Twilight stood outside on the University of California; Los Angeles campus, pacing. She was wearing a purple dress and white heels, the diamond on her finger glinting in the light.

“Sunset! What happens if they don’t show up!” She looked towards her fiancee, running her frantic hands through her curled indigo hair.

“Calm down Twily. They’ll be here. They wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Sunset crossed her arms over her chest. She was wearing a simple blouse and mini skirt with pumps while watching Twilight pace only minutes before she was supposed to graduate.

The people missing in question?

Her parents.

“Yeah Twily, mom and dad wouldn’t miss your graduation.” Shining Armor said, leaning up against his car with a 5 year old Flurry Heart in his arms.

“Oh my god they’re here!” Twilight looked over to where her dad’s car was pulling in three spaces down from Shining Armor and Sunset’s cars. Twilight ran up to Sunset, slipping the ring off her fingers and shoving it into the redhead’s hands.

“My mom can't know, not yet,” she whispered, trying her best to hide the ring from her brother too. She didn’t miss the wink Cadence shot her as she came around from the back of Shining’s car holding Flurry’s backpack.

Sunset nodded, slipping the ring into her skirt pocket for safe keeping. Twilight grabbed her cap and gown from where they were sitting next to Sunset’s on her car’s hood, shooting a smile at her parents as they climbed out of their car, running inside to get to her seat.

“There’s still 30 minutes until the ceremony starts, she couldn’t have stuck around to talk to us?” Twilight Velvet asked, checking her watch as she and Night Light walked up to the rest of the group.

“She’s just stressed,” Sunset said, trying to sound nonchalant. She was slightly freaking out too, considering neither of them had told anybody about their engagement. It was hard to keep it a secret, but they planned to tell everyone when they got back to Canterlot after Sunset’s graduation the following week.

“We should go get our seats! Make sure we can all sit together!” Cadence interrupted, shouldering Flurry’s backpack. She put a hand on Shining and Sunset’s back, guiding them in through the entrance designated for visitors. Sunset shot her an appreciative look. She just smiled back.

They followed the signs through the hallways to the auditorium, which was quite a ways away from the entrance and through an outdoor area. Once inside, Sunset managed to spot Twilight scrambling to her seat, wearing her gown but still holding the cap decorated with all sorts of honors hanging off it. The group of six climbed up the stairs to the seating up above for families. They found a spot on the second row where they could all sit and see.

Flurry climbed out of her father’s arms, climbing over Sunset and sitting on the other side of her. Sunset moved to the side and picked Flurry back up, moving her to sit in between her father and soon-to-be aunt.

“That ring was like the one mommy wears,” she whispered so only Sunset could hear. Sunset blushed.
“You saw that?” Her eyes widened as the five-year-old nodded.

“Okay, you need to keep that a secret. Don’t tell anyone, got it?” Flurry nodded reluctantly.

“Can I see it?” She looked up at Sunset with her big blue eyes and the redhead almost took the ring out of her pocket to show the little girl. Almost.

“After the ceremony, okay?” She compromised. Flurry Heart pouted but nodded her head. There was an older kid sitting in front of her, maybe 10 year old or so. She crossed her arms.

“I can’t see,” she said plainly. Shining Armor looked down at his daughter.

“You don’t need to see, baby. It’ll still be a while before Auntie Twilight gets her diploma.” Shining ruffled her purple and blue hair. Flurry still pouted.

“I wanna see!” She was necessarily loud, but a few groups around them looked over at her with judging looks.

“Flurry Heart, quiet!” He lightly slapped her wrist as she flailed her arms. She looked ready to cry.

Sunset suddenly grabbed the girl, pulling her into her lap. Now she could see over the space between the boy and what appeared to be his younger sibling who was tapping away on a tablet.

“Better?” Sunset asked. Flurry nodded.

“Good. No more outbursts, kay?” Flurry nodded again.

Sunset pulled her phone out and began scrolling through Ponygram, idly passing the time. Flurry looked over at her screen.

“Whatcha doing?”

“Nothing.”

“Well obviously you’re doing something.” Flurry gave Sunset a cheeky smile as the older girl raised an eyebrow at her.
Sunset didn’t respond, going back to her phone.

