" She realized that she was practically shouting in her excitement, and shrunk back in her seat with embarrassment. "Of course it's all speculation at this point," she muttered. "But if we can transform people's bodies in a controlled manner, it could be the biggest medical breakthrough since the discovery of antibiotics."
"Wow. Twilight, that's incredible. Do you really think that—hey, I think your phone's ringing."
Twilight listened carefully and, indeed, heard the faint sounds of the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor coming from their bedroom.
Who could that be? "Sorry, I'll be right back."
"No problem." Sunset crunched into a piece of bacon.
Twilight left Sunset to her food and hurried to get her phone. The number was unfamiliar, probably a spam call. She sighed, but answered anyway.
"Hello?"
Good morning. I'm looking for a Ms. Twilight Sparkle? The voice on the other end was male, soft but confident, and had a slight hint of an upper-class accent.
"Speaking."
Ah, Ms. Sparkle! I'm terribly sorry to be calling so early, but I'm afraid this is the only free time I have today. My name is Snowy Sky. I was at your remarkable presentation yesterday.
"Snowy Sky?!" Twilight gasped. That was a name to make any scientific hopeful sit up straight. He was an elderly and very wealthy gentleman who had devoted what remained of his life to philanthropy. His name—and his money—were attached to any number of scientific breakthroughs of the last decade.
The same.
"W—what can I do for you, Mr. Sky?" Twilight stammered, trying desperately to keep a cool head. This single unexpected early-morning phone call could very well make or break her career. If Snowy Sky decided that she was worth his time, she could be set for life. If he decided otherwise, other donors might follow suit and leave her with nothing.
No, no, I believe the matter at hand is what I can do for you, he replied, his voice as soft and smooth as the weather he was named for. Equestrian energy. Remarkable. I've never seen anything like it, and yet with the evidence you presented I cannot doubt for a moment that it's real.
"Well, um." Twilight had no idea how to respond.
Forgive me, I'll get to the point. I called because I would very much like to meet with you in person and hash out a funding arrangement. Your work is going to change the world, young lady. I truly believe that, and I would like to be a part of it, even if only as a donor.
Twilight swallowed a sudden lump in her throat. This could be a trick, or a prank, she reminded herself. She didn't even know what Snowy Sky sounded like, so she could be talking to anyone right now.
"You want to donate to my research?"
Indeed! Or, rather, I already have, but I'd like to give more. Right before I called you I donated ten thousand dollars to the lab you work at, with the condition that it be spent at your discretion to assist in your work.
Twilight nearly choked. "Ten thousand—?" She cleared her throat. "That's... incredibly generous of you, Mr. Sky." Emphasis on "incredible." "If I may ask, what are you hoping for in return?"
The voice on the other end sighed. They always ask me that. Still, I suppose you wouldn't be a scientist without a healthy dose of skepticism. Check on my donation with your lab, if you like, and then I hope you will consider my invitation to meet. At this point in my life I want nothing except to leave behind a better world. Although, he added, almost as an afterthought, If your research uncovers a way to restore the vigor of my youth, I certainly wouldn't complain.
"I'll... I'll check with my job," Twilight said uncertainly. "If everything's in order, then I'd be delighted to meet with you in person."
Splendid! I am free next Tuesday afternoon, if that is acceptable for you. Shall we do lunch?
Twilight mentally called up her schedule for the next week. There was nothing happening Tuesday afternoon that she couldn't rearrange for the sake of meeting with Snowy Sky.
"Yes, Tuesday afternoon works fine for me."
Wonderful. My people shall contact you with the details. I very much look forward to meeting you, Ms. Sparkle.
"And you, Mr. Sky." What is happening?!
I hope you have a pleasant rest of your day. Goodbye.
"Goodbye."
The call ended. Twilight stared at her phone, unwilling or perhaps unable to believe what had just happened. Had one of the biggest donors of the local scientific community really just contacted her, in person, offering to fund her research?
Twilight pulled up her contacts list and hastily sent a message to her boss at the lab.
I just got a rather strange phone call. Did somebody recently make a large donation to my research?
She sat there, anxiously worrying at her lower lip with her fingers, until her phone dinged with a response.
Let me check with Accounts.
Twilight's heart was hammering in her chest, sending blood rushing through her body so strongly that her fingertips were tingling. At the same time, she felt a cold discomfort in her stomach. She recognized the signs of a fight-or-flight response, though of course the threat right now was not a physical one.
If this is a prank, then nothing changes, Twilight reminded herself. She'd have to deal with her disappointment, but her life would go on just as before. What do you mean, "if?" Of course it's a prank. Nobody is going to donate that kind of money to your research just out of the blue like that. She was already steeling herself for the message that no money had come in. If the phone call had been genuine... that thought was much more frightening.
Twilight's phone dinged again.
Yup. Ten grand donated to our department, with your name on it. Congrats, looks like you impressed somebody yesterday.
The phone slipped from Twilight's suddenly numb fingers. Ten thousand dollars, to be used at her discretion, and probably more to come. This was life-changing.
