The Life and Times of Sunrise Shadow: Seeking a Princessby Lil SunnyChaptersMeeting the PrincessCelestial Pink AdviceA Night to RememberA Day in the lifeFrom Princess of Love to Love of a PrincessMeeting the Princess"Oh hi Applejack. Who's this?" Spoke Princess Twillight Sparkle. "Howdy Twilight, this here's Sunrise. She's new to Ponyville but seems to have already befriended our whole little group." "Wait, did you say Sunrise? As in, Sunrise Shadow?" The meek unicorn had been hiding behind her own hair and Applejack the whole time but she finally came out. "Y-yes Princess, that's me. H-how do you know about me?" Twilight flew down and placed a hoof on Sunlight's shoulder causing her to blush profusely "I've heard about you from Princess Celestia, she said you'd be moving to Ponyville soon and that you had trouble making friends. It dosen't seem that way to me." "O-oh, well Princess you see-" Twilight cut her off. "Just Twilight is fine Sunrise." "Oh, ok then." Sunrise took a deep breath "the truth is I was always too shy to make friends, meeting all of you today was just a series of happy coincidences. And I'm glad for them don't get me wrong but I don't know what to do now." "Well, why don't you spend some time here with me? I have nothing planned today and Starlight and I could help you settle in. Do you have a place to stay?" Sunrise shook her head "I was just going to find shelter where I could until I could find somewhere I could afford." Twilight spoke sternly "that's not good enough. You'll stay right here in the castle as long as you want to. Ok Sunrise?" Sunrise's eyes lit up but she spoke "oh no it's fine I'll be ok, I don't want to impose on the princess of friendship." Twilight sighed "look, I'm offering you the choice to stay here but i can't have one of my friends out on the cold streets at night, so if I have to use my title to keep you here then I will. I won't stand by and let someone I can help be left alone." Sunrise's eyes widened as she stared at Twilight "y-you really mean it? You want me to stay here with you?" "Of course I do, I'd love to get to know you better and properly introduce you to our friends since I imagine you haven't seen too much of them in one day have you?" Twilight and Sunrise spent the afternoon together reading and laughing. Twilight was of course interested in her past and what kind of abilities she had to top the class at Celestia's school. While Sunrise was doing her best to hide a perpetual blush at how close she was to another mare. Not just any mare, the actual Princess of Friendship too. After a delicious meal prepared by Spike and Starlight who was a really good cook. Sunrise was directed to her new room for the foreseeable future. It was nothing special it had a nice single bed with soft sheets and a soft pillow, a few books Starlight had picked out for her and a little night light shaped like Twilight's own cutie mark. "Hey Sunrise, can i talk to you for a minute?" Starlight asked. "Oh uh, sure Starlight. What's up?" "I'm going to be blunt, I saw that blush never leave your face earlier, I saw you staring at Twilight more than the books you were reading and I just wanted to let you know, Twi swings both ways." With a wink Starlight left her alone her heart beating faster than ever. She climbed into bed and tried to get some rest. Unfortunately that night a storm took over, the booms of thunder and flashes of lightning scared Sunrise something fierce, she never liked loud noise especially ones so close to her like this storm seemed to be. Another flash caused her to scream loudly, moments later Twilight burst through her door. "Sunrise, is everything ok?" Sunrise shook her head unable to muster a verbal response, she pointed to the window and hid under the blankets. "Are you afraid of storms?" Sunrise meekly nodded, unsure of what to do. She'd never sleep at this rate. Twilight then picked up the cowering Sunrise gently with her magic and walked back to her own room. She carefully placed Sunrise on the large queen sized bed before climbing in beside her and enveloping her in hooves and a lavender wing. "Shh, it's ok I'm here Sunrise, I'll be here all night. Try to get some sleep." Sunrise's heart was beating a mile a minute but otherwise she was calm, she felt safe in Twilight's embrace and was able to drift off peacefully. She awoke the next morning still wrapped in her lavender blanket of fur who woke herself and gave Sunrise a nuzzle. "You know you should be thankful, not everypony gets to sleep with a princess." Sunrise blushed beet red before Twilight giggled "I'm kidding, i know you needed comfort from the storm, I'm glad i was able to give you it. I'll be sure to ask Rainbow Dash when any more are coming so i can prepare the bed for the two of us again." "Thanks Twilight, I think that's the first time I've ever slept peacefully through a storm." Starlight chose that moment to come in carrying some tea and toast "hey Twi I noticed you-" she stared at the bed and carefully placed the stack of toast and cup of tea beside the bed "I'll uhh, leave you two alone..eheh." Twilight was about to call after her but Sunrise lay and giggled "It's ok Twilight, let her think what she wants to. we know the truth." Twilight had some duties to attend to that day and Starlight had a dinner date with Trixie leaving Sunrise alone with spike that afternoon. "Gotta say for a dragon you sure are cute." Sunrise remarked patting his head. "Hey! I know, they all say that. Why don't you go see if one of your friends can keep you company? Better than hanging around an empty castle all day." "That's a good idea spike, thanks." She kissed him on the forehead and teleported to just outside Sugarcube corner. Celestial Pink AdviceSunrise decided to go and visit Pinkie Pie. Normally someone with as much energy as she thought pinkie had wouldn't be her first choice but she wanted to try and distract herself from the previous night. She felt close to all her new friends certainly, but something about being enveloped by Twilight's wing and snuggling close to her felt too perfect. Of course Twilight was a princess and she was just a common unicorn there's no way Twilight would be interested in her, right? "Hiya Sunrise, what can I do ya for?" "Hey Pinkie, I don't have much to do today and the rest of the castle has their own plans. I was wondering if I could help you or something?" "Sure, you any good at baking?" "I've never tried honestly." "Well there's a first time for everything, come back here to the kitchen and we'll make some cookies." Sunrise decided to work hard the earth pony way rather than use her magic and with Pinkie's help measured and mixed the ingredients perfectly before rolling out the mixture into a dozen cookie shapes. After placing them in the oven and setting a timer the two ponies retreated to Pinkie's room to talk. "So whatcha wanna talk about Sunrise?" "I don't know really." Sunrise responded looking a little forlorn. Pinkie noticed her frown "Hey Sunrise I know I'm not the smartest pony in the world but i can't stand to see my friends frown. If there's something bothering you then tell me, I'll do my best to help." "Thanks Pinkie. There is something but I don't think anyone can help me." "Oh please it can't be that bad. C'mon, tell mama Pinkie all about it." Sunrise sighed heavily. "Last night there was a thunderstorm, a severe one. I was scared and screamed. Twilight took me to her bed and snuggled me all night. She kept me safe and warm, I felt something in my chest it was trying to tell me I have feelings for her. But it's nothing, I'm just a common unicorn and she's a princess. It would never work no matter how much i want it to. I don't know what to do. Starlight told me Twilight would be interested in another mare but I just don't see what i can do." Pinkie thought hard for a few minutes "well if it were me I'd just come out and tell her how I feel, I'd follow my heart not my head. But it might be tougher for someone who thinks as much as you do Sunrise." Suddenly the timer went off "Ooh cookies are done!" They enjoyed a few cookies together and Sunrise bagged up a couple just in case. "Thanks for trying to help Pinkie. I just don't know who could help me. I've never really been close enough to anyone that they know how i think. Except one person but she'd be far too busy to listen to me." "If you mean Princess Celestia, i know from experience she's always happy to talk to a friend. And it sounds to me like you two were more than just teacher and pupil. Go talk to her silly." Sunrise caught the train to Canterlot. She had a few hours to speak with the princess before the last train back to Ponyville. She approached the castle "Halt! Who goes there?" "Hello, my name is Sunrise Shadow. I was a student of Princess Celestia and i was hoping i could talk to her." One of the guards went inside a moment and promptly returned to escort her to the princess. Celestia rather than the throne room instructed the guard to bring Sunrise to a little side room prepared with some tea and armchairs. "Ahh Sunrise, please have a seat I'm sure you have much to tell me." Sunrise spent the next hour telling the princess about her first few days in Ponyville and all the new friends she made. Blushing profusely while recounting the thunderstorm story. Celestia listened intently and occasionally gave a soft chuckle. "So I imagine there's a reason you came to see me? You could have just written a letter if you wanted to talk about your friends. Why see me in person?" "Because Princess, I know you're the only person who really understands me and my unique talents. Whenever i picture a certain mare in my head my heart swells with joy and I know I feel something special. But my mind tells me it would never work. I don't know what to do and I was hoping you could give me some advice." "Well first thing's first, who is this mare?" "Twilight Sparkle" "I didn't quite catch that Sunrise." She took a deep breath. "It's, Princess Twilight Sparkle." Celestia smiled "so you have feelings for the princess of friendship? But tell me, are you certain of this? In the past your heart has guided you down the wrong path, and your mind down the right. The inverse is also true. The duality of your talents and knowledge is what gave you that cutie mark. Is your heart telling you your feelings, or your mind? Or maybe both? I just want you to be certain this Isn't a simple foal's crush. You never had an opportunity to properly grow with your peers and I see a little childlike wonder in your eyes even now. I would hate to see your heart be broken by a rash decision." "Believe me Princess i thought these things myself. No matter how hard i tried to convince myself this was just a silly crush or a dream i would never achieve, I simply couldn't deny my true feelings." "I'm glad you spoke with me Sunrise. But I think there's another who could perhaps help you more than I can. She knows Twilight personally and has experience in matters of the Heart. I can call her here or you can go to her. If you wish to speak to her that is." "I'll go, where is she? "The Crystal Empire." A Night to RememberIt had been 2 weeks since Sunrise Shadow admitted her feelings for Princess Twilight Sparkle. The two were inseparable in the castle but at Sunrise's asking, nobody aside from Starlight Glimmer and Spike knew about the relationship. The day had come where they would tell their friends. Sunrise was predictably scared but Twilight assured her that they would be happy. They arrived at Sugarcube Corner where 5 other ponies awaited their arrival. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Twilight spoke "so i wanted everypony here because I have an announcement." Her friends gasped and stared in wonder as to what Twilight could have to tell them. "A couple of weeks ago, I met a very special pony. Unique in her own way but afraid to face the world. I took her under my wing quite literally and found out she had feelings for me. I think you all know her too. Meet my marefriend, Sunrise Shadow." Sunrise meekly hid herself behind her hair but stepped out enough for everyone to see her. At first there was a little confusion but then they each remembered their own respective encounters with her that fateful day and congratulated the two of them. "Well shoot Twilight, I'm glad you found yourself somepony." Spoke Applejack Rarity was next to offer her opinion "If you ask me I'm surprised it took this long for a princess to find a worthy suitor, yet here we stand today and it's crystal clear our dear Twilight has finally found the one for her." Rainbow dash brushed it off predictably "yeah but it's just a bunch of mushy hooey, not like anyone really cares about that stuff." Pinkie then spoke up "so you're saying you don't kiss a picture of Spitfire goodnight before bed Dashie? Because i could've sworn i saw you do it. More than once too." "S-shut up ya goof, I was uhh, admiring the photo's quality, yeah that's it." Rainbow Dash blushed slightly. A quiet giggle followed from Fluttershy "well I'm very happy for you Twilight, you too Sunrise. I'm sure you'll both be very happy together." The six friends, now seven. Enjoyed the afternoon together before Sunrise excused herself from the group saying she had something to do. "Alright Sunny, this is it. Your one chance at a first date, make it a good one." She proceeded to reserve a table at Ponyville's best restaurant as well as pick up a small bouquet of Purple Pansies and pick up a dress from Rarity she ordered a week ago. "Gotta remember to thank Rarity for keeping quiet about the dress, maybe I can do something for her another day." An internal monologue was the only thing Sunrise could hear right now, her mind was focused on the task at hand. "Alright now I just need to...actually ask her out." Sunrise forgot the one crucial step to her plan, she had to pluck up the courage to ask Twilight to dinner. "C'mon Sunny you've slept in the same bed as her for weeks now, and you can't even muster the courage to ask her to dinner? You need to pony up girl." She thought to herself as she hid the dress away in her room before approaching Twilight in her study. "Hey uhh Twilight. These are for you." She presented the Pansies to Twilight who smiled and kissed her on the forehead before calling Spike to put them in some water. "One more thing. Would you like to...go to dinner with me this evening?" Twilight smiled and took Sunrise's hoof in her own "I thought you'd never ask." A quick peck later and the two went off to get ready. Sunrise told Twilight they were eating at the fanciest restaurant in town so Twilight knew she needed something a little flashier than usual. She decided a nice gown Rarity had made her awhile ago would fit well along with her crown. Normally she wouldn't flash the princess card in public but this was a special occasion and she felt with some gold earrings it helped complete the look. The gown in question being a striking midnight blue with purple and black accents and twinkling white stars. Meanwhile Sunrise was comparatively meeker in the fashion department. Her dress was a bright orange with purple and blue streaks custom made for her at Rarity's own design no less and for free. She was expecting a custom dress to cost a small fortune. "Guess it pays to have a friend in the business eheh...I really have to stop talking to myself." "Really? Because I'm sure Twilight would find it endearing." spoke a snarky voice in the door frame. Starlight walked in "I thought you might want a little help getting ready since this is your first date after all." Starlight helped her into her dress and gave her a pair of amethyst earrings and a gold neck band. "There, I'm no fashion expert but I'd say you look pretty good." "Thanks Starlight." She hugged Starlight and for the first time, close proximity to another mare didn't trigger any blushing fits. She had one special mare just for her now. "Have fun Sunrise. Don't have her out too late, I want her back by midnight." Starlight couldn't help but burst out laughing at her own joke. The two mares met in the castle foyer and both were amazed at the beauty of one-another. "Wow Sunrise, I never noticed just how beautiful you were." "I always admired your beauty Twilight." It was clear Sunrise was in shy mode for the moment and likely the foreseeable future. Not a bad thing Twilight thought to herself, It might make the date more relaxing. The two reached the Restaurant and were shown their table. After deciding on their food they stared into each other's eyes until the food came, neither of them needing to say a word. The meal was simple yet luxurious and when the dessert menu came they decided to split a large slice of red velvet cake. Unfortunately this led to Twilight getting some on her nose leading to a much more forward Sunrise licking it off causing her to blush profusely. "Hey, save that for home Sunny, the last thing the press needs is seeing me get licked on the nose." Sunrise giggled "oh come on Twilight lighten up, I'm your marefriend now, I'm supposed to do things like this." They took a walk together in the park sitting on a bench while Sunrise rested her head on Twilight who in turn wrapped a wing around her marefriend. They didn't want the night to end. And if Sunrise got her way tonight it wouldnt end there. After an evening together Twilight assumed Sunrise would want to retire to her own room for a night. But instead found herself being followed back to her room. Something Starlight hadn't seen earlier much to the relief of Sunrise was the special underwear she had on underneath her dress. The two mares removed their dresses but Sunrise was still left clothed, wearing a lacy black pair of underwear that left little to the imagination and showed off her flank in full view. She swayed with a Sultry step towards the bed and patted beside her. Twilight was at first shocked but then realized this was confident Sunrise and smirked. Sunrise kissed her marefriend and then spoke softly "y'know Twi, tonight was great but we've been spending so much time together I feel like, I want something more you know? Only if you're comfortable with it though." Twilight spoke "I think i know what you mean Sunny and if it would make you happy I'll be more than happy to oblige." The last thing to happen was the removal of the underwear and the two ponies under the covers kissing each other more passionate than ever before, sealing the deal in that special way only lovers truly can. A Day in the lifeSunrise Shadow. A young mare from Ponyville who moved from Canterlot after graduating Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. She was nothing special to look at, deep orange coat, two toned blue and purple mane long enough to cover an eye, and a cutie mark of a sun split in two by yellow and purple to signify duality. She was always too shy to make friends though she secretly always wanted some. The princess of the sun herself recommended Ponyville as she knew the princess of friendship made her domain there. Her biggest problem however was her dual personalities. She had never been close enough with anyone besides Princess Celestia for that side of her to be revealed. But she was naturally both shy and bold simultaneously. Which one decided to be her front line for that moment was sadly uncontrollable. Princess Twilight Sparkle. Now there's a name Sunrise knew all too well. She saw the coronation, she was there when Tirek threatened the world her own magic somehow being protected from his darkness, not that she knew why. Sunrise knew that Ponyville would be a new beginning for her. Somewhere she could lay her head, dream sweet dreams and not be judged for her choice in partners. Yes Sunrise Shadow in fact, liked mares. But she was too insecure about herself to make a friend never mind find someone she could trust to come out to. In her first day in Ponyville alone she met countless ponies who all seemed so happy just being together as a community. Some like Lyra and Bon Bon as well as Octavia and Vinyl Scratch not afraid to show off their affection for one-another. But of course she was still alone and friendless at the end of the day. She didn't want to seek friendship instead hoping it could find her. And find her it did, the second day she bumped into a white mare with a custom-made sunhat and diamond cutie mark which caused her to fall into the mud and get mud all over herself. "Oh good heavens, I'm so sorry dear I didn't see you there." The mare offered a hoof to Sunrise who took it and rose to her feet again. "Oh, i-it's ok, I should've been paying more attention." "I haven't seen you around before, are you perhaps new to town?" Plucking up the little courage she had Sunrise spoke "Yes, I'm Sunrise Shadow. Princess Celestia recommended i should come to Ponyville after i graduated her school top of the class, she said that it might help me find...some friends." The last part coming out considerably quieter didn't go unnoticed. "Well darling, my name is Rarity. I own Carousel Boutique, and I must say I want to do something to apologise for dropping you in the mud like that, would you like to come with me for some tea dear? If you're looking to make friends why not start now?" Sunrise's eyes lit up, she had almost done it, she'd almost made a friend. "Oh yes I'd love to, but uhh I'm a little muddy" "Think nothing of it you can get cleaned up at the boutique." Sunrise followed Rarity back to the boutique where she got cleaned nicely and Rarity even picked out a cute scarf for her as an apology gift. The two enjoyed their tea together and Rarity gave her a quick peck on the cheek on the way out the door. Common for Rarity likely she had no idea the effect it had on poor Sunrise who must've looked like a tomato walking through town. Later that day Sunrise at the recommendation of Rarity visited a small cottage in the woods. Animals were always good company for her, they wouldn't judge you. She knocked the door and heard a small voice say "just a minute" on the other side. The door opened to reveal a butter yellow pegasus with butterflies for a cutie mark. "Oh, umm hi I'm Sunrise Shadow, I'm new to town and i met this girl Rarity who said if i wanted to make more friends I should come here." "Oh hello my name's Fluttershy and I hope she meant the animals because I'm not the best at meeting new people." "You seem to be doing alright with me so far, I promise I'll be as quiet as a mouse if you want me to. I just, never had the courage to go out and meet new people. So far it's taking a lot out of me just to talk to you." Fluttershy stared at her and smiled "well i guess we have something in common then, I'm pretty timid too but friends are always there to help you when you need a boost of confidence. I'd be glad to be your friend Sunrise." Sunrise smiled back and the two embraced. Sunrise blushing ever so slightly at the closeness. Fluttershy introduced some of her animal friends to Sunrise. She got to pet Angel bunny, had a little bird on her hoof and got a big hug from Harry the bear. Afterwards Sunrise bid farewell to Fluttershy and began walking again only to get smacked into by a rainbow colored blur that proceeded to crash into a nearby tree. "Woah my head, sorry bout' that I guess I should've watched where i was going. You were seeing Fluttershy weren't ya? You came from that direction anyway. She's a good friend of mine, name's Rainbow Dash nice to meet you. " After taking a moment to un-dizzy Sunrise responded "Oh hi, I'm Sunrise Shadow. I just moved to Ponyville and I guess new friends have been bumping into me all day." "Bit of a shy case huh? I've dealt with that before, don't you worry your pretty little flank off you got a friend right here." Dash extended a hoof and after a mild blush at her flank being called pretty Sunrise bumped Rainbow Dash's hoof and watched her speed off into the skies. Sunrise's stomach rumbled as she walked back into town and she looked around for somewhere to get a snack. She spied a small bakery called Sugarcube Corner and inside was a hyperactive ball of pink. "Hi I'm Pinkie Pie, I've never seen you before, so you must be new! I always make a point of learning about every new resident of Ponyville so i can give them a big smile when they feel down." She placed a rather tasty looking cupcake in front of Sunrise "on the house for my new friend." Sunrise barely even knew who this pony was and was already being given special treatement and called her friend. But she didn't care. The cupcake was delicious and Sunrise left much happier than she went in, somehow finding confetti in her hair. "Lemme guess, ya'll are new and Pinkie just gave you her trademark welcome?" spoke a southern accent behind her. This pony was a lighter color than she was with a long blonde mane and a cowboy hat with apples for a cutie mark. "Howdy I'm Applejack, always nice to meet a new friend." "Likewise, I'm Sunrise Shadow." Applejack looked her up and down before saying "Not bad, you got a good physique goin' there girl, ya work out?" "Not really, i just walk a lot." "I can tell, them hooves are full of strength" as if to demonstrate Applejack began feeling Sunrise's back left hoof up to her butt and gave he a playful slap causing Sunrise to blush. "So ya made any other friends here in Ponyville?" "Just a few, this beautiful mare named Rarity, a sweet gal named Fluttershy, a rocking speedster named Rainbow Dash and a funny pink pony named Pinkie Pie" "Well shoot, they're all my friends too. But we do have one more member in our little group. I'll take ya to meet her sugarcube." "Oh ok." Sunrise walked with Applejack to a large castle made entirely of crystal that Sunrise couldn't believe she never noticed. A knock on the door was greeted by a unicorn with a muted pink coat, purple mane with mint stripe and a magical wisp for a cutie mark. "Howdy Starlight, is Twi about? I wanted to introduce