“I’m bored,” Flurry said after a few more minutes.

“We all are,” Sunset responded.

“How much longer until we can leave?”

“We just got here.” Sunset looked at the clock on her phone saying they had only been sitting down for going on ten minutes.

“How much longer?”

“Like five hours, maybe. If we’re lucky.”

“That’s so long!” Flurry Heart exclaimed.

A few minutes passed before Sunset got a text.

Twily: We can leave after I get my diploma. I am not sticking around. The chick next to me won’t stop talking about the sex she had with her boyfriend last night.

Sunny: Just tell her about the sex we had last week ;)

Twily: Sunset!

Sunny: It’ll shut her up

Twily: I’m not telling a girl I’ve never met about my sexual encounters, no matter how quiet it may make her.

Sunny: Shame. I wish I could pull that card on your niece

Twily: Is she being a brat?

Sunny: Kinda

Twily: This should only take a few hours before they get to S, and the ceremony will be starting soon. After that we can ditch, even if the rest of my family wants to stay. Relay the message.

Sunny: Okay babe. Ily

Twily: I love you too.

Sunset put her phone away, leaning forward to get the other four adults’ attention.

“Twi said she wants to leave after she gets her diploma,” she said. The others all turned to look at her.

“Thank god,” was Shining’s response. Everyone laughed at that, even Flurry although she didn’t quite understand.

“That’s fine, as long as I get lots of pictures!” Velvet was always the mom to take a million pictures at every event any of her family went to. Sunset was convinced she had enough pictures of Flurry Heart’s first day of school to give every person in Canterlot a different photo and still have some left. Sunset and Cadence laughed at that while Shining just blushed.

Waiting for upwards of five hours and having to sit still the whole time wasn’t Sunset’s ideal way to spend her Saturday, but she really didn’t mind if it was to support Twilight. She had never missed any event in their five years together, and Twilight had never missed any of hers.

Finally they got to the S category, and from there it was close to another fifteen minutes before Twilight’s name was called.

As she walked across the stage smiling, Velvet was snapping as many pictures on her phone as she could. They hadn’t allowed large cameras up in the seating area, so she was stuck with her simple smartphone zoomed as far in as she could possibly make it.

Sunset found herself tearing up a bit as she watched Twilight get her diploma. She had managed to earn her Bachelors in Biomedical Engineering and her Masters in Bioethics both in her four years at UCLA and Sunset was beyond proud of her. It was Twilight’s dream to revolutionize America, and maybe even the world, and Sunset had no doubt in her mind she would accomplish that.

Twilight walked off the stairs and out the side door, holding her diploma in one hand and pulling her phone out with the other. She slipped into the hallway and sent Sunset a text.

Twily: I just left through the side door, meet me out in the gardens.

Sunny: Okay, we’re on our way

Sunset held up her phone to Shining Armor, showing him the texts. He nodded and turned to Cadence.

“Can we go now?” Flurry asked excitedly. Sunset nodded.

The five left, stepping over people’s bags and feet and around small children as they made their way out the back entrance up on the balcony seating and down the staircase so as to not disturb others.

Sunset led them across the campus and out to the beautiful gardens where she and Sunset often had picnics when the nearby park was crowded.

They spotted Twilight sitting near the pond, her gown off and sitting next to her. She still wore her cap and was toying with the yarn hanging off of it. Upon seeing her family, she stood up and rushed over.

Sunset pulled her into a hug first, passing Flurry to Shining Armor.

“Oh, I knew you could do it!”

Twilight reached for the pendant hanging around her neck. While yes it was tacky for a graduation, she still always wore it. Her magic was weaker as the group was separated, but she could still jump into action if it was needed.

Everyone else went around, hugging Twilight and giving her their congratulations. Then it was time for pictures. Twilight rolled her eyes as Velvet ran off to get her camera.

“Ten bucks she gets lost on the way back,” Night Light said, laughing.

“Twenty,” Shining challenged.

“I’ll go thirty,” Sunset chimed in.

“No way, she’s not that bad, twenty-five” Twilight shook her head, tassels hitting her in the face.

“I’m with Sunset, thirty-two.” Cadence one-upped the redhead, causing her to mock gasp.