If she had a sponsor like Snowy Sky backing her up, she was free to pursue her research however she saw fit, without needing to worry so much about her personal expenses. She could hire assistants, purchase equipment, plan expeditions, maybe someday have her own laboratory! She felt positively giddy, and had to hold back a squeal of glee.
"Sunset!" She shouted, darting back into the kitchen where her significant other still sat the table.
"What? Who was that?"
"Snowy Sky! He's a huge patron of the sciences, and he wants to fund my work! He just donated ten thousand dollars to my lab, and he wants to meet with me in person to discuss further funding."
"Oh my gosh, that's amazing!" Sunset gasped. She shot to her feet and pulled Twilight into a tight hug. "Twilight, you did it!"
"We did it," Twilight corrected her. "I'd never have gotten this far without your insight, both into magic and into people."
"That's... oh my gosh, I don't even know what to say!
"Me neither," Twilight squealed. "This is more than I ever hoped for! It's... I feel like I'm so happy I don't even know what to do."
Twilight froze. She did know what she wanted to do.
It was a bad idea, though. Crazy, really, but in that moment she felt indestructibly happy. If she was getting everything she'd dreamed of, why not get everything she'd dreamed of?
"I'll be right back," she said to Sunset, and sprinted back to their shared bedroom.
"Twilight?" Whatever Sunset had been expecting, it apparently wasn't this.
Twilight ran to her dresser, tore open the drawer where she kept her magical pendant—the one drawer she knew Sunset would never touch—and pulled out a small box. This box didn't contain her pendant; it held something even more precious. She stared at the box, wondering if she really dared to do what she was thinking of.
Still holding the box, she returned to the kitchen.
"Sunset?" Twilight's voice shook. Her hands, hidden behind her back, were trembling. While she logically knew that her heart couldn't be in her throat, in that moment she certainly understood the saying.
"What is it? Where did you go?" Sunset took a step toward her, a worried expression on her face. "Are you okay?"
Twilight swallowed hard. She'd come this far. There was no going back now.
"I'm about to do something very impulsive," Twilight said.
"Okay?" Sunset sounded both curious and concerned. "What's going—"
She stopped with a strangled gasp as Twilight got down on one knee and held out the box.
"Sunset Shimmer, will you marry me?"
Sunset raised her hands to her mouth, and her eyes filled with tears.
"Will I... will I—?"
Twilight's elation popped like a balloon that had filled beyond its limit, leaving behind an empty, sucking void where joy had once been. Sunset was going to say no. Those weren't tears of joy, Twilight thought, they were tears of sorrow because she had to shoot Twilight down.
Twilight thought of her current situation and cringed. Of course she's going to say no. What were you thinking?! The two of them were their pajamas, in the kitchen of their rented one-bedroom house. Twilight hadn't even brushed her hair. This was not how you were supposed to propose to your significant other!
You idiot! Twilight silently berated herself. You had a plan, remember? The nice restaurant on the way to Camp Everfree? Your special spot by the lake? Everything would have been perfect, but you let your emotions get the better of you for one stupid minute and now you've ruined everything!
Twilight was going to cry; whether out of sorrow or shame she wasn't quite sure.
Could they still be together after this blunder? Would Sunset be willing to overlook Twilight's social ineptitude, or would things be too awkward after Sunset refused her? Would Twilight have to find a new place to live? What about her work, would Sunset still be willing to help with—
"Yes!" Sunset knelt down and threw her arms around Twilight in a crushing hug. "Yes, of course!"
"What?" Twilight gasped. She must have misheard.
Sunset's hold on her got even tighter.
"I said yes, you dork," she answered fondly. She helped Twilight to her feet, then reached out with her left hand.
Twilight belatedly remembered the next step of this ritual. She pulled the ring from its box and delicately slid it onto Sunset's third finger. She then gasped as Sunset suddenly grabbed her arms and pulled her into a passionate kiss. She slid a hand behind Sunset's head and held her there, wishing the moment would never end.
Eventually, of course, they had to break apart. Sunset's hand trembled, and she slowly raised it to look more closely at the ring. It was a simple gold band with an improbably large, light-blue stone.
"Is this Equestrian?" she practically whispered.
"Yes. Princess Twilight helped me find it." And pay for it. There was no need for Sunset to know that, though. Twilight owed her pony counterpart a huge favor. "We consulted Princess Celestia, too. Do—" she swallowed nervously, "—do you like it?"
Sunset sniffled. Tears were once again streaming from her eyes.
"I love it!" Her voice came out as a strangled croak. She grabbed her napkin off the table and wiped her cheeks, but the tears came right back. "I told myself I wasn't going to cry any more today, but... oh, Twilight!" Sunset threw her arms around the other girl and cried into her shoulder with huge, heaving, joyful sobs.
Twilight returned the embrace. An unusual feeling like warm bubbles or electric sparks—or Equestrian magic—danced through her whole body.
She said yes!
They stayed that way for a long time while their breakfast sat, forgotten and cooling, on the table beside them.
Today was a good day.