her to my new friend here. She's already made friends with the rest of the gals." "Oh she's in the library, would you expect anything different?" Starlight chuckled "c'mon in. I'm Starlight Glimmer former student and current friend to the pony you're about to meet." "Sunrise Shadow, nice to meet you." Sunrise thought to herself "a pony with a castle, a student, and a large group of friends. I wonder who lives here. Wait didn't Applejack call her Twi? No, it couldn't be." But as the trio made their way to the library Sunrise's jaw dropped. Sitting in all her glory with a good book was a young lavender alicorn with a pair of majestic wings, long blue hair with colored streaks and a pink magical star cutie mark. This was indeed who she was thinking of. From Princess of Love to Love of a PrincessSunrise returned to Ponyville and told Twilight she helped Pinkie to bake cookies and that she had plans tomorrow to visit someone new. She neglected to mention the meeting with Celestia of course. That evening Twilight gave her a big hug goodnight causing Starlight to wink at her and Sunrise to blush profusely. The next morning shortly after breakfast Sunrise caught her train to The Crystal Empire and proceeded slowly to its castle, not knowing what to expect inside. At the gate she met a pony wearing most of a guard's uniform minus the helmet. He was white with a blue mane and shield cutie mark. She softly spoke "Umm, excuse me but uhh, I was looking for the princess. Princess Celestia told me she might be able to help me with my umm, emotional problems?" The stallion laughed at her "yep that sounds like Celestia all right, sending any pony with a love problem to my wife Cadence. I'm Shining Armor captain of the guard and husband to the princess you're looking for." Sunrise thought he looked familliar then she recalled a picture in Twilight's castle. "I've seen you before, yeah you were in one of Twilight's pictures." "Oh you know Twily? She's my little sister. I guess she doesn't talk much about her family huh? Anyway follow me, I'll take you to Cadence." Sunrise followed Shining Armor through the castle to the throne room where a pink alicorn with long flowing multi toned hair in various shades of pink and yellow and a crystal heart for a cutie mark sat smiling. "Hey honey, this girl's here to see you." "Thanks Shiny, now then. Hello I'm Princess Cadence what can i do for you?" "Um, h-hi I'm S-sunrise, Sunrise Shadow." she said meekly to this new princess. "What's wrong, oh is it my title? Ugh I hate it when the whole princess thing makes people not want to treat me like a normal pony." "Well uhh Cadence, I-I can try" she took a deep breath. "I can try to treat you like a normal pony, Princess Celestia told me you might be the right person to help me with a personal problem." Cadence stared at the seemingly confident mare in front of her, she wasn't there a few seconds ago. "How did you go from so shy to so confident so quickly?" "Oh, that's my uhh talent i guess? I don't think of it as a talent more a nuisance really. I'm good at seeing things from different perspectives. Unfortunately it also means my emotions and mannerisms can get a bit, extreme." "Wow, that's incredible. Hey are you hungry? I was gonna take a break from doing nothing to grab a bite in the living area, c'mon its this way" Sunrise followed Cadence through the castle to a small living space with a few chairs, a large couch and some cupcakes and tea waiting. Cadence sat on the couch and patted beside her for Sunrise to join. "So tell me Sunrise, what problem do you have that Celestia thought you should speak to me about it? I'm the Crystal Princess, my only real talent is lo-" Cadence's eyes lit up "ohh, you have a love problem don't you?" Cadence smirked. Sunrise sighed "Yes, and from what Celestia told me. It's someone you know well. It's Princess Twilight Sparkle." Cadence almost fainted but caught herself. "You're being serious right now? You have a crush on Twilight?" Sunrise began to cry."That's just it! I don't know what it is. She gave me a home in a new town, she comforted me when I got scared of a thunderstorm even sheltered me with her wing and let me snuggle close to her. This feels like so much more than a silly crush but I-I just don't know." Cadence placed a wing around her and pulled the sobbing pony in close, nuzzling her neck slightly. "Easy there girl, let it all out. Its OK. If this is being triggered just from telling me about your feelings for her, I'd say its a bit more than a little crush. I can't be certain because of your extreme emotions as you put it. But I think it's safe to say you genuinely do love her, and that night together was the spark that lit the flame." Sunrise sobbed a little but stopped crying cuddling into the larger alicorn. "T-thank you Cadence you have no idea how much I needed to hear that." The afternoon was spent with Sunrise enjoying some ice-cream while Cadence recounted tales of babysitting a young Twilight to the delight of Sunrise. Eventually Sunrise bid her farewell Cadence teleporting her back to Ponyville as the sun began to set believing it to be safer than the last train. Now Sunrise was sure of her feelings, but the problem was admitting them to Twilight. So many things could go wrong, what if she didn't feel the same way because they just met, or what if Starlight just assumed she liked mares too. Cadence did give Sunrise one final piece of advice before she left. Telling her to listen to her heart when it came to love and not her head. With a fire in her belly she entered the castle again and after declining a bite to eat saying she wasn't hungry. Began to plan her move. She didn't want to do anything elaborate or flashy, that wasn't how she worked. She wanted to just sit down and talk to Twilight about it. She informed Starlight of her plan who promptly took Spike to another part of the castle while Sunrise entered the library and saw the source of her affection reading a novel. "Hey Twilight, can i talk to you?" "Sure Sunrise, what's up?" Sunrise swallowed, this was it. "Well the truth is. I had feelings for someone. I wasnt sure if it was a silly crush or a genuine feeling of love, i asked anyone who could help me and eventually i was sent to Princess Cadence. She told me it sounded like my feelings were true I even cried into her wing. But now I know what i have to do." "Well it sounds like you had quite a day Sunrise, so care to tell me who the lucky pony is?" Sunrise rose up with a newfound boldness "why don't I show you instead?" She kissed Twilight square on the muzzle, Twilight initially surprised melted into the kiss and after a brief moment they parted. "The pony I love Twilight. Is you." "But why? We barely know each other, I mean the kiss was nice, really nice. But why?" "I've always had a thing for mares for a start. But also because you took me in, you gave me a home. This place doesn't feel like just another place I've lived in. It truly feels like home because you're here with me. You sheltered me from my fears and let me cuddle you like a lost foal, and didn't shy away when my bolder side came out. You're the first person who's seen both sides of me, and accepted me as I am. Most other ponies would just shun me for being so split." She then grinned playfully "plus you do have a nice flank" she winked. Twilight blushed at the last comment but then took a moment to think before speaking "anypony would be lucky to have someone as unique as you. Some ponies prefer things to be basic, simple, normal even. But i don't think that such a thing exists. Everyone is unique in their own special way and your dual personalities are both great in their own way. You can be the sweetest mare one moment, and ready to fight for her friends the next. It's truly admirable." "And I'd love to be your special somepony Sunrise." Twilight kissed her this time both mares embracing and rolling around the pillow laden floor for what seemed like hours before being interrupted by Starlight. "Well I see your talk went well, I thought you should know its 10 PM, you might want to get some shut eye." The two smiled at each other and Twilight began walking to her room before Sunrise spoke up "Wait Twilight. W-would you mind if i slept with you again tonight? We don't have to do it every night if you don't want, but I had a long day and I'd love to snuggle my marefriend again." Twilight kissed her forehead "sure Sunrise, and if you want to share my bed every night. I certainly won't complain." Twilight then sultrily whispered "especially if you kiss as good as that under the covers." Sunrise went bright red but followed Twilight to bed anyway. The two crawled under the covers embracing each other before drifting off to sleep.
Meeting the Princess"Oh hi Applejack. Who's this?" Spoke Princess Twillight Sparkle. "Howdy Twilight, this here's Sunrise. She's new to Ponyville but seems to have already befriended our whole little group." "Wait, did you say Sunrise? As in, Sunrise Shadow?" The meek unicorn had been hiding behind her own hair and Applejack the whole time but she finally came out. "Y-yes Princess, that's me. H-how do you know about me?" Twilight flew down and placed a hoof on Sunlight's shoulder causing her to blush profusely "I've heard about you from Princess Celestia, she said you'd be moving to Ponyville soon and that you had trouble making friends. It dosen't seem that way to me." "O-oh, well Princess you see-" Twilight cut her off. "Just Twilight is fine Sunrise." "Oh, ok then." Sunrise took a deep breath "the truth is I was always too shy to make friends, meeting all of you today was just a series of happy coincidences. And I'm glad for them don't get me wrong but I don't know what to do now." "Well, why don't you spend some time here with me? I have nothing planned today and Starlight and I could help you settle in. Do you have a place to stay?" Sunrise shook her head "I was just going to find shelter where I could until I could find somewhere I could afford." Twilight spoke sternly "that's not good enough. You'll stay right here in the castle as long as you want to. Ok Sunrise?" Sunrise's eyes lit up but she spoke "oh no it's fine I'll be ok, I don't want to impose on the princess of friendship." Twilight sighed "look, I'm offering you the choice to stay here but i can't have one of my friends out on the cold streets at night, so if I have to use my title to keep you here then I will. I won't stand by and let someone I can help be left alone." Sunrise's eyes widened as she stared at Twilight "y-you really mean it? You want me to stay here with you?" "Of course I do, I'd love to get to know you better and properly introduce you to our friends since I imagine you haven't seen too much of them in one day have you?" Twilight and Sunrise spent the afternoon together reading and laughing. Twilight was of course interested in her past and what kind of abilities she had to top the class at Celestia's school. While Sunrise was doing her best to hide a perpetual blush at how close she was to another mare. Not just any mare, the actual Princess of Friendship too. After a delicious meal prepared by Spike and Starlight who was a really good cook. Sunrise was directed to her new room for the foreseeable future. It was nothing special it had a nice single bed with soft sheets and a soft pillow, a few books Starlight had picked out for her and a little night light shaped like Twilight's own cutie mark. "Hey Sunrise, can i talk to you for a minute?" Starlight asked. "Oh uh, sure Starlight. What's up?" "I'm going to be blunt, I saw that blush never leave your face earlier, I saw you staring at Twilight more than the books you were reading and I just wanted to let you know, Twi swings both ways." With a wink Starlight left her alone her heart beating faster than ever. She climbed into bed and tried to get some rest. Unfortunately that night a storm took over, the booms of thunder and flashes of lightning scared Sunrise something fierce, she never liked loud noise especially ones so close to her like this storm seemed to be. Another flash caused her to scream loudly, moments later Twilight burst through her door. "Sunrise, is everything ok?" Sunrise shook her head unable to muster a verbal response, she pointed to the window and hid under the blankets. "Are you afraid of storms?" Sunrise meekly nodded, unsure of what to do. She'd never sleep at this rate. Twilight then picked up the cowering Sunrise gently with her magic and walked back to her own room. She carefully placed Sunrise on the large queen sized bed before climbing in beside her and enveloping her in hooves and a lavender wing. "Shh, it's ok I'm here Sunrise, I'll be here all night. Try to get some sleep." Sunrise's heart was beating a mile a minute but otherwise she was calm, she felt safe in Twilight's embrace and was able to drift off peacefully. She awoke the next morning still wrapped in her lavender blanket of fur who woke herself and gave Sunrise a nuzzle. "You know you should be thankful, not everypony gets to sleep with a princess." Sunrise blushed beet red before Twilight giggled "I'm kidding, i know you needed comfort from the storm, I'm glad i was able to give you it. I'll be sure to ask Rainbow Dash when any more are coming so i can prepare the bed for the two of us again." "Thanks Twilight, I think that's the first time I've ever slept peacefully through a storm." Starlight chose that moment to come in carrying some tea and toast "hey Twi I noticed you-" she stared at the bed and carefully placed the stack of toast and cup of tea beside the bed "I'll uhh, leave you two alone..eheh." Twilight was about to call after her but Sunrise lay and giggled "It's ok Twilight, let her think what she wants to. we know the truth." Twilight had some duties to attend to that day and Starlight had a dinner date with Trixie leaving Sunrise alone with spike that afternoon. "Gotta say for a dragon you sure are cute." Sunrise remarked patting his head. "Hey! I know, they all say that. Why don't you go see if one of your friends can keep you company? Better than hanging around an empty castle all day." "That's a good idea spike, thanks." She kissed him on the forehead and teleported to just outside Sugarcube corner.
Celestial Pink AdviceSunrise decided to go and visit Pinkie Pie. Normally someone with as much energy as she thought pinkie had wouldn't be her first choice but she wanted to try and distract herself from the previous night. She felt close to all her new friends certainly, but something about being enveloped by Twilight's wing and snuggling close to her felt too perfect. Of course Twilight was a princess and she was just a common unicorn there's no way Twilight would be interested in her, right? "Hiya Sunrise, what can I do ya for?" "Hey Pinkie, I don't have much to do today and the rest of the castle has their own plans. I was wondering if I could help you or something?" "Sure, you any good at baking?" "I've never tried honestly." "Well there's a first time for everything, come back here to the kitchen and we'll make some cookies." Sunrise decided to work hard the earth pony way rather than use her magic and with Pinkie's help measured and mixed the ingredients perfectly before rolling out the mixture into a dozen cookie shapes. After placing them in the oven and setting a timer the two ponies retreated to Pinkie's room to talk. "So whatcha wanna talk about Sunrise?" "I don't know really." Sunrise responded looking a little forlorn. Pinkie noticed her frown "Hey Sunrise I know I'm not the smartest pony in the world but i can't stand to see my friends frown. If there's something bothering you then tell me, I'll do my best to help." "Thanks Pinkie. There is something but I don't think anyone can help me." "Oh please it can't be that bad. C'mon, tell mama Pinkie all about it." Sunrise sighed heavily. "Last night there was a thunderstorm, a severe one. I was scared and screamed. Twilight took me to her bed and snuggled me all night. She kept me safe and warm, I felt something in my chest it was trying to tell me I have feelings for her. But it's nothing, I'm just a common unicorn and she's a princess. It would never work no matter how much i want it to. I don't know what to do. Starlight told me Twilight would be interested in another mare but I just don't see what i can do." Pinkie thought hard for a few minutes "well if it were me I'd just come out and tell her how I feel, I'd follow my heart not my head. But it might be tougher for someone who thinks as much as you do Sunrise." Suddenly the timer went off "Ooh cookies are done!" They enjoyed a few cookies together and Sunrise bagged up a couple just in case. "Thanks for trying to help Pinkie. I just don't know who could help me. I've never really been close enough to anyone that they know how i think. Except one person but she'd be far too busy to listen to me." "If you mean Princess Celestia, i know from experience she's always happy to talk to a friend. And it sounds to me like you two were more than just teacher and pupil. Go talk to her silly." Sunrise caught the train to Canterlot. She had a few hours to speak with the princess before the last train back to Ponyville. She approached the castle "Halt! Who goes there?" "Hello, my name is Sunrise Shadow. I was a student of Princess Celestia and i was hoping i could talk to her." One of the guards went inside a moment and promptly returned to escort her to the princess. Celestia rather than the throne room instructed the guard to bring Sunrise to a little side room prepared with some tea and armchairs. "Ahh Sunrise, please have a seat I'm sure you have much to tell me." Sunrise spent the next hour telling the princess about her first few days in Ponyville and all the new friends she made. Blushing profusely while recounting the thunderstorm story. Celestia listened intently and occasionally gave a soft chuckle. "So I imagine there's a reason you came to see me? You could have just written a letter if you wanted to talk about your friends. Why see me in person?" "Because Princess, I know you're the only person who really understands me and my unique talents. Whenever i picture a certain mare in my head my heart swells with joy and I know I feel something special. But my mind tells me it would never work. I don't know what to do and I was hoping you could give me some advice." "Well first thing's first, who is this mare?" "Twilight Sparkle" "I didn't quite catch that Sunrise." She took a deep breath. "It's, Princess Twilight Sparkle." Celestia smiled "so you have feelings for the princess of friendship? But tell me, are you certain of this? In the past your heart has guided you down the wrong path, and your mind down the right. The inverse is also true. The duality of your talents and knowledge is what gave you that cutie mark. Is your heart telling you your feelings, or your mind? Or maybe both? I just want you to be certain this Isn't a simple foal's crush. You never had an opportunity to properly grow with your peers and I see a little childlike wonder in your eyes even now. I would hate to see your heart be broken by a rash decision." "Believe me Princess i thought these things myself. No matter how hard i tried to convince myself this was just a silly crush or a dream i would never achieve, I simply couldn't deny my true feelings." "I'm glad you spoke with me Sunrise. But I think there's another who could perhaps help you more than I can. She knows Twilight personally and has experience in matters of the Heart. I can call her here or you can go to her. If you wish to speak to her that is." "I'll go, where is she? "The Crystal Empire."
A Night to RememberIt had been 2 weeks since Sunrise Shadow admitted her feelings for Princess Twilight Sparkle. The two were inseparable in the castle but at Sunrise's asking, nobody aside from Starlight Glimmer and Spike knew about the relationship. The day had come where they would tell their friends. Sunrise was predictably scared but Twilight assured her that they would be happy. They arrived at Sugarcube Corner where 5 other ponies awaited their arrival. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Twilight spoke "so i wanted everypony here because I have an announcement." Her friends gasped and stared in wonder as to what Twilight could have to tell them. "A couple of weeks ago, I met a very special pony. Unique in her own way but afraid to face the world. I took her under my wing quite literally and found out she had feelings for me. I think you all know her too. Meet my marefriend, Sunrise Shadow." Sunrise meekly hid herself behind her hair but stepped out enough for everyone to see her. At first there was a little confusion but then they each remembered their own respective encounters with her that fateful day and congratulated the two of them. "Well shoot Twilight, I'm glad you found yourself somepony." Spoke Applejack Rarity was next to offer her opinion "If you ask me I'm surprised it took this long for a princess to find a worthy suitor, yet here we stand today and it's crystal clear our dear Twilight has finally found the one for her." Rainbow dash brushed it off predictably "yeah but it's just a bunch of mushy hooey, not like anyone really cares about that stuff." Pinkie then spoke up "so you're saying you don't kiss a picture of Spitfire goodnight before bed Dashie? Because i could've sworn i saw you do it. More than once too." "S-shut up ya goof, I was uhh, admiring the photo's quality, yeah that's it." Rainbow Dash blushed slightly. A quiet giggle followed from Fluttershy "well I'm very happy for you Twilight, you too Sunrise. I'm sure you'll both be very happy together." The six friends, now seven. Enjoyed the afternoon together before Sunrise excused herself from the group saying she had something to do. "Alright Sunny, this is it. Your one chance at a first date, make it a good one." She proceeded to reserve a table at Ponyville's best restaurant as well as pick up a small bouquet of Purple Pansies and pick up a dress from Rarity she ordered a week ago. "Gotta remember to thank Rarity for keeping quiet about the dress, maybe I can do something for her another day." An internal monologue was the only thing Sunrise could hear right now, her mind was focused on the task at hand. "Alright now I just need to...actually ask her out." Sunrise forgot the one crucial step to her plan, she had to pluck up the courage to ask Twilight to dinner. "C'mon Sunny you've slept in the same bed as her for weeks now, and you can't even muster the courage to ask her to dinner? You need to pony up girl." She thought to herself as she hid the dress away in her room before approaching Twilight in her study. "Hey uhh Twilight. These are for you." She presented the Pansies to Twilight who smiled and kissed her on the forehead before calling Spike to put them in some water. "One more thing. Would you like to...go to dinner with me this evening?" Twilight smiled and took Sunrise's hoof in her own "I thought you'd never ask." A quick peck later and the two went off to get ready. Sunrise told Twilight they were eating at the fanciest restaurant in town so Twilight knew she needed something a little flashier than usual. She decided a nice gown Rarity had made her awhile ago would fit well along with her crown. Normally she wouldn't flash the princess card in public but this was a special occasion and she felt with some gold earrings it helped complete the look. The gown in question being a striking midnight blue with purple and black accents and twinkling white stars. Meanwhile Sunrise was comparatively meeker in the fashion department. Her dress was a bright orange with purple and blue streaks custom made for her at Rarity's own design no less and for free. She was expecting a custom dress to cost a small fortune. "Guess it pays to have a friend in the business eheh...I really have to stop talking to myself." "Really? Because I'm sure Twilight would find it endearing." spoke a snarky voice in the door frame. Starlight walked in "I thought you might want a little help getting ready since this is your first date after all." Starlight helped her into her dress and gave her a pair of amethyst earrings and a gold neck band. "There, I'm no fashion expert but I'd say you look pretty good." "Thanks Starlight." She hugged Starlight and for the first time, close proximity to another mare didn't trigger any blushing fits. She had one special mare just for her now. "Have fun Sunrise. Don't have her out too late, I want her back by midnight." Starlight couldn't help but burst out laughing at her own joke. The two mares met in the castle foyer and both were amazed at the beauty of one-another. "Wow Sunrise, I never noticed just how beautiful you were." "I always admired your beauty Twilight." It was clear Sunrise was in shy mode for the moment and likely the foreseeable future. Not a bad thing Twilight thought to herself, It might make the date more relaxing. The two reached the Restaurant and were shown their table. After deciding on their food they stared into each other's eyes until the food came, neither of them needing to say a word. The meal was simple yet luxurious and when the dessert menu came they decided to split a large slice of red velvet cake. Unfortunately this led to Twilight getting some on her nose leading to a much more forward Sunrise licking it off causing her to blush profusely. "Hey, save that for home Sunny, the last thing the press needs is seeing me get licked on the nose." Sunrise giggled "oh come on Twilight lighten up, I'm your marefriend now, I'm supposed to do things like this." They took a walk together in the park sitting on a bench while Sunrise rested her head on Twilight who in turn wrapped a wing around her marefriend. They didn't want the night to end. And if Sunrise got her way tonight it wouldnt end there. After an evening together Twilight assumed Sunrise would want to retire to her own room for a night. But instead found herself being followed back to her room. Something Starlight hadn't seen earlier much to the relief of Sunrise was the special underwear she had on underneath her dress. The two mares removed their dresses but Sunrise was still left clothed, wearing a lacy black pair of underwear that left little to the imagination and showed off her flank in full view. She swayed with a Sultry step towards the bed and patted beside her. Twilight was at first shocked but then realized this was confident Sunrise and smirked. Sunrise kissed her marefriend and then spoke softly "y'know Twi, tonight was great but we've been spending so much time together I feel like, I want something more you know? Only if you're comfortable with it though." Twilight spoke "I think i know what you mean Sunny and if it would make you happy I'll be more than happy to oblige." The last thing to happen was the removal of the underwear and the two ponies under the covers kissing each other more passionate than ever before, sealing the deal in that special way only lovers truly can.
A Day in the lifeSunrise Shadow. A young mare from Ponyville who moved from Canterlot after graduating Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. She was nothing special to look at, deep orange coat, two toned blue and purple mane long enough to cover an eye, and a cutie mark of a sun split in two by yellow and purple to signify duality. She was always too shy to make friends though she secretly always wanted some. The princess of the sun herself recommended Ponyville as she knew the princess of friendship made her domain there. Her biggest problem however was her dual personalities. She had never been close enough with anyone besides Princess Celestia for that side of her to be revealed. But she was naturally both shy and bold simultaneously. Which one decided to be her front line for that moment was sadly uncontrollable. Princess Twilight Sparkle. Now there's a name Sunrise knew all too well. She saw the coronation, she was there when Tirek threatened the world her own magic somehow being protected from his darkness, not that she knew why. Sunrise knew that Ponyville would be a new beginning for her. Somewhere she could lay her head, dream sweet dreams and not be judged for her choice in partners. Yes Sunrise Shadow in fact, liked mares. But she was too insecure about herself to make a friend never mind find someone she could trust to come out to. In her first day in Ponyville alone she met countless ponies who all seemed so happy just being together as a community. Some like Lyra and Bon Bon as well as Octavia and Vinyl Scratch not afraid to show off their affection for one-another. But of course she was still alone and friendless at the end of the day. She didn't want to seek friendship instead hoping it could find her. And find her it did, the second day she bumped into a white mare with a custom-made sunhat and diamond cutie mark which caused her to fall into the mud and get mud all over herself. "Oh good heavens, I'm so sorry dear I didn't see you there." The mare offered a hoof to Sunrise who took it and rose to her feet again. "Oh, i-it's ok, I should've been paying more attention." "I haven't seen you around before, are you perhaps new to town?" Plucking up the little courage she had Sunrise spoke "Yes, I'm Sunrise Shadow. Princess Celestia recommended i should come to Ponyville after i graduated her school top of the class, she said that it might help me find...some friends." The last part coming out considerably quieter didn't go unnoticed. "Well darling, my name is Rarity. I own Carousel Boutique, and I must say I want to do something to apologise for dropping you in the mud like that, would you like to come with me for some tea dear? If you're looking to make friends why not start now?" Sunrise's eyes lit up, she had almost done it, she'd almost made a friend. "Oh yes I'd love to, but uhh I'm a little muddy" "Think nothing of it you can get cleaned up at the boutique." Sunrise followed Rarity back to the boutique where she got cleaned nicely and Rarity even picked out a cute scarf for her as an apology gift. The two enjoyed their tea together and Rarity gave her a quick peck on the cheek on the way out the door. Common for Rarity likely she had no idea the effect it had on poor Sunrise who must've looked like a tomato walking through town. Later that day Sunrise at the recommendation of Rarity visited a small cottage in the woods. Animals were always good company for her, they wouldn't judge you. She knocked the door and heard a small voice say "just a minute" on the other side. The door opened to reveal a butter yellow pegasus with butterflies for a cutie mark. "Oh, umm hi I'm Sunrise Shadow, I'm new to town and i met this girl Rarity who said if i wanted to make more friends I should come here." "Oh hello my name's Fluttershy and I hope she meant the animals because I'm not the best at meeting new people." "You seem to be doing alright with me so far, I promise I'll be as quiet as a mouse if you want me to. I just, never had the courage to go out and meet new people. So far it's taking a lot out of me just to talk to you." Fluttershy stared at her and smiled "well i guess we have something in common then, I'm pretty timid too but friends are always there to help you when you need a boost of confidence. I'd be glad to be your friend Sunrise." Sunrise smiled back and the two embraced. Sunrise blushing ever so slightly at the closeness. Fluttershy introduced some of her animal friends to Sunrise. She got to pet Angel bunny, had a little bird on her hoof and got a big hug from Harry the bear. Afterwards Sunrise bid farewell to Fluttershy and began walking again only to get smacked into by a rainbow colored blur that proceeded to crash into a nearby tree. "Woah my head, sorry bout' that I guess I should've watched where i was going. You were seeing Fluttershy weren't ya? You came from that direction anyway. She's a good friend of mine, name's Rainbow Dash nice to meet you. " After taking a moment to un-dizzy Sunrise responded "Oh hi, I'm Sunrise Shadow. I just moved to Ponyville and I guess new friends have been bumping into me all day." "Bit of a shy case huh? I've dealt with that before, don't you worry your pretty little flank off you got a friend right here." Dash extended a hoof and after a mild blush at her flank being called pretty Sunrise bumped Rainbow Dash's hoof and watched her speed off into the skies. Sunrise's stomach rumbled as she walked back into town and she looked around for somewhere to get a snack. She spied a small bakery called Sugarcube Corner and inside was a hyperactive ball of pink. "Hi I'm Pinkie Pie, I've never seen you before, so you must be new! I always make a point of learning about every new resident of Ponyville so i can give them a big smile when they feel down." She placed a rather tasty looking cupcake in front of Sunrise "on the house for my new friend." Sunrise barely even knew who this pony was and was already being given special treatement and called her friend. But she didn't care. The cupcake was delicious and Sunrise left much happier than she went in, somehow finding confetti in her hair. "Lemme guess, ya'll are new and Pinkie just gave you her trademark welcome?" spoke a southern accent behind her. This pony was a lighter color than she was with a long blonde mane and a cowboy hat with apples for a cutie mark. "Howdy I'm Applejack, always nice to meet a new friend." "Likewise, I'm Sunrise Shadow." Applejack looked her up and down before saying "Not bad, you got a good physique goin' there girl, ya work out?" "Not really, i just walk a lot." "I can tell, them hooves are full of strength" as if to demonstrate Applejack began feeling Sunrise's back left hoof up to her butt and gave he a playful slap causing Sunrise to blush. "So ya made any other friends here in Ponyville?" "Just a few, this beautiful mare named Rarity, a sweet gal named Fluttershy, a rocking speedster named Rainbow Dash and a funny pink pony named Pinkie Pie" "Well shoot, they're all my friends too. But we do have one more member in our little group. I'll take ya to meet her sugarcube." "Oh ok." Sunrise walked with Applejack to a large castle made entirely of crystal that Sunrise couldn't believe she never noticed. A knock on the door was greeted by a unicorn with a muted pink coat, purple mane with mint stripe and a magical wisp for a cutie mark. "Howdy Starlight, is Twi about? I wanted to introduce her to my new friend here. She's already made friends with the rest of the gals." "Oh she's in the library, would you expect anything different?" Starlight chuckled "c'mon in. I'm Starlight Glimmer former student and current friend to the pony you're about to meet." "Sunrise Shadow, nice to meet you." Sunrise thought to herself "a pony with a castle, a student, and a large group of friends. I wonder who lives here. Wait didn't Applejack call her Twi? No, it couldn't be." But as the trio made their way to the library Sunrise's jaw dropped. Sitting in all her glory with a good book was a young lavender alicorn with a pair of majestic wings, long blue hair with colored streaks and a pink magical star cutie mark. This was indeed who she was thinking of.
From Princess of Love to Love of a PrincessSunrise returned to Ponyville and told Twilight she helped Pinkie to bake cookies and that she had plans tomorrow to visit someone new. She neglected to mention the meeting with Celestia of course. That evening Twilight gave her a big hug goodnight causing Starlight to wink at her and Sunrise to blush profusely. The next morning shortly after breakfast Sunrise caught her train to The Crystal Empire and proceeded slowly to its castle, not knowing what to expect inside. At the gate she met a pony wearing most of a guard's uniform minus the helmet. He was white with a blue mane and shield cutie mark. She softly spoke "Umm, excuse me but uhh, I was looking for the princess. Princess Celestia told me she might be able to help me with my umm, emotional problems?" The stallion laughed at her "yep that sounds like Celestia all right, sending any pony with a love problem to my wife Cadence. I'm Shining Armor captain of the guard and husband to the princess you're looking for." Sunrise thought he looked familliar then she recalled a picture in Twilight's castle. "I've seen you before, yeah you were in one of Twilight's pictures." "Oh you know Twily? She's my little sister. I guess she doesn't talk much about her family huh? Anyway follow me, I'll take you to Cadence." Sunrise followed Shining Armor through the castle to the throne room where a pink alicorn with long flowing multi toned hair in various shades of pink and yellow and a crystal heart for a cutie mark sat smiling. "Hey honey, this girl's here to see you." "Thanks Shiny, now then. Hello I'm Princess Cadence what can i do for you?" "Um, h-hi I'm S-sunrise, Sunrise Shadow." she said meekly to this new princess. "What's wrong, oh is it my title? Ugh I hate it when the whole princess thing makes people not want to treat me like a normal pony." "Well uhh Cadence, I-I can try" she took a deep breath. "I can try to treat you like a normal pony, Princess Celestia told me you might be the right person to help me with a personal problem." Cadence stared at the seemingly confident mare in front of her, she wasn't there a few seconds ago. "How did you go from so shy to so confident so quickly?" "Oh, that's my uhh talent i guess? I don't think of it as a talent more a nuisance really. I'm good at seeing things from different perspectives. Unfortunately it also means my emotions and mannerisms can get a bit, extreme." "Wow, that's incredible. Hey are you hungry? I was gonna take a break from doing nothing to grab a bite in the living area, c'mon its this way" Sunrise followed Cadence through the castle to a small living space with a few chairs, a large couch and some cupcakes and tea waiting. Cadence sat on the couch and patted beside her for Sunrise to join. "So tell me Sunrise, what problem do you have that Celestia thought you should speak to me about it? I'm the Crystal Princess, my only real talent is lo-" Cadence's eyes lit up "ohh, you have a love problem don't you?" Cadence smirked. Sunrise sighed "Yes, and from what Celestia told me. It's someone you know well. It's Princess Twilight Sparkle." Cadence almost fainted but caught herself. "You're being serious right now? You have a crush on Twilight?" Sunrise began to cry."That's just it! I don't know what it is. She gave me a home in a new town, she comforted me when I got scared of a thunderstorm even sheltered me with her wing and let me snuggle close to her. This feels like so much more than a silly crush but I-I just don't know." Cadence placed a wing around her and pulled the sobbing pony in close, nuzzling her neck slightly. "Easy there girl, let it all out. Its OK. If this is being triggered just from telling me about your feelings for her, I'd say its a bit more than a little crush. I can't be certain because of your extreme emotions as you put it. But I think it's safe to say you genuinely do love her, and that night together was the spark that lit the flame." Sunrise sobbed a little but stopped crying cuddling into the larger alicorn. "T-thank you Cadence you have no idea how much I needed to hear that." The afternoon was spent with Sunrise enjoying some ice-cream while Cadence recounted tales of babysitting a young Twilight to the delight of Sunrise. Eventually Sunrise bid her farewell Cadence teleporting her back to Ponyville as the sun began to set believing it to be safer than the last train. Now Sunrise was sure of her feelings, but the problem was admitting them to Twilight. So many things could go wrong, what if she didn't feel the same way because they just met, or what if Starlight just assumed she liked mares too. Cadence did give Sunrise one final piece of advice before she left. Telling her to listen to her heart when it came to love and not her head. With a fire in her belly she entered the castle again and after declining a bite to eat saying she wasn't hungry. Began to plan her move. She didn't want to do anything elaborate or flashy, that wasn't how she worked. She wanted to just sit down and talk to Twilight about it. She informed Starlight of her plan who promptly took Spike to another part of the castle while Sunrise entered the library and saw the source of her affection reading a novel. "Hey Twilight, can i talk to you?" "Sure Sunrise, what's up?" Sunrise swallowed, this was it. "Well the truth is. I had feelings for someone. I wasnt sure if it was a silly crush or a genuine feeling of love, i asked anyone who could help me and eventually i was sent to Princess Cadence. She told me it sounded like my feelings were true I even cried into her wing. But now I know what i have to do." "Well it sounds like you had quite a day Sunrise, so care to tell me who the lucky pony is?" Sunrise rose up with a newfound boldness "why don't I show you instead?" She kissed Twilight square on the muzzle, Twilight initially surprised melted into the kiss and after a brief moment they parted. "The pony I love Twilight. Is you." "But why? We barely know each other, I mean the kiss was nice, really nice. But why?" "I've always had a thing for mares for a start. But also because you took me in, you gave me a home. This place doesn't feel like just another place I've lived in. It truly feels like home because you're here with me. You sheltered me from my fears and let me cuddle you like a lost foal, and didn't shy away when my bolder side came out. You're the first person who's seen both sides of me, and accepted me as I am. Most other ponies would just shun me for being so split." She then grinned playfully "plus you do have a nice flank" she winked. Twilight blushed at the last comment but then took a moment to think before speaking "anypony would be lucky to have someone as unique as you. Some ponies prefer things to be basic, simple, normal even. But i don't think that such a thing exists. Everyone is unique in their own special way and your dual personalities are both great in their own way. You can be the sweetest mare one moment, and ready to fight for her friends the next. It's truly admirable." "And I'd love to be your special somepony Sunrise." Twilight kissed her this time both mares embracing and rolling around the pillow laden floor for what seemed like hours before being interrupted by Starlight. "Well I see your talk went well, I thought you should know its 10 PM, you might want to get some shut eye." The two smiled at each other and Twilight began walking to her room before Sunrise spoke up "Wait Twilight. W-would you mind if i slept with you again tonight? We don't have to do it every night if you don't want, but I had a long day and I'd love to snuggle my marefriend again." Twilight kissed her forehead "sure Sunrise, and if you want to share my bed every night. I certainly won't complain." Twilight then sultrily whispered "especially if you kiss as good as that under the covers." Sunrise went bright red but followed Twilight to bed anyway. The two crawled under the covers embracing each other before drifting off to sleep.