“What about one hundred!” Flurry cried from her father’s arms. The rest of the family laughed.

After no short of a thousand pictures had been taken, and after they had only stopped before Velvet had run out of memory storage on her camera, the group finally decided to go get something to eat before heading home.

“Hey, is it okay if Flurry rides with us? I promised to show her the ring,” Sunset whispered to Cadence, who was holding the child in question.

“Sure!” Cadence smiled, winking again. She handed Flurry’s backpack to Sunset.

“Let me get the booster seat.” The older woman smiled and Flurry giggled.

After strapping in the pink booster seat, followed by Flurry herself, into Sunset’s car. They were ready to go. They had settled on going to Sho-Gun, a Japanese grill downtown where they cooked the food at the table.

Once all three were buckled in, Sunset pulled the engagement ring from her pocket and handed it back to Twilight.
“Show Flurry,” she said simply as she turned on the car. Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“She’s a smart kid, figured it out herself. She really takes after you, Twilight.” Twilight blushed and smiled as she slipped the ring on her finger and turned around to show Flurry Heart.

“Woah. It’s so pretty!” Flurry gushed, reaching out for it. Twilight pulled her hand back.

“Don’t touch it, please.” Flurry nodded.

“Now what are we not going to do?” Sunset asked from the front seat. She looked up at the mirror to see Flurry in the backseat.

“Tell anyone.”

“Especially Grandma and Papa.” Twilight reminded her. As much as she loved her parents, she knew that if her mom knew about her engagement, she would take over her wedding.

After an uneventful dinner, Twilight’s family all started the drive home and Sunset and Twilight returned to their condo.
Twilight, now wearing her pajamas, collapsed onto her and Sunset’s bed. Sunset giggled at her.

“Remind me to never wear heels again. I’m going barefoot at our wedding.” Twilight grumbled.

“Noted.” Sunset laughed.

She climbed into bed beside Twilight, pulling her under the covers and into her side. She lightly kissed the top of her head.
“You know I’m super proud of you, right?”

“Yeah. I’m proud of you too.” Twilight curled up onto herself, resting her head on Sunset’s chest.

“This is your day, you’ll get to shower me with affection next week,” she said, mostly joking.

“You know, about our wedding…” Twilight said after a few minutes of comfortable quiet.

“What about it, baby?” Sunset ran a hand through Twilight’s hair.

“There’s so much that goes into the planning and- and I don’t know if I can handle it.” Twilight began to tear up.

“No, no crying. Not tonight. Sunset wiped at the few tears that rolled down Twilight’s cheek. “You’re great at organization and planning, Twily. I’ll be there every step of the way too, you won’t be doing this alone. If it really stresses you, we can get a wedding planner to help out. But that isn’t what’s really bothering you, is it?”

“Damn you’re good,” Twilight mumbled.

“Well- I- I don’t think I want to tell my mom I’m engaged. Ever. I don’t want her to find out until she shows up at the wedding. I love her- but she gets too caught up in everything. She made Shining’s wedding her dream wedding, not his. I don’t want that to happen to me.” Twilight wrapped her arms around Sunset’s waist, cuddling into her closer.

“Then we won’t tell her. The wedding is going to be our wedding, not hers.”

“You agree, just like that?”

“Well she isn’t my mom. It’s your family, you can tell or not tell them whatever you want.”

Twilight smiled as she pondered this.

“I really did get lucky with a girl like you, didn’t I?” she asked, looking up at her beautiful fiancee.

“No, I think I’m the one who got lucky.” Sunset smiled.

“Cheeseball.” Twilight leaned up to lightly kiss Sunset on the nose.

“I’m your cheeseball.”

Twilight playfulled groaned, pulling the covers up over her head. Sunset reached over and flicked off the lights.

“But seriously, I love you.” Twilight peaked out from under the covers, settling herself back in Sunset’s arms.

“I love you too. Goodnight, Twily.

“Goodnight, Sunny.”

Author's Note

I really had fun writing this chapter. I liked writing Flurry a lot, it's like she practically wrote herself.
For anyone wondering, I imagine Twilight's ring looks a little like this:

I decided I'm not going to show Sunset's graduation. I was going to in this chapter but forgot about it and it was already super long. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts.