Living Happily with the Love of Your Life

Chapters

One: Family Matters
Two: The Royal Couple
Three: To Hell in a Handbasket
Four: Living in the Ashes
Five: A Wonderful Christmastime
Six: A Different Kind of Future
Seven: A Weary Road of Wrath
Eight: Out of the Frying Pan
Nine: The End of the World
Epilogue: For Now
Prologue: Reminiscence

One: Family Matters

She looked at the sight before her and smiled, a happy sigh escaping her lips. How could one look out and see their heart so apart from their own body, and know it was the most sensible thing in the world? It was a sensation she had often tried –and failed- to put into words, but one she assuredly knew by sight. To look and see the thing you value more highly than even your own life was a feeling she treasured.

Twilight tried her best to set down her bag quietly, to remove her shoes with hardly a whisper in the hopes that she had not awoken Cadance from her nap, the older woman who she called the love of her life resting peacefully on the couch with hardly a care in the world. For one who held such an esteemed position in the most prestigious school in the city, it was a welcome reprieve. Twilight was glad of it, especially since Cadance had not felt well in some time now. Perhaps exhaustion, or some lingering illness that had simply refused to go away- neither of them knew.

They had been living together for two years now, ever since Twilight had graduated. It had been a sought-after state of affairs, the two women desiring to actually be together physically after a year of long-distance relationship. It had worked, and Twilight had been glad of the comfort, but nothing could equal the real touch of another human being that loved you as much as you loved them, the feel of warm flesh and soft lips pressing against your skin. It was an unrivaled sensation that Twilight cherished- and one she knew Cadance absolutely craved.

Had all her staring found a way to alert the semiconscious brain? Cadance’s peaceful, serene expression that could only be found on a sleeping face began to fall away, a drowsy look instead taking shape as the waking world came to be realized in her eyes. For a moment, they wandered about the living room to quietly take in the surroundings; as they fell on Twilight, the drowsiness shared its place alongside a warm happiness, a heavy-eyed smile forming on Cadance’s wonderful lips. “Hey, Love,” she said gently.

“How are you feeling, Princess?” Twilight asked, walking over and taking a seat beside Cadance’s resting form.

“Mmm… better now that you’re here,” Cadance teased, reaching out a hand that found its place on Twilight’s cheeks, bringing in the younger woman for a slow, soft kiss- one of the many dozens of kisses and acts of affection that Cadance so deeply craved from her lover and so lavishly gifted in return. “How was work today?”

“Long. But I’m learning a lot. You know how it is, just paying your dues until you’re the one in charge,” Twilight answered. “But… you didn’t say how you were really feeling.”

“I’m better, now that I got a nap in,” Cadance said, her voice now less groggy. “You don’t have to worry, I’ll be fine. Just a bit under the weather, that’s all.”

“And you’re sure?”

“Yes, Love. I’m sure,” Cadance said with a giggle. “How you worry so…”

“Well, it’s not like you ever do,” Twilight retorted. Their back and forth was friendly, familiar- even if occasionally it degenerated into bickering. Twilight was the one who needed plans and details and specifics, while Cadance took the world one step at a time. Perhaps it was simply the maturity that came with time that allowed the beautiful woman to be so consistently relaxed.

“Because worrying has always helped make problems go away. You need something to eat, Miss Cranky.”

“I’m not cranky,” Twilight protested, even as her stomach gave an audible grumble. “But maybe I’m something else.”

“There’s still a couple biscuits left on the counter,” Cadance suggested.

“Thanks, Cadance.” Twilight rose from her place beside the beautiful woman she adored and headed for the kitchen, only to pause at the threshold. “Oh, and just in case; we don’t have to go out tonight if you don’t want to. I can tell Pinkie and Sunset that we weren’t feeling it.”

“No! I’m fine, Twilight, I promise. Just tired!” Cadance said, the bleariness that had slowly been seeping away from her features now pushed away by the winds of determination, she rising from her place on the couch and taking a long, luxurious stretch that allowed her to flaunt all her beauty for Twilight to bask in. “Now that I think about it, I should probably start getting ready soon, shouldn’t I?”

“We’ve got a couple hours before we’d have to leave.”

“Then I can take my time,” Cadance replied, sauntering over and gracing Twilight’s lips with another kiss. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.” Twilight turned for the awaiting plate of biscuits and smiled as she heard the soft footfalls of that wonderful woman she had loved for so much of her life. Twilight could say she loved her openly, to her sweet, flawless face, and actually hear it in return. How her life had gone…

Whenever they went anywhere together, it was inevitable that someone would be surprised –if not offended- that Cadance and Twilight were together. The age difference between the two of them didn’t require any strong skills of observation. Some, Twilight knew, would at first assume they were either friends or perhaps instead siblings. Then there would be the moments of affection, simple gestures and touches that were shared only between lovers. It would bring attention, and the whispers would slither their way across the floor towards unwilling ears that had heard it all a thousand times over. A held hand often grabbed attention; a kiss would bring grumbles.

Twilight, the one who had taken initiative both times in their relationships, was the more capable of shrugging off such petty matters as the words and opinions of others. So what if the sneaking suspicions and cruel remarks of the world came her way? They knew not of the truth, how she and Cadance had come to be. To Twilight, their words meant nothing. It had been Cadance who had found it difficult to listen; little surprise, as she was the heart of the relationship. By far the one more heavily scrutinized, the older woman did her best to hold her head high, but some remarks that would flow towards her were… cutting. Deception. Coercion. Predatory. They’d heard it before, the subject even something they had discussed- rather, one Cadance had wearily wondered aloud and had been promptly shut down by Twilight before the thought could take root. It had always been her choice, not brought about by wily words of others. She would see it no other way.

The relief to have friends in the midst of it was welcoming. Pinkie and Sunset were hardly judgmental souls, ones in which Twilight was glad she could confide. The calmer, more peaceful relationship between Cadance and Twilight was a stark contrast to the enthusiastic, almost bombastic, romance the baker shared with her tech-enthused friend and found itself more at ease when in its presence. Cadance relaxed when in their midst, was more comfortable being herself before strange eyes. Pinkie’s overt affection was too much a part of her to ever be diminished by others, and gave a strange courage to others who understood it.

That wasn’t to say it was always easy to be around.

“Hey, you two! Come on over!” The bright, frizzy hair of Pinkie Pie stood out amongst the flat and wavy, her brightly colored outfit adding to the stark contrast of the more muted, relaxed look of the woman sitting beside her.

“She’d have been hard to miss, anyway,” Cadance murmured, though smiling at the joyous greeting. She had become closer friends with the younger woman, and could be just as shameless. The hug that Pinkie couldn’t resist giving was welcomed and returned in equal measure.

“You’re a little late,” Sunset remarked as their friends sat across from them. “That’s certainly not your style.”

“We took a little longer to get ready, that’s all,” Twilight answered. “You know how it can be sometimes.”

Cadance gave a shake of her head and said, “Oh, she’s just trying to cover for me. I’ve not been feeling very well this week and I held her up.”

“Oh gosh, are you OK? You’re not sick, are you?” Pinkie asked, already approaching distraught.

“I’m fine, I promise!” Cadance replied. “It’s just been a long couple weeks- and, well, look how the weather’s been, too. Up and down certainly doesn’t help things. Honestly I felt way better after getting a nap in.”

“Well that’s good to hear. You certainly had her worried,” Sunset said, gesturing to a blushing Twilight. “Neurotic even still, and probably always will be.” Cadance laughed, which only made Twilight feel the flush in her cheeks all the more fiercely. And she thought she’d begun to manage her worries properly!

“You fret too much, Twi, even if I appreciate the concern,” Cadance teased, a squeeze of a hand enough to add what words couldn’t be said aloud. “No wonder you’ve been tired, you don’t let yourself relax!”

“I was just a bit concerned, that’s all!” Twilight countered, wishing the whole conversation would just go away. “I thought I was handling it well.”

Cadance turned to Pinkie and started a new conversation, sensing her girlfriend’s rising sense of mortification. As the casual cascade of words continued on, the fall evening fell in force and only soft, artificial light was there to provide the warmth that could match the conversation and comfort the four of them held. A somewhat mismatched group that somehow so easily worked together; Sunset’s fire properly tempered by Pinkie’s consistent joy, Twilight’s thought given life by Cadance’s heart. In the two years since Twilight had moved in, the happiness she had found in their midst was something she would forever be thankful for.

“So- Thanksgiving’s coming up,” Sunset remarked, picking at the last bites of food that still lingered on her small plate. “You guys going out to Cadance’s folks again, I’m guessing?”

“Well…” Twilight hesitated. “My Mom asked me to come up to Manehatten and visit with my grandparents this time around, and she wouldn’t really take no for an answer.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Sunset said. “So what’s the problem?”

“I’d be going with her,” Cadance added.

“So? That doesn’t- oh my gosh, she doesn’t know you two are dating, does she?” Pinkie asked, the confusion on her face turning to sympathetic understanding like the flip of a switch.

“That is… part of the problem,” Cadance answered, likely unsure of what to say if the subject went further. Some things weren’t capable of being explained.

“Is your Mom against you dating girls?”

“I don’t think so- my grandparents might be, we’ve never talked about any of it,” Twilight said, a darting glance at the lovely woman beside her.

“So the problem is… me, really,” Cadance said with a sigh. “Velvet really, really doesn’t like me.”

Pinkie looked like she wanted to shed a tear and leaned across the table to give Cadance something of a hug, while Sunset seemed to mull the statement over in her mind. “But you were Twilight’s- well, her, uh… her babysitter. Years and years ago,” Sunset stumbled over, the reality of the age gap more difficult to deal with when spoken aloud. “She liked you then, right?”

Cadance looked everywhere that wasn’t the people around her, sensing Twilight’s shame was almost as great as her own. It was the deep, dark, heavily buried secret that they had wrestled with over the years, and what catharsis they had decided upon wasn’t always effective. “We had- umm, a falling out. A bad one.”

“And so you’re afraid she’ll get mad if you show up and say you’re dating her daughter,” Sunset guessed.

“A mild way of putting it,” Twilight remarked. “I don’t know.”

“It’s too bad, too! Just look at Cadance: so beautiful and soft and sweet, she’s anyone’s dream girlfriend!” Pinkie declared, the lavish compliment helping to defuse the awkwardness. “Twilight’s Mom would be beyond super excited about Cadance being with her if she knew what was right!”

Cadance, who had been deflating slowly, was rejuvenated by the vivacious woman’s kind words. “Not anywhere as sweet as you, Pinkie,” she replied. “No wonder Sunset is so protective of you, I would be too!”

Sunset gave her own smile, a gaze softened by love looking upon its favorite subject. “She’s my sweetheart. And no one else could hope to be.”

“And you’re my ray of sunshine,” Pinkie whispered, suddenly pulling the sun-haired woman in for a staggering, overpowering kiss that left Twilight shocked- and quickly being overtaken by awkwardness as it continued, Pinkie holding Sunset so tightly that she seemed to be intent on making her wife swoon. When at last Sunset seemed had the totality of her breath stolen away was she at last released with a hearty Mwah! from Pinkie’s embrace, both the recipient and the audience feeling rather dazed.

“You like her a little bit, do you?” Cadance said pleasantly, more or less unperturbed by the public display of affection.

“Goodness,” Twilight said.

“Oh trust me, Twilight,” Pinkie said, a lavish look in her eyes as she still held her beloved close, “that was nothing. You should see Rarity and her girlfriend. They make us look like a 50’s sitcom.”

Cadance laughed as she recalled the story she had been told, though Twilight still remained mortified by what she had walked into that day. Of all things, intruding on such an incident hadn’t been purposeful. “So I’ve heard,” the gorgeous woman remarked. “And really, they’re just adorable together.”

“Their pet names are awful,” Twilight said, “honestly almost as bad as you all’s.”

“Oh come on, it’s sweet!” Cadance protested, earning a smile from an unabashed Pinkie Pie. “It’s not like it bothers you when we’re home alone.”

“Oh, I’ve got to hear this,” Sunset said, leaning in with eagerness.

“Oh gosh, please don’t,” Twilight protested.

“I call her ‘Love’ if we’re alone,” Cadance explained. “After all, she’s just that. Not a reason to feel embarrassed at all.”

“And what does she call you?”

Twilight gave a sigh and a shamefaced smile, knowing she had asked for such a moment. “Princess.”

Night was falling deeply, and the time to leave had come. The two couples exchanged their goodbyes and began to make their separate ways, Twilight turning to Cadance and smiling as she saw that bright happiness upon her exquisite face, no longer clouded by illness or poor feeling. She likely was much of the same, that common effect from being in the presence of such a happy pair- especially if one of them was Pinkie Pie.

“That was fun,” Cadance remarked as she settled behind the wheel. “I’m glad we went, that was definitely worth it.”

“It was. Cadance, I… I wanted to ask you about going to visit,” Twilight said. “You know. To my Mom’s. Are you sure you’re OK with going?”

Cadance smiled, even if it now appeared a bit strained. “We’d have to face that mountain sooner or later,” she said. “I’d rather do it now- and be beside you when it comes.”

“Alright, I’ll... I’ll let her know. We’ve got plenty of time to prepare, at least. Right?”

“Yeah. We do,” Cadance said. The key was placed in the ignition but left unturned, the beautiful woman’s gaze back in time.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, just thinking,” Cadance said softly. “Pinkie and Sunset are… sweet. And that kiss, it was… well…”

Twilight laughed, the scene she had found discomforting now a source of happy, somewhat awkward, memory. “It was a bit much, wasn’t? Pinkie’s always been a bit too enthusiastic-”

“Can you kiss me like that right now?” Cadance pleaded.

As lips met in the darkened vehicle, it seemed Twilight could.

Author's Note

This will be 'quieter' than its predecessor. I don't like writing asshole protagonists.

More will come. And so will other suggested (requested) items.

Keep reading, if you want.

Two: The Royal Couple

It had not taken much time spent in the confines of a real, loving relationship for both Cadance and Twilight to discover unique aspects of personality regarding one another. The simple acts of living together, and the continual learning of as to how, was a journey of discovery and self-discovery alike that gave rise to the ups and downs of a typical relationship. Tension and arguments could just as easily arise as bliss and soft-spoken word, and it was up to the both of them to deal with what came.

One revelation that arose not long after Twilight moved in came as little surprise, an almost predictable bit of knowledge regarding her elder girlfriend: Cadance, the ever-receptive to physical affection, adored the act of kissing. In particular, she loved kissing Twilight. There was the romantic simplicity of the act itself that she valued, a simple touch that held so much more than words could describe and rejuvenated her spirits. But more than action that she cherished was the one with whom she shared it; the lovely, intelligent woman that she kissed was the one she craved, the touch and sensations of Twilight pressed against her in any way was like an electric shock to the heart. One kiss was rarely enough, the hunger only awakened by the solitary action and awakening something ravenous that made the beautiful Cadance melt. Lips pressed so sweetly against her own, willing –if not eager- to give and receive more was an intoxicating affair. Kisses would bring touches, hands that plied smooth skin and plunged beneath clothing for deeper exploration, warm flesh that had been kept distant inevitably closed the gap, passion that was kept tempered would begin to flare and intensify until even the cool, logical woman she loved would be overcome by the joy of the moment and they would be unable to escape the deep desire for carnal pleasure. Cadance love kissing Twilight, not just to enjoy the feel of her mouth, but to explore her everywhere. It was how she expressed her love best, the signature steps she took to ensure this young woman with whom she spent her life knew that she was cherished and valued.

And right now, Cadance’s tongue licking away at Twilight’s folds, that knowledge was hard to ignore. Having always been a maestro of the mouth meant swifter success in pleasuring her partner, but her skill was only put to proper use when combined with knowledge of what made the younger woman tick. Each moment they spent together wasn’t just a means to enjoy herself, but also to express her affections in the most potent way she knew how. Knowing where Twilight liked to be touched, when to tease and entice –and when to simply go for the plunge- were all part of the art form. Cadance felt a happiness of her own each time she heard her girlfriend gasp, or coo, or –even better- squeal.

One swift stroke, just on the very edge where the labia met the thigh. Then another, slower and more methodical as it turned to the depths by just a hair’s breadth- the shudder that came was intense, Twilight holding tightly to the sheets as a deliberately muffled moan escaped her lips despite her best efforts. She had been holding back.

“Is that a moan I hear?” Cadance teased, pausing in her tender work- only to return one swift stroke deep in the depths to heighten her mockery. “Miss Twilight, you are not at all prim and proper.”

“MMMF…” Twilight wasn’t even attempting to speak at this point, so vicious was her struggle to hold back. She stared down at Cadance and her eyes spoke to a veritable outpouring of emotions that had yet to be named by the faculties of human consciousness. She would not be able to last a real assault on her sexual senses before at last giving way.

Cadance crept upwards to allow herself a kiss; so soft, warm and so lacking in intensity. The kiss was full of words that could not fully expressed in all the tongues of Man, the moment in which it lingered seemingly lasting for ages until the world paused for the two lovers to experience the peace that came from their unity- the breathtaking woman at last returning to Twilight’s clit and pouring forth all her affections and graces into her exertions, voracious like one starved-

Even one as strong-willed as Twilight couldn’t hold back any further, giving a cry as the unrelenting delight rocked her body wildly as though she were a ship on the seas in a storm. She writhed, lashed out, cried from the rocking waves of intense feeling that coursed through her body. She hadn’t expected anything else from Cadance’s labors, but never did it fail to make her feel something new. Twilight couldn’t tell whether it was the love with which it was delivered that made it possible, but she would not have it come from any other.

As Twilight lay there gasping, she looked down her sweat-stained body and saw Cadance there in between her slowing kicks with a grin on her face. Her hair a tussled mess, her own face covered in sexual fluids, and sporting a smile that was marred by weariness… Twilight looked down into Cadance’s eyes and saw the most fantastically beautiful woman on earth.

“So how was that?” she asked sweetly.

“Get up here already!” Twilight said impatiently, and Cadance crawled her way up the younger woman’s body with a trail of soft kisses that eventually made their way to her lips, the two women holding one another with tenderness as they kissed again and again, the carnal passions more often than not turning Twilight’s formidable, logical mind to that of Cadance’s line of thinking. They had loved deeply, given to one another with the fire within them, and now was the time to allow that intensity to lessen. Simple kisses, the kind that Cadance craved, were the cool waters that would flow between them and all the more with each press of lips, each coo of happiness that one shared with the other. They held one another tightly and smiled in between the press, their eyes speaking for one another clearly in lieu of spoken word.

Cadance held Twilight closely, the electricity in her gaze lessening at last. “So,” she gasped, beautiful chest heaving even still from the exertion, “did you miss me?”

“Not for long,” Twilight answered, allowing her head to rest against her lover’s as she laughed softly from the silliness of the moment. “Goodness, Cadance. It’s been six years since our first time and still the only person who’s as good as you is you.”

“Oh, is that so?” Cadance trilled, “even after an ex-boyfriend and an ex-girlfriend each, you still can’t find better than me?”

“I was never going to, sillyhead.”

“I know. I just wanted to make sure,” she said sweetly. One more kiss and she nuzzled into her lover’s arms, content at the peacefulness that came with it. “Feel better? Did I relieve any stress?”

Twilight laughed. “Just a bit, perhaps. I may need more doses. My stress has been extreme these past few weeks.”

“I know. And I’m here if you need any me for anything,” Cadance replied, “because sometimes I think you forget when you’re trying to be so strong and confident for the both of us. You’ve been worrying too much lately.”

That was true, even if Twilight didn’t want to say it. A creature of logic and rational thought, the power of emotions was something she never truly had much control of; their potency frightened her. “Was I really that bad?”

“I just want you to be relaxed, Love,” Cadance said, a single kiss on her naked breast. “You’ve been worrying over nothing.”

“And you’re sure? It’s nothing anything we need to be concerned about or-”

“I’m fine, Twilight,” Cadance said firmly. A kiss prevented further worry from filtering through, finding its way out into the waking world. “Really. How could I be anything but when I’m with you?”

Twilight Sparkle, the rational, thinking woman of the pair, blushed from happiness. Whilst Cadance longed for the touch and feel of the ones she loved, Twilight found strength in the spoken emotion and pronouncement that came from the ones she loved. Cadance’s kiss and caress were always welcome, sometimes even needed- but her thoughts, given sounds, were music to her ears. It was one thing to know that she was wanted, desired, loved, but to hear it said and given affirmation was something of which she could never tire. “I know. I just- just-”

“Needed to hear it,” Cadance said, a kiss on the cheek coming with a giggle of her own. “I love you, Twilight.”

“You, too, Princess,” Twilight replied in kind, thankful she had nothing better to do than to simply dwell in her lover’s arms. The foreplay was wonderful, the sex was fantastic, yet somehow the after was something the both of them cherished as a moment precious. “So I’ve been thinking…”

“A dangerous hobby,” Cadance smiled, “for anyone but you.”

“Oh, shut up.” Twilight swatted her gently, though the action seemed to leave Cadance’s eyes gleaming more brightly than before. “So we’ve got some time this weekend with nothing to do. If you’re feeling alright, I was hoping we might go out for a bit.”

“That sounds fine to me. I promise, I’ve been alright, Twilight. What did you have in mind?”

She faltered, rather unexpectedly. There were times she considered herself little more than that teenage schoolgirl, desiring nothing more than Cadance’s kiss and approval. “Well- I know it’s not usually your style, but… there’s a ren faire in town. For a few more days. I thought it’d be fun to check it out.”

To little surprise, Twilight watched Cadance’s open expression turn to confusion. “A what?”

“A renaissance fair. Have you never seen one before?”

“I guess not. Is it like role-playing or something?”

“A little. It’s a big fair, but it’s all themed like it’s the middle ages. The food, the shops, even the events for people to watch. Lots of people get dressed up and get into it, it’s really fun!” Twilight couldn’t help but let her excitement at the thought start to seep in.

Cadance, unsurprisingly, started to laugh. “So it’s nerd stuff. Got it.”

That one hurt. “Cadance!”

“I’m teasing, I promise,” she said. “If you really want to go, I’ll go along with it and do my best to keep my mouth shut. I just…”

Twilight saw the hesitancy and thought she understood her girlfriend’s feelings. Cadance considered her beautiful- Twilight considered Cadance exquisite, even now. Older as she was, there was a desire for some peace and quiet in her enjoyment rather than wading through anything hostile or deliberately irritating. They’d had their share of both over the years. “Don’t worry,” she assured her. “Everyone’ll be too busy enjoying themselves for the most part to pay attention to you- or us. And a lot of people who’ll be there wouldn’t give us any sort of trouble, anyway. They’ll be too busy having fun.”

Cadance smiled. “I’ll trust you on that. Besides, since when has that ever been a bad decision?”

Twilight blanched. “It- has it been?”

“Oh, silly,” Cadance groaned, allowing herself the pleasant taste of Twilight’s lips a few times over. “Sometimes, I swear. Come on, let’s get cleaned up. I want to go to bed.”

“You taking a bath or a shower?” Twilight called, glad for the view as she watched Cadance parade her beautiful, naked body across the open bedroom towards the bathroom door.

“Shower. Why?”

“Good. I’m coming with you.”

It didn’t take long for Twilight to work her own kind of magic. Physical affection was not her most profound language of love, but her memory was fantastic and she knew Cadance. The sound of joyous cries erupted for quite a while.

The weather was surprisingly pleasant for mid-November. Bright sunshine with a coolness that one would almost describe as pale. The two women were not the only one to relish in it, it would seem, as the fairgrounds were positively crawling with people on the late Saturday morning.

Twilight looked over at the woman beside her and felt a tinge of sympathy at Cadance’s reluctance, likely heightened by the fact that the two women were holding hands as they walked forward through the throng. Cadance had come to prefer the quiet and the intimacy that came with it, rather than spending her time amongst strangers when enjoying herself. This place as lively, and loud. It was not her style any longer.

“We’ll have a good time, I promise,” she assured her. “Everyone’s too busy trying to enjoy themselves than to look at you.”

Caance nodded, relaxing somewhat with the encouragement. “I know. This just isn’t really something I’m familiar with. That’s all.”

“It’s the same for me,” Twilight replied. “Come on, we’ll rent a couple of costumes, get dressed up and lose ourselves in the fun and no one will even think twice about looking our way. It’s going to be a good time, you don’t need to worry about anything!”

Cadance, though more emotional, was still capable of listening to reason- particularly when it came from the sultry lips of Twilight. She smiled and squeezed her girlfriend’s hand as a response before adding, “And I bet you’re absolutely right, too. Lead on, Love.”

The smiling couple running the costume shop, perhaps sensing some inexperience, were more than happy to give Cadance a more thorough explanation to how the whole affair worked, and what sorts of dresswear they had to offer. For being a smaller faire, Twilight was surprised at the options available. Sure, many of them wouldn’t be historically accurate in the least, and some outright fantastical, but that was the fun. This was a place for people to enjoy the period in whichever way they wanted. Struggling between accuracy and what would be most comfortable, Twilight finally settled on a simple village maiden’s outfit, complete with a messenger bad she had brought along in lieu of a purse. A quick look in the mirror was all the confirmation she needed that she looked the part, and the young woman couldn’t help but smile.

“You definitely look pretty. Sure you don’t want to wear that around the house?” As Twilight whirled about, she felt her breath catch at the sight of loveliness that came walking through the racks of costumes towards her, a smile growing alongside her burgeoning confidence that only increased as she read her girlfriend’s enamored expression. Cadance, in contrast to Twilight’s simplicity, had taken a much more elegant piece of garb that did a surprising job at flattering her figure. Not sexy, but still presenting her as alluring and giving her an appearance of genuine royalty. “So… do I look alright?”

Twilight couldn’t keep the stupid smile from her face. “No wonder I call you Princess,” she said. “You look great! I love it!”

Cadance smiled for real this time, seemingly won over by the enthusiasm and her surroundings. “Thanks. You’re right, this is fun. It’s like being a little girl again, you know what I mean?”

“And everyone else here agrees,” Twilight said with glee. “Ooh, this is gonna be so much fun!”

“Yeah, I really think it will be,” Cadance assented, “hold on- time for a picture before we get started?” The phone came out from the messenger bag and kindled a pair of bright smiles from the eager couple, Twilight pausing as she felt Cadance’s lips press against her cheek just in time for one extra photo. “Sorry for being a worry-wart.”

“Oh, don’t even worry about it. Come on, Your Highness,” Twilight said, giving a giggle. “Your kingdom awaits.”

Under the pleasant fall sky, bright blue and glistening with the rays of the sun, the happy pair relished their day. Cool air forbade the sunshine from becoming broiling and turned it to pleasant warmth. Their joyful attitudes were only two amidst the great throng of people that had come to visit, and the great cacophony of pleasant sound helped to intensify their own. The ripe scents of well-cooked food enticed their appetites, and Twilight struggled to keep a grin off her face as she saw Cadance dig into her braised beef with relish.

“Good?”

“Amazing,” Cadance replied. “Ooh, and they’ve got mead tasting over there. I haven’t had any in years, I couldn’t find anything good for the longest time.”

“I’ve never had any.”

“Never?” Cadance almost looked disappointed. “Come on, we’ll try a few- just a few and see what you think. It’s different, you might like it more than the wine I buy.”

“I sure hope so.” Twilight had never truly taken to Cadance’s rather expensive hobby, still finding even the mildest hangovers hard to recover from.

While Cadance took to the tastings with enthusiasm, it was Twilight’s turn to be more reluctant, worried her lighter weight would intensify the sensations from the drink. To her surprise, the mead was pleasant, a dry sweetness that held to her mouth without the alcoholic bitterness. Her next was just as good, and so was the third; she pushed Cadance to laughter when her next action was to buy a bottle to take home.

“Well, it looks like we’re both trying new things today, aren’t we?” Cadance grinned. “I’m surprised, I didn’t think you’d take to it so quickly.”

“It’ll be nice to have for when I’m having to go over some work at home. Or maybe for a dinner date, you know?” Twilight gently packed the mead in her bag with care, trying to keep it nestled so as to prevent breakage. “Something for the occasion.”

“I’ll have to remember that brand for you, if you liked it that much. Your birthday isn’t too far away, so maybe I’ll get you a set-” Cadance paused as the sounds of commotion that came from further down the lane, where a crowd had gathered and seemed to be roaring. “They’re enjoying themselves, aren’t they?”

“Oh, I bet that’s the jousting tournament-”

“Wait, like actual jousting?”

“Yeah! It’s really fun to watch, let’s go!”

The stands were packed to the brim with cheering people as the sight from olden days played out before their eyes with surprising finesse; horses draped in knight’s colors, armored knights carrying massive shields that called to be struck by their foes. The action was swift, brief, and violent enough to leave Cadance a little unnerved. Twilight felt a flicker of hesitation as she saw her gentle-hearted companion bear a look of concern, the expression growing as one knight’s shield was struck dead-center and shattered spectacularly, the man within the red-and-white iron shell crashing to well-trodden earth with a metallic Thud! that echoed across the makeshift arena.

“Is he OK?” she asked, watching as the defeated man was slow to return to his feet, a team of EMT’s in dress came over to check on him and help the stunned knight to his feet, where a rousing chorus of cheers came to meet him.

“Well, they’re not trying to hurt each other, if that’s what you mean,” Twilight said. “But, I mean… it’s a joust. It can be a risk.”

“Do their horses ever get hurt?”

“Only very rarely. No one ever aims for them, but sometimes they can get spooked.” Twilight gave a sympathetic smile and a squeeze of her hand “Not really much of your thing, is it? We can go do something else if you want.”

“I’d… yes, if that’s alright,” Cadance replied, appearing apologetic for admitting so. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright! Really,” Twilight said, guiding her princess down the steps. “I’m still having fun.”

A quick break for rest was taken next, the two simply taking a seat beneath a shaded tree and watching the passersby in a lazy, disinterested fashion. The mishmash of the fantastical and the historically accurate (and the almost accurate) was a source of amusement for the both of them. It was a struggle not to laugh when a perfectly dressed bard would be walking hand-in-hand with a winged fairy, or a pair of green-skinned ‘ogres’ would be leading a veritable pack of their children along with roars and shouts.

“I hope I didn’t ruin your day,” Twilight remarked after some time. “I guess I should have thought maybe it wouldn’t be much of your thing.”

“Oh, you didn’t! Not at all, Twilight,” Cadance immediately replied. “It wasn’t… my favorite thing to see, but it was interesting. I guess I’m too much of a softie, aren’t I?”

“Well you are a princess, after all,” the younger woman teased. “You’re supposed to have more delicate sensibilities.”

Cadance laughed- and her expression swiftly changed to concern as she stared out into the crowd, recognizing the red-white pattern of medieval clothing, a young man in his twenties bearing the colors and walking slowly away from the heart of the faire. “Oh, it’s him! I wonder if he’s alright… hang on, I’m going to ask.”

Twilight giggled as the effect of Cadance’s appearance left the already stunned man further blown back, his expression at first so agog Twilight wondered if he thought the woman before him was a hallucination. It was of less surprise when Cadance walked him over to their resting place and called, “Twilight, can you hand me that water bottle I brought?”

“Sure,” Twilight reached into her messenger bag and retrieved the still-cool bottle, handing it to her girlfriend who promptly handed it off to their new companion. “How are you feeling? That hit looked like it must have been a rough one.”

The young man now realized the two women he was with were both extremely attractive, and he rubbed his head to make sure it wasn’t some sort of concussed daydream. When he had thoroughly cleared himself and found themselves still standing there, he couldn’t help but smile. “I’ve had worse, actually. It was just a bad hit, that’s all,” he replied. “Sometimes you just get unlucky.”

“Are you hurt or anything? You’re not having to go to the hospital, right?” Cadance inquired.

“Huh? Oh, no, just a precaution,” he answered. “Maybe some bruised ribs from the fall, or a bruised arm, but nothing big. The guy who it me, Roland, he came an apologized right after, it’s just a bad luck thing.”

“Oh no…”

“It’s just a bruise! The suit is honestly what made it seem worse. Sometimes it can take you a bit to regain your bearings.” He sported a grin that couldn’t quite hide his exhaustion, and spoke to more pain than he perhaps let on. “Did you all enjoy the show, at least? I know some folks like to see big hits like that.”

“It’s… well,” Cadance knew what her answer was, but didn’t want to hurt the man’s feelings. “You definitely are taking it better than I could.”

“I’ve been doing stuff like this for a while. I wanna be a professional stuntman, so I gotta learn how to take a few hits every now and then, right?”

“Well, I’m glad you’re at least OK…”

“Yeah, I am. Promise! I’m gonna get back moving and get on home, but- hey, thanks a lot for the water, I really appreciate it.”

“Happy to! Sorry if I’m bothering you or anything.”

“No, no! Hey, you ladies have a good rest of the day. Hope you enjoy the faire!”

Twilight’s gaze flickered between her girlfriend and that of the starstruck man who now walked away from them, unsurprised when she caught him making a few looks back as Cadance settled down beside her. When the wounded knight was out of sight, Twilight’s eyes settled on her companion.

It did not take long for Cadance to take notice. “What?”

“You are such a heartbreaker, do you know that?” Twilight teased.

“Oh shut up, Cadance huffed, torn between amusement and irritation. “I’m only being nice!”

“And you are! You’re always super sweet, but you forget that you’re beautiful too. No wonder you have to shoot down so many divorced dads at Crystal Prep when they come in.”

“I wasn’t trying to do anything but be kind. Besides, you’re prettier than I am.”

“Cadance-”

“No, Twilight,” she said firmly. “I stand by that opinion. I see myself in the mirror every day, and I see you every day. I know which one I like more.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. It was their endless argument. “You want to start looking around again?”

“Sounds good to me.”

The seemingly endless shops and stalls that pervaded the faire were of more interest to Cadance than the tournament had been, she soon returning to contentment as she was lost in the numerous trinkets that had been crafted with care and set for the eyes to feast upon. Jewelry and all sorts of assorted items lay spread out upon tables and beckoned to the two women, some of the finer items difficult to resist- and a few seemingly impossible. Cadance found her heart set on a silver necklace adorned with deep-red gemstones, and Twilight bought herself a calligraphy pen, with parchment just for fun. To the young woman’s embarrassment, Cadance bought a silver bracelet bearing an opal and placed it around Twilight’s wrist.

“Think of it as an early birthday present!” she said cheerfully.

“A really expensive one!” Twilight cried, “Cadance, you shouldn’t-”

“I wanted to,” she countered, and it was obvious there wouldn’t be any way Twilight could reply. Though still horrified such a price had been paid for it, Twilight thought the bracelet was a thing of beauty; it would be some time before she would even start to feel like taking it off.

“What’s that tent over there?” Cadance asked, pointing to a dark tent draped with seemingly random colored silks, a strange, thin smoke slowly pouring out from within.

“Looks like a fortune teller’s booth,” Twilight remarked. “I never liked them much, it just doesn’t fit the whole ‘historically accurate’ thing ren faires are supposed to aim for-”

“Aren’t you a village maiden dating a princess right now?” Cadance asked. “I don’t think that’s historically accurate, Twilight.”

“Just because-”

“Come on, it’s all in good fun, right? Let’s go take a look.” Cadance took Twilight by the hand and led her into the shadowy depths of the tent, where only the faintest candlelight was there to illuminate the scene.

“Is… is anyone even in here?” Twilight wondered. The darkness inside the tent was surprisingly deep.

“I am, dear ladies,” the soft voice coming as though on cue. Cadance jumped as the wrinkled woman seemingly materialized from the black and stood there on the opposite side of the table. “You think I would not be here to greet my guests? Those who seek to know their fate are always known to me.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, but Cadance went along with the fun. “What’s your name?”

“Soothsayer. Truthteller. Oracle. My name is lost in my work,” the woman answered, her eyes at first resting on Twilight before becoming fixated on Cadance. “Sit before me, Princess. You and your dear beloved have come for my farseeing knowledge.”

Even in the weak candlelight, Cadance blushed. Twilight wondered if the fortune teller was just a shrewd guesser or the two of them were that obvious about it. Nevertheless, the two women sat down and let the ambience of the place draw them in, having been made curious by the old woman’s surprising judgement.

“Your hand, Princess,” the fortune teller said, reaching for Cadance’s hand. A single, solitary finger ran across lines of the palm at first swiftly, then slowing with each new movement. The last trace can to a halt halfway, and the atmosphere of the tent suddenly dropped as a single tear fell from the old woman’s face and splattered into droplets on Cadance’s hand.

“What- are you-”

The woman was weeping. Silently, only a minute trace of tears falling down past the wrinkles and onto the aged table below. Her hand retracted from Cadance’s and turned to wipe them away, she shaking her head as though one grieving.

“Are… you OK?” The act, if it was an act, was certainly having its effect. Cadance was leaning in eagerly, while Twilight was experiencing emotions she was deeply wishing she wasn’t.

“Dearly loved, you are,” the fortune teller said, her voice a croak. “And you shall be, even to the end.” She paused to take a shaky breath, trying to rid herself of this sudden melancholy. “Now you, dear lady. Your hand.”

Hesitant after such a sight, Twilight was slow to offer an outstretched palm. Surprisingly, the fortune teller was even more hesitant to take it- a cry came from her lips when she felt the palm and she relinquished her grip just as suddenly as she had given it. “I cannot. I will not.”

“Are you alright?”

“Please go.” The woman’s façade of a soothsayer fell away like a leaf in the wind and she looked at the two dumbstruck woman with an air of absolute despair. “I am… something about you both. I don’t want to see it be broken. Go, and hold tight to one another for as long as you can.” Without another word, the woman disappeared back into the dark, leaving her guests stunned into silence.

“Are we sup- do we just leave?” Cadance asked.

Twilight sat there, trying to ignore the gaping pit in her stomach. She loved Cadance, and Cadance loved her. That wasn’t going to be ruined, right? She knew breakups happened and were commonplace, but she loved Cadance. That wasn’t something that was just tossed aside!

“Twi? Are you alright?”

“Y- yeah. Sure,” Twilight replied. “Let’s go. Home.”

“Home? are- alright,” Cadance said, simply following Twilight out of the darkened tent and away from the depths of the festivities.

The car ride back home was quiet. The day had been fun, wonderfully spent. Their time together had been bliss, if it hadn’t been for that stupid fortune telling gag! Twilight wasn’t sure whether she wanted to rage at how insensitive the whole thing had been or panic about what the woman had been trying to imply. Not that it was anything actually genuine, fortune-telling was a bunch of nonsensical garbage with no basis in science. But Twilight was a psychologist, had read interviews –even performed some of them herself- where people would come across someone and just have a horrible sinking feeling about that one person. A gut instinct that couldn’t be ignored or explained, but was just… there. It was irrational, illogical, but it did happen.

“Thanks for convincing me to go, Twilight,” Cadance said as they entered their home, she slipping off her shoes and giving a slow stretch as she took in the familiar sights. “It was a lot of fun, I’m glad I listened. We’ll have to try something else like it some other time-”

Whatever words that were to be said next were promptly sealed away as Twilight flung herself at Cadance and took the beautiful woman into a desperate, passionate kiss that set them both alight with its fervor.

“Twilight!” Cadance seemed confused but delighted at the unprompted act of affection, she falling back in the recliner. “I didn’t think it meant that much.”

“Stop.” Twilight threw off her shirt and was atop her girlfriend in a heartbeat, a flurry of kisses gifted to her lips. She was hungry for Cadance’s feel, her touch and taste- everything of her that she could have, she desperately desired in that moment. Fingers stroked through pristine hair, brushed delicate skin, and body pressed firmly against body as she intensified the moment.

“Twilight…” Cadance’s hands gently pressed along Twilight’s face, gentle eyes looking out adoringly. “It was just a show. You know it’s not real, right?”

“I know, I just- you do love me, though, right?”

Cadance laughed, matching Twilight’s kiss with several of her own, each one more heated than the last. “I absolutely love you. Madly, and don’t you forget it. There is no one else in the world I love more, and I wouldn't want anyone else."

“I know, I just- sorry.” Twilight’s rush of emotions now turned to embarrassment, the logical mind of the brilliant woman now ashamed she had been so easily suckered in by such a performance. "Just checking."

“But as long as we’re here,” Cadance said, her hands making their way down Twilight’s tingling body towards lower places, “how about I give you a little reminder?”

Twilight’s emotions became electric as fingers slowly snaked their way beneath pants and underwear both, finding their goal and setting her body alight.

Author's Note

Something light, a calm before the storm.

Yes, I know. It's been a while. I'm tired.

Three: To Hell in a Handbasket

If one is around even the most besotted, lovestruck couple that could be found in the winding ways of the world, there will come a time when even such intertwined hearts are roused and irritated to the point of argument that cannot be set aside for a later moment. The here and now, the couple will find, is the only moment that can encompass all of their fears and frustrations that have been put aside in efforts of good will and compromise, the bloated, boisterous machinations of human will now a great and terrible monster of their own making. And as it has always been, since the day mankind first discovered he could use his voice to fight back against the will of another, that swift descent into such pits of negative feeling come with one small step that could just as easily not have arisen at all.

Twilight, more than eager to see nothing but darkness or the interior of her eyelids, was trying her best to keep her tone in check when speaking to such an eager face. “I’ve said it dozens of times before, Cadance. The answer is no.”

“Not even a try?” the older woman asked, trying to turn her pout into a teasing, cloying smile as she gave the dark-colored object a shake. “I know what you like and it’s been a while- come on, it’ll feel-”

“Painful. Like every other time before, and I don’t want to feel it again, thank you very much,” Twilight cut through, pushing Cadance’s reaching hand away for emphasis. “I know it’s your thing, but it’s not mine. It just hurts too much- so stop.”

“And you’re positive-?”

“Cadance-”

“Alright! Just wanted to try to shake things up a little, that’s all,” Cadance relented, tossing the rubber accessory over her head and sending it crashing into the open closet. “Sorry for asking.”

“No you’re not, you’re upset that we won’t get frisky.” It wasn’t a difficult thing to surmise, seeing as Cadance had been quite handsy since she had returned home that evening. For a woman who claimed to be an expert in love, her desire for it lacked subtlety.

“Yeah, because we leave for Manehatten tomorrow and I doubt we’ll be able to get up to much when we’re spending our nights at your family’s place,” Cadance said, as though it were the most obvious thing. “Come on, just a little bit, it’ll be fun…”

“I am not in the mood, Cadance. If I was, you’d know and you’d be struggling not to scream. Please, just let it go, for one night,” Twilight huffed.

Cadance looked genuinely hurt by her girlfriend’s words. “Is it so bad that I want to enjoy loving your body-”

“What? Oh, come on, Cadance! Are we having our ‘Vacation Fight Moment’ before we even get started?”

“I’m not trying to fight, I just want to know-”

“Well you’re being immature, I just want to go to bed,” Twilight answered. “So just stop and let me read so I can calm down and actually feel tired enough to sleep. Please.”

“Sure. I’ll leave you alone. But first you’re going to tell me what’s got you so prickly because I don’t want to sleep next to a cactus,” Cadance said. Before there was a chance to protest she was atop Twilight, her glorious body holding down the woman and forcing her attentions to remain on the disgruntled face that could not be easily ignored. “I’ve got all night, you know.”

Twilight slammed her book shut with a venomous glare. “How are you older than me? I swear, you act your shoe size, not your age.”

“Well right now it’s out of love,” Cadance retorted- and giving the younger woman a quick kiss to prove it. “So out with it because you’re being mean.”

Twilight, now pushed to such a mood that even attempting to speak was out of the question, gave a roaring groan and acquiesced. “Fine. You know what my problem is? We are going to visit my mother, who –if you recall- drunkenly molested you and- and, uh… jeez- you know what you did, you know what she did. That night. And now, six years later, I am taking you to my grandparent’s house; you will be near my mother, whom you played like a fool, and my grandparents who have never met you- they don’t even know you. Now, because of you, me, and my mother having a history, I have no idea how to explain any of this! So when you and I just waltz on in to their house, I’ll have to find a way to explain, ‘Oh hey, this woman who’s twelve years older than me is my girlfriend and she’s also had sex with my Mom!’ Because that,” Twilight snarled, “is something I have no idea how to explain, like, at all. And you are not helping me do any of that at all!”

Cadance had yet to take her gaze elsewhere but dead center of Twilight’s own, she not showing an ounce of emotion as the young woman’s words tumbled out of her mouth like rocks down a mountainside. When she was certain that the fretted monologue was over, she leaned in and kissed her yet again, this time more slowly, more gently. “Twilight?”

“You’re not helping! Just give me an idea of what I’m supposed to do or something!”

“First, you’re going to relax. Take a deep, slow breath. In… and out,” she said, with a look that suggested it was more an order.

Twilight, shaken out of her mind for a moment, realized how charged her body had become; chest heaving, shoulders tight, breath coming in rapidly… the advice had been more necessary than she had known. One long breath came in her lungs, then exited with softness. “Sorry…”

“So am I. I should’ve guessed you were nervous,” Cadance said. “But if you need my help with something, I need you to tell me. I can’t always guess, OK?”

“Yes, I know, I just-”

“Was stuck being worried,” Cadance guessed. “But now you’re not stuck, so let’s try to think this over for a little bit. And I’m right here to help you make sure that you don’t freak yourself out again, OK?”

“I know, I know. It’s just different,” Twilight admitted. “I can bring someone with me, and I don’t think they’d bat an eye. If it was just some girl- yeah, it’d be different but I think I’d be able to smooth it over.”

“But because it’s me specifically…”

“It’s going to cause a whole lot more fireworks because of how many kinds of ‘different’ my grandparents will have to deal with. And that’s not even taking in how Mom will deal with it all,” she said. “Please don’t think I’m blaming you for anything. I promise I’m not.”

“I don’t, not at all. Trust me, I’m not exactly eager to see your mother again after- you know,” Cadance replied. “So do we have anything that we think could soften the blow of such a surprise?”

Twilight, the ever-brilliant thinker, was pushed to the height of embarrassment by her inevitable answer. “I have absolutely nothing. I can’t think of anything to say, save that I’m bringing someone with me. But even that’s not really enough.”

“Then… we just wing it,” Cadance said. “I’ll let you take the lead on this, and I’ll back you up on whatever you say. How’s that sound?”

“A bare minimum.”

“Ouch.”

“It’s still true,” Twilight said, sounding more reproachful than she’d meant to.

“What more can I do? I just… trust that you can figure this out when it comes to it. I’m certain they love you more than you think, and you’ve got more capability to deal with this than you believe of yourself. You’ll be able to see it through peacefully when the time comes.”

It wasn’t the greatest of assurances, but it was all she had. Twilight’s half-smile was all she could give in return, and hope that the long trip tomorrow wouldn’t be a ride of a thousand deaths. “So how about you get off of me so I can try and fail to get some sleep?”

“Only a little bit,” Cadance replied, slowly slithering her way off Twilight’s wry form, though not allowing the woman she adored to be free from her grasp. “In case you thought you were getting away…”

Twilight groaned and a wild hand pawed for the lamp switch, turning the bedroom to darkness and hoping she could find slumber before the sun rose once again.

Their long journey began gloomily, the weak fall sunlight unable to pierce through the thick cloud cover that had come in overnight. A miserable, damp day lay before them as they journeyed northwards, the cold weather not quite cold enough to turn the rain into snow; a horrid sleet met them in the early hours of the morning, while a frigid rain threatened their progress all the more.

A late morning stop for coffee let the two women surmise the situation, and they found it wanting. “If we don’t move quickly, this stuff is going to freeze over when the sun goes down.”

“Should we stop?” Cadance asked. “I don’t think we should risk driving if the roads are going to be that bad.”

“I don’t think so. We’re going to the suburbs, not the heart of Manehatten itself,” Twilight answered, though the speedometer showed a subtle increase of pressure on the pedal. “I’m more worried about traffic on the turnpike, if we’re going to get stopped anywhere particular.”

“How far away are we?”

“Umm… Five-? Six hours? Depends on how this all goes.”

“And you’re sure you don’t want to take a break and let me drive?” Cadance inquired.

“I’m sure. It’ll be easier if I keep going, since I know the route.”

The beautiful woman shrugged and turned back to try for further sleep, a move that disgruntled Twilight. It was understandable, but she was still envious. There had been little in the realms of sleep last night.

The weather took its time in turning to fairer skies, even if the heavy gray that was the clouds did not relent in its presence. The sleet turned to rain, and the rain to soft emptiness of absence as the dampened world turned dry and allowed the scene of mourning become something forbidding instead. Twilight, knowing just to what she was headed, found no comfort in the lack of earth-bound tears; there was an ominousness in the world now, held hidden by the rain and now free to taunt her worried mind.

Hours passed by slowly, and Cadance eventually joined her in the journey across the roads as she turned from the dreaming world to the waking one. Twilight’s responses were at first terse, quick; a gentle reprimand was reminder enough that she could relax instead. There would be enough trouble when the time came- she had no need to add to it beforehand.

“So what are your grandparents like?” Cadance asked as they drifted slowly through the miasma that was the turnpike. “I don’t think you’ve talked about them much.”

“They’re- well, grandparents. I guess. I’ve always enjoyed being around them,” Twilight answered. “Are they supposed to be a specific way?”

“Aren’t all grandparents super jovial and doting?” Cadance replied. “I bet they think you’re a prodigy, knowing that brain of yours.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “My Grandpa certainly does. My Grandma never seemed to know much of what to do, but I want to give her benefit of the doubt. She wanted to be a housewife and a mom since she was a girl, and that’s all she’d ever wanted. I guess the idea that her granddaughter could grow to be capable of a lot more was just… a lot for her take in.”

“And she still loves you just the same, I bet.”

Softness overtook the edge of anxiety that had been so difficult to cast aside, memory taking prominence. “When I was really little, she gave me this doll for a birthday present. Mom said I wouldn’t let anyone touch it, that I treated it like it was more fragile than a real baby was.”

“Aw…”

“Oh hush!” Twilight said with a grin. “My Grandma said it was something my Mom had had as a kid, and that she’d had as a kid- and apparently my Grandma’s Mom had owned as a kid herself. So I guess it was a big deal that she let me have it.”

“It is a big deal,” Cadance said. “Where is it? I haven’t seen it before.”

“Last I remember, I’d left it at home with Mom somewhere,” Twilight answered. “So it might be up here, at this point. I’ll have to ask.”

“I guess you will… what’s your grandfather like? What’s his name?”

Twilight had no capacity to hold back a laugh now. “Weekend Warrior- no, I’m not joking. He’s never called himself anything else, and Mom never called him by anything else either. He’s a retired veteran, and I guess he never saw himself as anything else. To me, he’s just Grandpa. He’s always been the best person I know, you’ll love him. Everyone does.”

“Sounds like an inspiration for a certain sibling of yours…”

“Shining loved talking to him for hours,” Twilight confirmed. “It was his chance to carry on the family legacy. And now he does, so it’s extra special for them both.”

“Was he disappointed you didn’t try out for anything?” Cadance asked.

“No, he never mentioned it,” she answered. “He’s Grandpa. He just wanted us to be cared for, to… to just be secure, and safe.”

“I bet he’s proud of you.”

“Yeah. I hope he is.”

The car turned from the highway and down to suburban streets, passing by main roads and off into shadowed neighborhoods that held home to trees of all kinds and shapes, ancient trunks harboring branches that covered across the entirety of the lanes below and leaving the early evening in darkness as they traveled along. Before too long, Twilight made a turn and pulled them into an elongated driveway where a dusted Cadillac lay outside an overstuffed garage.

“Well… we’re here.” Twilight felt her heart pounding painfully against her ribcage.

“Mhm. And they know we’re coming, right?”

“They know I’m bringing someone special,” she added. “As to how that goes over...”

Cadance felt for Twilight’s hand and gave it what strength she could, a smile on her lips displaying her own nerves regarding the ordeal. It was not to be easy for either of them. “We’ll see through it together, I guess,” she murmured.

“Yeah.” Without another word, the two women departed from their seats and walked up the stained cement path to the door where light shown through, and hoping that the nerves they held could not be so easily seen. One last breath, and Twilight gave a knock. “Oh please.”

A few seconds later, then the door opened to reveal a heavyset man with a gregarious expression upon his face, he pushing aside the outer door to greet them. “Twily!” he roared, the thunderous sound a perfect match for his jovial features. “And just when I thought I wouldn’t see you tonight!”

“Hi, Grandpa,” Twilight said happily, her voice swiftly becoming muffled as she was taken into his embrace. “It’s good to see you. Sorry it’s been so long.”

“And so am I! That only makes me all the happier that you’re here!” Warrior released his granddaughter from the depths of his grasp and turned to the awaiting Cadance, who greeted the massive man with a queasy, uncertain smile. “And we certainly haven’t met, otherwise I’d remember it! You’re Twilight’s… girlfriend. I’m right? Aren’t I?”

“I’m- I’m Cadance,” she whispered, offering a trembling, outstretched hand while Twilight looked on with a heart that seemed ready to burst. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Warrior took her in, a quick glance down and up with an unreadable expression that matched his silent tongue. “Twilight?” he asked gravely.

“Y-yes, Grandpa?” was the shaky reply.

“Well done. She’s at least an eleven.”

The unexpected response set Twilight to coughing, and Cadance found herself suddenly struggling not to laugh- and then struggling to breathe as the man’s back-breaking affections turned to her and nearly crushed bones.

“Ow! Oh my gosh-”

“It’s wonderful to see you both, come on in!” Warrior roared. “I’m sorry that I’m the only one to greet you, my wife, Velvet Gleam, and my daughter, are both out and about right now.”

Only one at a time, then, Twilight thought with relief. “Where is Mom, anyway?”

“With your grandmother. Gleam had to made a stop at the hospital last week- she’s fine, mind you. Just a cold that decided it needed to be pneumonia,” he said, taking notice of Cadance’s expression of concern. “The joys of growing old, darling- you’ll find out soon enough. They should both be back in a couple hours, Velvet wanted to stop and grab a few things from the grocery store before coming home.”

“Well at least that,” Cadance said. “I’m glad to hear she’s OK.”

“Aren’t we all? Come on, I’ve got a bottle of brandy I was just opening up, I’d be glad to share it with you,” Warrior declared. “Now just give me your bags –no, not a word of protest- and you two take a moment to stretch and relax. I’m sure the weather wasn’t pleasant in the slightest!”

“That’s one way of putting it,” Twilight murmured, and the two women slumped over on the nearby couch as they took in their surroundings. Darkened, but a comfortable place to be- even if the aged house was showing its cracks. Homey, open spaces were there and seemed perfectly suited for growing company. It would be a pleasant visit. “Better now that you can stretch out?”

“Ooh…” Cadance slunk back deep into the cushions of the old couch, breathing a sigh of deep satisfaction as she felt her sink and sink until it seemed she would be enveloped into them fabric. “Old couches feel more comfy than new ones, I swear. I could fall asleep right now.”

“What, you didn’t do enough sleeping when we were driving up here?” Twilight teased.

“I offered multiple times to take the wheel, Ms. Grumpypants.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have taken no for an answer.”

“That’s how you get arrested, Twilight,” Cadance replied.

“Well you have been a bad girl…” Twilight purred. The combination of exhaustion and the delight from her grandfather’s warm welcome was putting her into a mood that wasn’t quite family-friendly-

“And here we are!” Warrior said delightedly, returning to the living room with a crystalline bottle of brandy in one hand, and a trio of glasses in the other. “I’ve got you set in the guest room, across from Velvet. It’s a daybed with a trundle, but at least it will be comfortable.”

“Thank you, very much,” Cadance replied warmly, all the more grateful as he placed a glass full of brandy in her hand. “You didn’t need to go to such trouble.”

“Of course I did, you’re my guests!” Warrior declared, “and for one as special as you are to little Twilight… cheers, the both of you!”

It was turning out better than expected. Twilight happily took to her brandy, perhaps egged on by the weariness upon her bones. One strong gulp later and she was set to coughing, garnering laughter from her more experienced companions.

“Not a fan of brandy, are we?” Warrior asked.

“It’s strong, Grandpa!” Twilight wheezed, feeling as though her nose were streaming. “Please tell me you didn’t make this yourself.”

“What? Oh, no, not at all- but it is a special case, an aged cask I received from a friend of mine up near Yonkers. We served together back in ’73, he wanted me to have it for old times’ sake.”

“Twilight’s not as enthused by alcohol as others can be,” Cadance remarked. “It’s a good foil for me, so she keeps me in check. Although, she did find some splendid mead not too long ago. If we’d thought about it, we might have brought some of it with us for tomorrow.”

“And that would’ve been welcome, I haven’t had mead since I left Catskill back in ’64. But before we go any further,” Warrior said, giving his glass a stir, “I’m curious… How long did you think you’d be able to hide such a creature from the prying eyes of your family, Twilight?”

“Huh?”

“Well, if you expect people to not notice her, I think you’ve already failed in that regard. So how long have you two been together?”

“Well…” Twilight was certain she was getting a positive reception, especially since he seemed to be acting so courteous to Cadance- but how to explain the intricacies of such a relationship? “A- a few years, Grandpa. We did long distance for a little while when I was finishing up school, then I moved back home and we’ve been together since.”

“In the same house?”

“Umm…”

Warrior’s gaze darted between them both before giving a shrug. “Not like Gleam wasn’t pregnant with your uncle before we got married,” he said. “Just no accident babies, alright?”

“Grandpa! That doesn't even make...” Twilight wasn’t sure which emotion was going to win out in the maelstrom, but the embarrassment was certainly having its way with her mind at first. It didn’t help that Cadance was laughing right along with him.

“So how on earth did she find one such as you?” Warrior asked of Cadance, pouring her a light addition of brandy to her glass before adding a substantial amount to his own. “Don’t misunderstand me- she’s my favorite granddaughter! But Twilight always seemed more interested in books than she ever did in girls…”

“Then you’re going to love this,” Cadance said with a grin. “Would you believe she came to me first?”

“No!”

“And was by far the more confident one,” she added, sneaking a glance over at Twilight to make sure that she did indeed want to slump over in shame. “Made herself practically irresistible. How could I say no?”

Warrior laughed, and Twilight wanted to sink through the floor. It was going perhaps too well, Cadance and her grandfather already creating a wondrous rapport. How had it all happened so easily?

“Say… you both hear that?”

Twilight loosened herself from her mind’s machinations and let the sloping silence of the outside world enter her ears. It was not an absence of sound, but a natural quiet. Created by…

“Snow! Well, that’ll keep Gleam and Velvet stuck where they are,” Warrior muttered. “It’s coming down thick, I wouldn’t be surprised if the roads turn into a mess.”

“Jeez…” Twilight glanced out at the world outside and saw the thick blanket of white descending down, trying to form on the lower surfaces of earth and man-made creation that would contain it. “It’s as heavy as what we dealt with this morning.”

“You were safe coming up here, right? Twilight?” Warrior asked slowly.

“Yes, Grandpa, I promise,” Twilight answered. “Come on, it’s me. You know how I am.”

“Yes I do,” he muttered before turning to Cadance. “She drove all the way despite being tired, didn’t she?”

“Oh, you do know her well.”

Warrior’s glare was that of disapproval, Twilight trying to ignore the piercing of her spirit that came with it. “What?”

“Twilight…”

“OK! Yes, I’ll be more careful next time. I promise,” she said.

“Stubborn as always,” Warrior murmured. “Come on, then. Let’s all relax for a little while, then I suggest you two get some sleep. It’s been a long day.”

Twilight had little to say for the rest of the evening, more or less content to let the friendly banter between Cadance and her grandfather continue on peacefully. She was eager to hear his stories of younger days, and he to hear of she and Twilight’s adventures together. It was all warm and teasing, playful and gentle-hearted. It was the first good sign she’d had, and the sight of it made Twilight feel heavy as she lay there on the couch.

“Alright, we seem to be losing our favorite girl,” Warrior remarked as Twilight’s chin suddenly found her chest. “I’ll close up shop so you two can take the hint. I’ll see you both in the morning!”

“Goodnight, Warrior,” Cadance said warmly, and when the great man was out of sight she turned to her beloved. “You take the shower first. I’ll be quick tonight.”

“Yeah.” Twilight was in no mood to argue and toddled her way to the bathroom where the warm water awaited her beckoning. A slow shower helped her tired muscles relax even further and it was the struggle of her night to relinquish her form from the comfort of the steaming flow. Changing into lighter, more comfortable clothes was a wonderful sensation on her skin, made all the better by the lightweight mattress and bedsheets onto which she fell. It had been a very, very long day.

Cadance reappeared not much later, hair still sopping wet as she fell onto the lower bed with a sigh, letting herself be taken in by the comforts that had been offered to her. “This is so nice,” she murmured.

“Yeah.”

“Your Grandpa’s really sweet, Twilight,” she said. “He really loves you a bunch. I’m glad I got to meet him.”

“Yeah. I am, too.”

“Tired?”

“Extremely,” Twilight said, and Cadance’s laugh that came in response was sympathetic.

“Well, I won’t keep you from dreaming any longer,” the older woman whispered, leaning over from her place on the daybed to stretch down and place a soft, sweet kiss on Twilight’s lips. “Sweet dreams, Love.”

“Night, Princess.”

To Twilight’s great surprise, it did not take her long to drift off to sleep and leave the waking world behind. Where she had expected resistance and discomfort had instead been given presence to comfort and safety, and the exhausted confusion she had borne all day now felt like an iron weight across her shoulders. Only sleep would relieve her of it, and glad was she for when relief came.

The first thing Twilight noticed when she slowly returned to the waking world was the cold that had crept into her skin. The additional warmth that came from body heat was no longer multiplied, simply she alone beneath the comfortable bedsheets. Through bleary eyes that protested at being opened, she turned to face upwards and her gaze turned to the daybed, surprised to find it empty. Cadance must have already woken up and departed without rousing her. Just how late is it? The pale light that was entering through the curtained window seemed to indicate morning was certainly here in some measure of strength.

“Well, look who finally rose from the grave!” Warrior greeted as she walked out into the living room, Cadance having taken a place on the recliner. “You must have been right out of it to sleep that long, it’s almost eleven.”

“Feeling better?” Cadance inquired.

“Yeah. A ton, really,” Twilight said, yawning and still feeling burdened by the heaviness of a deep slumber. “Mom and Grandma not back yet?”

“The snow fell thick last night. They likely won’t be back till this afternoon when the roads are cleared,” Warrior answered. “Your Grandmother is feeling much better, by the way. Velvet said she was practically tearing to be out of that hospital.”

“Sounds like her.”

“A tenacious woman, is she?” Cadance mused.

“And rules with an iron fist, like nothing you’d believe,” the burly man answered, eyes held strong with a serious gaze. “When I left for my second tour, I was gone for nearly two years, and suddenly she had all these ideas of being ‘in charge’ and that it was ‘her house’ that she could run as she pleased.”

Cadance hesitated. “How’d that work out when you came back?”

“Hell, I didn’t fight through the bush just to die here. I let her keep it that way!”

Typical, Twilight thought, though she couldn’t keep the smile away at response to such a dumb joke. “Is there any breakfast, Grandpa?”

“Bacon and biscuits are on the stovetop for you, and there’s coffee in the pot.”

A quick trip to the bathroom to splash water on her face first, then a steaming cup of coffee to help seal her escape from dreamland. The bacon was no longer warm but still crispy and tasteful, easily paired with the fresh biscuits. It wasn’t a massive meal, but that was no matter; Thanksgiving was here, and the real fun would come later.

When she arrived back in the living room with food and drink in hand, it was of little surprise to see Cadance and Warrior continuing their rapport from last night. Her Grandfather’s affable nature had easily charmed her girlfriend with only a few words, and the sight of it was a soothing thing for the younger woman to behold. This was a reunion she had worried would falter, but instead Cadance had been just as swiftly welcomed into the fold as Twilight had the day she had been born.

“Twilight?” Warrior’s voice poked through her inner dialogue, one well-armed by the pleasantries of breakfast.

“Mhm?”

“How quickly did you end up completing your Master’s?”

“Uh…” Twilight paused. “Like just the thing itself, or all of college?”

“Wait for it,” Cadance murmured-

“All of it, if you please.”

Why was she embarrassed by this? “Well, I, uh… got my Bachelor’s in two and my Master’s… in the other two.”

Warrior stared at her as though he couldn’t believe his eyes, Cadance laughing all the while at his stupor. “I told you,” Cadance said as she continued to giggle, “she’s scary. And the worst part is that she actually loves it, too. She likes working that hard.”

“It’s not that- well, it’s just work,” Twilight said, trying to get over herself and join in the mirth. “It’s not like I did anything super crazy or anything.”

“You told me you wrote your senior thesis in two hours,” Cadance countered.

“OK, so maybe that’s a little weird.”

“Did you bother to sleep at all during those four years?” Warrior asked lightly.

“I didn’t do anything abnormal! I just got it all done really fast.”

Cadance simply shook her head, knowing no argument would really be satisfied. “You are such a nerd.”

“Wanna talk nerds? You’re a principal, Cadance,” Twilight countered.

“You want to know what she calls me when we’re alone?” Cadance asked Warrior playfully.

Cold, cruel horror. “Oh, don’t you dare!” Twilight cried, not sure she’d be able to handle the humiliation of hearing such a thing spoken aloud in front of her own kin.

Cadance, in a fit of wondrous maturity, stuck out her tongue at her young girlfriend. “Can’t stand the heat? Step away from the fire,” she crowed.

Twilight wanted to say something back- something fierce, funny, and just the perfect balance between a real jab and something playful. It just so happened that now wasn’t the time for such a thing, and she simply spluttered as the vocabularies of spoken tongue failed her.

“Well, she’s certainly no delicate flower,” Warrior remarked. “No wonder you like her so much.”

“I’m gonna think of something, I swear,” Twilight promised. Cadance grinned and blew her a kiss, leaving the young neuroticist unsure of whether or not to laugh or simply continue stewing in her frustration.

“Oh come off it, both of you,” Warrior said gently. “Holidays are meant to be fun. Now come on, let’s watch the parade. You know, I went and saw it myself when I was a boy. My father took me…”

The morning departed and the high glow of the afternoon sun came, the three companions spending their time in laughter and playful joy. Warrior was an easygoing referee, and Twilight soon found her ability to go toe-to-toe with her beloved yet again. The frustration faded as light teasing came naturally once more, and peaceable natures regained their will. It could have continued on for hours-

“Hey! Now, there we are,” Warrior remarked, peering out the window as a grey-green sedan pulled into the driveway beside Twilight’s car. “I wondered what was taking them so long.”

“Grandma’s here?” Twilight’s stomach clenched in true force this time, the realization that her mother would be with her enough to revive the nerves that had grown dormant; the memories of a disaster, all the shame that had come with it, were about to come to a boiling point.

“Looks like it. And about time, too. Your mother said she’d have the side dishes covered for the meal.”

Twilight looked over at Cadance, who appeared just as nervous as she now felt. This wasn’t going to be some simple thing that was easily brushed aside. If things were to go wrong, it was going to happen the moment the two women walked through the door. It’s going to be OK, it’s going to be OK, Twilight told herself. Just breathe, and it’ll- this is gonna suck.

The thin wooden door was pushed aside and a familiar form of Twilight Velvet poked through slowly, the woman’s attentions more focused on her companion than the occupants of the room she had entered. Behind her, a gentle grip of the wrist helping steady her still-weary limbs, was the aged figure of Velvet Gleam, a somewhat hunched woman who possessed a look of faded beauty that had not yet totally declined in the face of age.

“There we go, Mom. You’ll be back in no time, I promise,” Velvet said softly, a pleasant warmth in her eyes as she spoke to her kin. “It’s just you being tired, don’t fret about it.”

“I’m not fretting, it’s just harder than it was when I left, that’s all,” Gleam murmured anxiously.

“Oh, don’t worry yourself, Peach!” Warrior said, coming over and giving his wife a hug and kiss as greeting. “You’ll be ruling the roost again before you know it. Now come on, take a seat, I’ll keep you company while the girls help get the rest of dinner ready. Sound good to you, Little Love?”

Warrior’s remarks to his daughter fell on deaf ears, for all the powers of observation and focus that she possessed had been settled fully, and solely, on the one visitor she had never expected to see again for the rest of her life. Eyes held violently wide, mouth agape, the mere sight of Cadance –in her ancestral home no less- had put Velvet into shock.

Gleam was relinquished from her husband’s grasp and, when catching sight of her daughter’s bewilderment, followed the open-mouthed gaze to Cadance, who was struggling not to squirm beneath the weight of this sudden, inevitable scrutiny. “And who are you?” she asked. “We haven’t met before, have we?”

“Oh, Cadance?” Warrior said pleasantly. “No, you haven’t. See, darling, this is-”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Velvet demanded, her voice ringing like a stroke of iron and breaking Twilight from the depths of her panic.

“Um.” Cadance, usually the one to be more calm and controlled, was at a loss. Face turning red, and her mind likely now swirling with horrid memories, her appearance gave no suggestion that she would find the means to recover swiftly.

Oh damn it all, I’ve got to save this! Twilight realized. “Hi, Mom,” she managed to squeak out.

“Why is she here?” Velvet said, her eyes darting between her daughter and the woman she abhorred, a slowly growing horror taking form on her face-

“Oh, you’ve met Cadance before? You should be proud, Velvet, Twilight chose well-”

“Oh my god- you did not!” Velvet cried, staring at her daughter in such disbelief that it was enough to take whatever semblance of courage the young woman had possessed. “Twilight, have lost your goddamn mind?”

“Easy now!” Warrior called, realizing that something had gone very amiss. “Velvet, what’s the matter?”

“Who are you?” Gleam asked again, looking at Cadance and Twilight with roiling confusion. “Are you a friend of my granddaughter or something?”

“So- uh, Grandma,” Twilight said, trying to find her voice and regain some control of this rapidly spiraling chaos. “This is Cadance -Cadance, this is my grandmother- Grandma, Cadance is-”

“Twilight!”

“Cadance is my… girlfriend,” Twilight said rather lamely, wishing she’d put more force into her words. “We’ve been dating for a few years now, so…”

“She’s what-”

“Twilight, what is wrong with you?” Velvet asked of her daughter, still seemingly held in a state of horror. “You told me that you wouldn’t see her again, why did you lie to me?”

“We got back together when I was working on my Master’s. Mom, it’s been fine. We’re happy, alright?” Twilight replied. “It’s not like last time, I’m not some immature, inexperienced kid. It was my choice, anyway.”

“It- Twilight, what is going on?” Warrior asked. “Please, fill me in.”

“Cadance dated Shiny for a while, and then we got together after I graduated high school for a little while,” Twilight answered, trying not to let the shame from such an awkward answer burn its way through the skin of her face. “It’s sorta weird, I know-”

“Oh that is bullshit and you know it, Twilight!” Velvet said, anger now coming forth to take the place of her shock. “This whore,” with a point to Cadance who flinched at the action, “groomed my daughter and then starting sleeping with her when she was still a student!”

Gleam gave a horrified gasp, and Warrior turned to Cadance with a grave, almost disappointed expression on his face. “Is that true, Cadance?” he asked, perhaps hoping that it wasn’t.

Cadance, who had clearly been floundering, now was assuredly drowning. “Well- so, I-”

“What?” No, Cadance! Don’t just agree with her!” Twilight said, her own anger entering the field. “No, she didn’t. I went to her- both times! Cadance didn’t think it’d be right to date a girl right after she graduated but I wouldn’t wait. And then we started up for real when I was in my third year of college. She didn’t do anything wrong either time!”

“Bullshit!” Velvet was in a rage now, inching closer and looking as though she would love to pop a hand across Cadance’s face. “You know exactly what she did, you can’t just defend her like that! She manipulated you and don’t you deny it, especially after she- she…”

As Twilight watched her mother falter, the anger within that had become like a roiling sea in the storm pushed her ever on. “Go on,” she challenged Velvet, fury pushing aside whatever thoughts of shame that could possibly come at the revelation. “Say it. It’s not like you weren’t there.”

Velvet was stuck. Her anger was fierce, but she knew full well to disclose the truth would leave her subject to humiliation.

A soft hand fell on Twilight’s shoulder, and the soft voice of Cadance entered the fray. “Twilight, it’s not a big deal,” she said lowly, “I can just-”

“No. No! You’re not doing anything wrong by being here! I want you here and it’s not your fault that Mom was acting like a stupid drunk!”

“Twilight, you need to relax,” Warrior cautioned-

“Yeah, Mom. I know- you got shit-faced drunk and you tried to have pathetic, drunken sex with Cadance,” Twilight yelled, feeling absolutely brazen. “But you’d gotten so sloshed that you creamed all over her clothes instead and then passed out on the couch. You’re just mad because you made yourself look like a total idiot!”

“Twilight, that’s enough, this isn’t helping-”

“How dare you!” Velvet hissed, coming right beside her daughter and leaving no space in which to hide. “At least I got better and- and actually am ashamed of what I did. You- you’re knowingly with the woman who tricked you, and- and me, to…”

“We both grew up,” Twilight said firmly. “Accept it. I’m happy with my choice. I lead, I keep us balanced. Just let it be.”

Velvet was truly struggling now, seemingly caught between a whirlwind of emotions and a surplus of words that didn’t know how to be spilled out in proper form.

“Alright, this is all very interesting, but all this anger is not going to solve anything,” Warrior said, trying to punch through the diatribe. “Now, it’s going to be a strange holiday but we can all relax, enjoy ourselves, and accept Cadance as a new member of the family. We are happy to have her here with us, even if we don’t know it yet. She’s a lovely woman who’s made Twilight very happy, and she’s been a good influence on her-”

“Bullshit,” Velvet countered her father, not letting her gaze be ripped away from her daughter’s still-defiant eyes. She leaned in and whispered, “It’s us or her, Twilight.”

There had been low blows, words said in anger, emotions let slip and given excess leash- but this was something different entirely, a far more cruel cut across the heart. “What?” Twilight whispered.

“I won’t see her with you. I- I can’t,” Velvet said, eyes misting as she forced herself to speak on. “You know I can’t. So if you want to be with Cadance, then- then I will not have you as my daughter anymore. Or ever again.”

Twilight couldn’t find the words to respond. Of course she couldn’t, what sort of thing could be said in the face of such a threat? She backed away from her mother’s resolve and found herself wrapped in and held fast by Cadance’s embrace, the two women now standing as strangers in foreign territory. It was an unthinkable, horrible decision to be forced to make.

Warrior, still trying desperately to salvage the situation from completely burning the house down, turned to his still-silent wife. “Gleam,” he said at last, “this is Twilight, of all people. The smartest of us, the sweetest. Surely if she loves Cadance then that’s good enough for the rest of us, isn’t it? All the foolishness of years gone by can be forgotten.”

Gleam looked at her husband, then at her daughter, before finally finding Cadance and Twilight standing there, anxiously awaiting the hammerfall. Maybe, just maybe, it could work out in the end.

Please, Grandma. Twilight had nothing else she could hope to say. Please, just-

“You ruined my granddaughter,” Gleam said coldly, her frigid words cutting like the reaper’s scythe as she glared at the wilting Cadance. “She was a good girl, sweet and quiet and never a cross word across her tongue. Now she’s become some… some kind of pervert. Because of you, you despicable slut!”

It was the last straw, Twilight’s anger now absolutely blazing. “Oh, so it’s her fault that I made these choices?” she roared. “Like I don’t have autonomy! Well too bad, because this is all my idea! And so,” she added, taking Cadance in her hands, “is this!” And without another word she took Cadance’s lips to hers and upon them placed an incredibly forceful, fiery kiss.

Gleam gave a shriek and Velvet raised an arm to strike-

“That is enough!” Warrior said, his voice thundering through the maelstrom and bringing the chaos to a halt. “I did not shed blood and life in some jungle hellhole for any sort of violence to happen in my home! This will end- now!”

“Twilight, come on,” Cadance whispered, trying to drag the younger woman away from the scene. “Just a little further-”

“You two, to the bedroom,” Warrior ordered, “I’ll deal with these two. Just wait for me there.”

Cadance took no time in heeding his words, resorting to having to push Twilight out of the living room and down the hall to the guest room, slamming the door shut just as a fresh wave of shouts came to meet their ears. “Well,” she muttered, “Well- damn.” The beautiful woman turned from the chaos that was beyond the door and faced Twilight with no small measure of vexation. “Why did you do that? You knew that wouldn’t help things!”

Twilight barely heard her, still held in the realm of untamed, feverish emotion that ruled over reason. She didn’t want to respond, only to act or shout aloud yet again- but the hot, painful feeling of such thoughts went away just as quickly, leaving her consumed by the hollow void of a stomach that could only be called horror.

“Twilight! Come on, answer me!” Cadance insisted. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you, I really am. But why didn’t you just try to talk her down?”

“Mom disowned me,” Twilight whispered.

“She- wait, Velvet disowned you?”

“She said if I wanted to stay with you, she’d disown me,” Twilight whispered, the magnificently terrible reality crushing her bones. “And- and now, I’ve gone and… she doesn’t want me anymore.”

Cadance’s horrified look swiftly changed to sympathy, she embracing Twilight tightly and trying to help soothe the pain from such a deep, fresh wound. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I’m sorry, I’m… I’m so sorry.”

They waited. Raised voices and stomping feet passed by their door as the hours passed, not a single knock or call for their presence coming by. When the darkness had begun to fall, the door clicked open and in came the hulking figure of Warrior, looking weary as though he had just fought a war’s worth of violence in a single battle.

“Are you alright?” Twilight asked.

Warrior sighed, slumping over as he took a seat on the bed. “Well, the dinner is ruined,” he muttered. “And I wish that was the least of the problems.”

“What happened? What did Mom say?”

“She…” Warrior’s eyes held a lifetime’s worth of grief. “She refuses for you to be in the same house as she,” he said. “And your grandmother…”

“She wants me arrested?” Cadance guessed.

A miserable, barking laugh. “She told me to come in here and kill you,” Warrior replied. “I tried my best to convince them, Twilight. I promise I did.”

Twilight guessed at what that meant. The stinging in her eyes was happening too soon, the lump in her throat far too large. “I messed everything up, didn’t I?”

“No, you did not,” Warrior impressed upon her. “You and Cadance have been nothing but wonderful, joyous company- and I am very glad of you both. But I can’t convince them of the same, and I don’t know how long they’ll stay subdued.”

“We understand,” Cadance said swiftly. “We’re really sorry to have made such a mess.”

“My daughter made the mess. Now I’ll see if I can help her clean it up.” Warrior gave his granddaughter a strong hug, in which he spoke of all the regrets and pains and sympathies he couldn’t figure out how to voice. “I’ll keep trying. I’ll get through in the end.”

“Goodbye, Grandpa.”

“Until next time, Twily.”

Quickly, quietly, the two woman grabbed their things and made for the door where Warrior awaited them, a heavy bag of leftovers in his hand. “For when you make it home.”

And without another word, into the black of the early night they went.

It was somewhere past two when Cadance pulled the car in beside the pump, the drying tank having been protesting its thirst for the past ten miles. The ride had been in cold, stony silence, perfectly befitting the dark lifelessness of the road upon which they had traveled. It would be more packed when morning came- and by then, it was the hope that they would be safely in their own bed when dawn decided to make an appearance.

“Pass me my wallet, would you please?” Cadance asked. “My purse is beneath your feet now, I think.”

Silently, Twilight leaned down and grabbed the requested item and placed it in her beloved’s hand, eyes still staring out blankly.

Cadance bit her lip. Maybe just not yet. She stood there in the cold as the gas filtered on down, giving them the strength for one last push to be homeward bound. She’d have to say something eventually. As she finished and set the pump back in place, the welcome toastiness of the cabin was a welcome relief from the frigid air outside. And Twilight sat there, still so quiet.

“Twilight?” she ventured. “Twilight, I’m sorry. I know I’ve said it before, but- but those stupid things I did years ago, I wish I could take them back. I guess your mother was right about me.”

“No she wasn’t,” Twilight said flatly. “She never was.”

“Are you OK, Twilight?” Cadance’s heart ached at the sight of the woman she loved so utterly defeated.

“I’m just angry at what she said about you,” came the answer. “How petty and selfish would I have to be to care about anything else?”

A hand reached out, trying to find Twilight’s well-hidden pair, to reach for fingers that did not want to be caressed and loved and given warmth of human comfort. She resisted and resisted, trying to be out of reach of the woman who adored her, only for each effort to bring new pain and tears that finally broke down the barrier. Twilight simply sat there as Cadance tried to shush the agonies into silence, letting the young woman weep in mourning.

Twilight had lost her family.

Author's Note

Fuck's sake that got long. Shit.

Wanted to portray some accuracy here. Think I did alright.

Keep reading, if you want.

Four: Living in the Ashes

The look on Sunset’s face was, more or less, what Twilight had expected to see in the wake of the news. The crimson-and-gold haired woman that peered at her from the computer screen before her could only recoil, mouth agape and looking absolutely appalled.

“She disowned you?” Sunset echoed, the revelation so absurdly horrid that it had to be repeated to even be truly believed. “Your mother actually disowned you?”

“Yeah. According to my Grandpa, she’s thrown out all my photos and anything of mine that was still at the house,” Twilight added, her voice little better than a dull, flat monotone. “Even that old doll of mine that was a family heirloom- all in the trash.”

“That is- Twilight- unbelievable,” Sunset murmured. It was a rare occurrence for the fiery woman to be at a loss for words, especially when her tongue had the predilection to raucous language. The sheer shock of the conversation had stunted her vocabulary. “Twilight, I am so sorry. I don’t know what else I can say- I am so sorry.”

“Yeah.” Ever since she had returned home, Twilight had felt flat. Too tired to spare emotion or had become overwhelmed, she couldn’t tell the difference. It only felt like the world had been burned black and she now living in the midst of the wreckage.

“How’s- how’s Cadance taking all of this?” Sunset asked. “It must have been brutal for the both of you, if she’s who set your mother off.”

“I don’t know,” Twilight answered baldly.

That made Sunset pause. “What do you mean you don’t know? Haven’t you talked to her about this?”

“We haven’t said much to each other since we got back,” Twilight reported, the response eliciting a grunt of disbelief from her friend on the other end of the line. “There’s nothing to say.”

“Nothing to- Twilight, you’re literally an understudy for a psychiatrist right now. You know how big a deal communication is, how have you not talked about this?” Sunset demanded to know. “Cadance probably wants to hear from you, you know that- right?”

“There’s nothing to say,” Twilight repeated, her voice not even rising to match Sunset’s growing emotions. “It’s just what is.”

Sunset looked very keen on arguing that point right then and there, but an intake of breath seemed to help her think better of it for the time being. “OK, fine. Another time… Twilight, are you gonna be- I dunno, coherent? You know, not permanently crushed or something?”

“I’m fine.”

“Don’t lie, OK? Please tell me you’re not saying that sort of crap to Cadance.”

“We’re not saying anything,” Twilight said.

Sunset was trying her best, searching hard for some solution or word of comfort that could be said to make this better, to try and stop the wound from continuing to bleed. “Is… Twi, is there anything we can do to help?” she asked. “Want Pinkie’s family to adopt you- we become in-laws?”

“I’m fine.”

“Liar.”

“I gotta go, Sunset,” Twilight replied.

“Liar again,” Sunset countered. “But I’ll let you go. Let me know if you need anything, alright? Please?”

“OK. Bye.”

“Take care, Twilight,” Sunset replied, giving a single, sad smile before her face disappeared in a void of black as the video chat ended.

And the absence of conversation let the void within Twilight’s mind return to its voracious hunger, the beastly thing no longer distracted by word and thought that required focus. Twilight sighed, looking around her small office; technically, she wasn’t supposed to have one. Principal Celestia had renovated a small storage area into a place of privacy for her when she had taken the position, and it was a welcome thing- especially now, when she so desperately wanted to be alone. Like she would always be, from here on out.

Shining Armor had actually called her first before she could present the news to him, demanding to know what had caused his mother to command he cut off contact from his only sibling. She’d tried to explain it as best she could, but felt limited in what knowledge she could divulge; anger had burned bright when she had been confronted by her mother, but now that she was detached from it… to share such a humiliating secret regarding a parent seemed cruel. Besides, what had come the very next day had left no innocence. Shining had been sympathetic when listening to his sister’s explanations, but could offer no remedy- he had seen the dysfunction their parents could conjure far earlier on and had wisely departed to far corners of the world in search of a better life.

Her father had been of little use, though she had been more honest with him as to the intricacies of the heated conversation. Too embittered by the divorce and the unhappy years he had spent alongside Velvet had turned him into a poor listener, and more eager to give air to his own grievances. Was it news that put Twilight Velvet in a bad light? Good, and here were ten more stories that would smear her name. Twilight had regretted the phone call almost from the moment it had begun, and tried to find a way to end it. A quick question as to where he was now had done that well enough.

Sunset had been a good person to talk to about it, one of the few who might understand what Twilight was now enduring. It wasn’t as though Sunset truly had any connection to her old friends, family- any of her old life at all. She’d been sympathetic, helping to soothe the dulled ache that had settled on her chest like an iron weight. Sunset, the only one of that old friend group who had been her intellectual equal, had told her everything she’d wanted to hear- and needed to hear, too. Even though she hadn’t liked it.

Talk to Cadance. Of course that was her most critical, most unwelcome piece of advice. It wasn’t as though Twilight hadn’t thought of that herself or anything- she just couldn’t bear the conversation that would come. Cadance would be warm, sympathetic, infinitely kind and caring. She’d be there for Twilight in a way no one else could be, and the loss of blood lineage would only spur her love for Twilight to deeper depths. It would be so wonderfully welcome, and so thoroughly undeserved.

The beautiful face of that marvelous woman shone in memories that played across her mind and she felt a new twist of the knife. The whole trip had been a horrible, horrible idea. Twilight should never have let Cadance convince her it would work, that Velvet would be as forgiving as Cadance would be to her. And who had paid the highest price for it all, the hope and thought that bridges could be mended? Cadance. Poor, sweet, beautiful Cadance, absolutely raked over the coals and humiliated for nothing more than being present- yes, the venom Velvet held for her had genuine merit, but that was a different Cadance, a different life! If her mother could be freed from her alcoholism and grow, couldn’t the woman Twilight loved find help and healing? She was older than Twilight, yes- more sensuous, more desiring of physical affection. But none of those made her bad, they were what made her so appealing to Twilight in the first place! That old fear of a boring life, of growing old… it had been tossed to the wayside so Twilight could have room in the gorgeous woman’s heart. She made Twilight feel so safe, and Twilight’s repayment of that love had been to see her crucified.

What a wretched girlfriend she was. Twilight could take her mother’s abuse, she could endure her grandmother’s scorn. But they had clawed and belittled the one thing, the one person that she held more dearly than anything on earth. Cadance was the one who would always giver her butterflies, set her blood afire, would always be the one for which she longed- and it had been Twilight’s fault that she had even been in that situation at all. Damn you.

A vibration across the table, emanating from her cell phone. She was needed, work was to be done. With a sigh and an attitude that wanted no part of it, Twilight Sparkle the Motherless rose from her chair in the midst of a makeshift office and continued her façade of a normal life.

No one at Canterlot High was happy in the last weeks of the school semester. Christmas coming on the horizon seemed all too far away, especially in the tail end of November that had yet to be completed. Fights were common, and so were breakdowns under the pressure of exams. Twilight was being kept busy, and she was grateful for it. It was hard to mourn the loss when you had no mental capacity to focus on it. Every argument she had to help defuse, every student who believed they couldn’t succeed were all welcome distractions. She would relish them if she had the feelings to spare.

When Twilight returned home, she was disappointed to see Cadance’s car already in the garage. Had she left early specifically to be here for Twilight when she arrived home herself? Now she stared at the door with apprehension; to go inside would be to deal with the person she had helped wound.

“Twilight! You look practically frozen,” Cadance said, wearing a cream-colored sweater and sweat pants as she walked over to greet her girlfriend. “Come here, let me grab your things for you.”

Twilight braced for the unwelcome greeting and could not bring herself to meet it in equal measure; Cadance’s kiss of greeting may as well have been granted to a corpse. “You’re home early,” she said.

“Yeah, I know. Mean to do when exams are coming up, right?” Cadance replied, ridding Twilight of her scarf and hanging it gently in the nearby coat closet. “I wasn’t feeling all that well again and decided to head on home, so I’ve got some soup working in the kitchen. I figured we could both use something hot.”

“Thanks, Cadance,” Twilight said, slipping off her shoes and making to the stairs.

“Hey, Twi- wait a minute,” Cadance protested, holding Twilight by the hand and trying to pull her back for an embrace. “Are you OK, was work rough today? You look exhausted.”

“I’m fine, Cadance,” Twilight said.

“You’re sure?” Cadance pressed, trying to remain upbeat. “You look like you haven’t been sleeping much.”

“I’m fine, Cadance,” Twilight said, freeing herself from her girlfriend’s grasp and turning back to the stairs, not daring to look back. She knew she was being hurtful, but it wasn’t as though that were anything new.

Dinner was a genuine attempt by the older woman to try and revive Twilight’s spirit, Cadance’s skills in the kitchen never something one could scoff at. The chicken soup was wonderfully hot and the broth flavorfully rich. The company was also wonderful, Cadance bright-eyed and all smiles as she tried to prod Twilight into life once again. Every word spoken from the beautiful angel’s mouth was said in kindness, born from love that was so freely given. It was an earnest attempt, and would have worked on anyone else. Twilight Sparkle, however, had no heart for it. Every word she tried to speak seemed to be like a weight in her throat, too heavy to push up and out- yet each word left unsaid only added to her growing guilt, which made it all the more difficult to speak. Useless. Absolutely useless. She doesn’t deserve this, having to deal with your bullcrap.

“Twi?” Cadance asked softly as she took her plate to the sink, pausing beside her young companion. “Are you gonna finish yours, or..?”

“I’m good, Cadance,” Twilight said, watching with an unhappy stomach as the half-finished bowl was taken away and tossed aside. Another jab of guilt: Cadance had worked hard on that meal, made it for the both of them.

The shower helped accelerate the realm of thought, but Twilight still came to no conclusion, no sum of her troubles. She felt cursed, beset by a spirit that held to her mind with its tight, serpentine coils. When she sat in her bed to read, she couldn’t concentrate and all the words passed by before her without one of them being recognized. Then she felt the soft, tender touch of Cadance’s hand coming across her body to caress and care, the silken smoothness of her nightwear that was so easy to toss aside-

Twilight gave a small shake and Cadance’s grip disappeared. “Not tonight, Cadance,” Twilight said dully. “I’m not feeling it.”

“Of course. It’s fine, Twilight,” Cadance replied, not an ounce of bitterness or sarcasm in her words, but instead a soft sympathy. “I’m… right here if you need anything, OK?”

“OK.” Twilight flipped off her light and turned in the hopes of finding sleep, but knew it would be a long time before it came- if at all.

“I’m sorry if I’m being quick about everything, Twily. Your mother’s been prone to screaming enough this past week enough, if she catches me talking to you-”

“It’s fine, Grandpa,” Twilight replied, more guilt being piled upon her shoulders. She had been a burden to him as well, another person whose life had been made worse by her choices. “I can let you go, if you want.”

“It’s fine, little one. Don’t worry about me, I’m far meaner than she is,” Warrior said. “I saved what I could from the trash, but I’m afraid it isn’t much. I have the neighbors holding onto it right now, as soon as I get the chance to send it along to you, I will.”

“Grandpa, none of it is really all that important,” Twilight said. “You don’t have to go to all that effort for me.”

“I don’t have to do anything, Twily. But you’re still my granddaughter, so I will,” Warrior countered. “I do what I want for those I love.”

“… Fine, Grandpa. Thank you,” Twilight said at last, relenting to his wishes.

“You’re very welcome,” Warrior said. “I’ve got to be off, but I’ll keep you updated. Your mother may not stay angry forever.”

“Mhm.”

“Tell Cadance I said hello, will you?”

“Mhm.”

Warrior seemed to make to end the call, but gave a small sigh before adding, “Don’t let them rob you of her, too.” And then silence.

Another relationship that had been ruined by her foolishness. The single person in the entire family that had loved her unconditionally. Her Grandpa, the best man she’d ever known- now speaking to her as though screaming his words from the other side of an impassable canyon. Any defense he’d produce on her behalf would bring him further hurt, even from his own wife- her grandmother, who now hated her. Saw her as something ruined.

Twilight left the house not long after, retreating again to her miniscule office and trying to tend to what work needed to be done. There would be plenty, if last week was any indicator. Tirades and tears, wearied spirits and bruised egos that fed into the fire. Plenty of misery that would not be of her own making.

The knock at the door came unexpectedly. If anyone had ever needed her, they’d always made sure to call first. Who on earth was coming to speak to her in person?

She’d have to find out. “Come in,” she called, that miserable monotone still holding tight to her emotions. This was not to be a pleasant experience. Likely some young freshman who’d never had exams this difficult, or someone who’d just been broken up with-

“I hope you don’t mind,” Principal Celestia said as she slid through the door and closed it quietly behind her. “I’m not intruding on anything, am I?”

The Princ- her boss! Twilight scrambled, rising from her seat and offering what little she had to her unanticipated guest-

Principal Celestia raised a hand in resistance, trying to bring the young woman to a halt. “Twilight, it’s quite alright,” the older woman said gently, motherly instinct on alert for what could be tended to. “I merely wanted to see how you were doing. Dr. Mendel mentioned that you seemed a bit distracted for a while now. He was beginning to worry.”

Oh. Right. More intrusion, unwanted and unnecessary. Twilight exhaled and held her guest’s gaze steady. “I’m fine,” she said. “Sorry I don’t have anything to offer. My coffee pot broke on Monday, I’ve been meaning to get a new one.”

“Really Twilight, I promise it’s all fine,” Celestia replied. She took a light seat on the table and slowly shut the nearby laptop closed so as to silence any potential distractions it could bring forth. “You don’t like people to worry about you, do you?”

So it was to be that kind of conversation. “What makes you say that?”

“A few things. Including the fact that you’ve been upset for several days now and have yet to tell anyone what’s on your mind,” Celestia said. She brought up the subject so casually, keeping the mood of the cramped room light. “I hope you know that it’s perfectly alright to have a bad day. Even a bad few days, if it comes to that.”

“I know,” Twilight said. She didn’t admit it, but there was a flicker of irritation. This didn’t need to happen.

“So, I hope you feel comfortable with telling me what’s going on to keep you so upset. I was hoping I might be able to help you work through it, since it seems to have such a hold on you.”

“I’m fine,” Twilight answered- this time, her blank voice was kept intentionally flat in the hopes of hiding her irritation.

Celestia smiled, resting her chin in her hands as she regarded her young employee. “And you’re sure anyone who saw this would believe you?” she inquired.

“Does it matter?” Twilight asked, politeness now thrown out the window; her tone was less than kind.

“Your feelings matter to many people, if you must be reminded of it.” Celestia’s expression was that ever-present measure of tranquility and compassion, infused by genuine warmth. “You are my friend. You are Luna’s friend. You’re friend to Sunset and Pinkie, and much more than a friend to Cadance. And right now, you have us all wondering why you’ve kept this all to yourself when any one of us would have gladly come to help you.”

Now shame was intermingled with the frustration, Twilight struggling to find the words with which to speak. “I- Celestia, I just- I don’t… oh, damn it all.”

“Don’t what?”

“I don’t- deserve it,” Twilight managed to say.

“What do you not deserve?”

“Help. Or sympathy. Especially from Cadance,” Twilight finally admitted. Like a stone stuck in her throat, a sickness that had begged to be released from her stomach, it was now out in the open. “This was all my fault.”

Celestia sighed, not out of pity or anger. “Cadance called me the other day,” she said. “She didn’t give details, but… she told me enough about what had happened. What your mother did to you… Twilight, I am so sorry. Cadance called to ask me what she could to do help you, but I’m not sure what I could tell her.”

“It doesn’t matter-”

“Yes, it absolutely does matter. Your feelings on this matter.”

“No, they don’t!” Twilight said hotly. “Because it’s all my fault that it happened in the first place! They just- they blamed Cadance for everything! That’s not fair, it’s not some- it all happened because of me!” The young woman moaned in her misery and slumped over in her chair, looking down at the floor in the hopes it would swallow her whole. “Why did I think it would actually work? That going up there was even a good idea?”

“Because you believed people would choose to do the kind thing,” Celestia said. “And just because they didn’t does not make you wrong. The words they chose to say, what Velvet chose to do- not one moment of it is your fault. Do you understand me?”

“But I took Cadance up there!” Twilight tried to explain, “I thought that it might actually work out, and- now look what happened!”

“I know. And Twilight, I’m sure it hurts,” Celestia said. “But don’t hurt yourself because of what others chose to do. Let the people who love you be there for you when it really, really hurts. They want to be- and never mind what is ‘deserved’ or not,” she added, noting Twilight’s inclination to protest. “Now, I’m going to let you go for the day-”

“What? But I’m fine!” Twilight cried-

“And you’re going to get some rest. You’re clearly exhausted and you’ve had a rough holiday season. You need rest, and you need to let your girlfriend help you with that. Come back tomorrow afternoon unless otherwise requested, am I clear?” Celestia’s appearance was still warm, friendly as it always seemed to be- but to mistake the forceful authority in her voice or the intensity in her burning gaze would have been impossible. The order was not something to lightly disregard.

“Yes, ma’am,” Twilight muttered, albeit with a scowl. She could have easily continued to argue against this, yet she rose from her chair and made to the exit- only to be momentarily halted by a quick, tender hug from the caring principal, holding the dejected, frustrated woman as though she were her own unruly child.

“I’m truly sorry, Twilight,” Celestia whispered, and her voice gave suggestion to the presence of tears. “Velvet’s wrong- I hope you know that.”

Twilight felt a stinging in her eyes and tried to ignore it. She felt exhausted.

The empty house was darkened and left dull when Twilight arrived, she throwing her things aside and stripping down to her underthings before slithering beneath the unmade bedsheets. To her great surprise, it took her only a short time to fall asleep; when she awoke about an hour later, her mind was fuzzy and dim. She could have gone longer.

She took to some small tasks around the house. Laundry needed to be washed; dishes were put back in the cupboards; the bathroom trashcan was emptied into the large wastebin in the garage. After she had done the usual chores, Twilight felt another wave of sleepiness invade her being, and the collapse on the couch helped her drift quickly away to another bout of needed slumber.

The sound of footsteps on hardwood made her awaken again, albeit far more peacefully. Her eyes opening to dim light that poured down from the ceiling above, she twisted about from her place on the couch to see what the source of the sound was and found Cadance gently putting her things atop the dining room table. “Hey,” she croaked.

“Hey! Sorry, did I wake you?” Cadance said hurriedly, coming over to Twilight’s place on the couch and kissing her check, surprised when the young woman did not recoil from the affection. “I was trying to be quiet and I guess I messed up.”

“You’re fine, Cadance,” Twilight said thickly, sitting up on the couch as she tried to rub away the sleep from her eyes. “It’s probably best I woke up, anyway, or else I wouldn’t be able to sleep through the night.”

“Still, I’m sorry. You looked like you could’ve done with a few more hours, honestly,” Cadance said. “OK if I sit down?”

“Yeah. Sure,” Twilight said. She tossed her blanket aside and made room for her girlfriend, the two woman sitting beside one another yet with enough buffer space in between them to remain separate. Twilight could feel the surface tension of that space, its pushing and prodding against her form either a result of her own movement or the eager itchings of Cadance.

“Twilight?” Cadance’s tone was tentative, almost fearful. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” Twilight said. Her tone was no longer the flat, dull sound that echoed from the rocks, though not yet filled with the life she so thoroughly possessed.

“Are-” Cadance was struggling already, trying to keep tears from choking her words to death. “Are you mad at me? I know what happened at your mother’s place was because of me.”

“What?” The mere suggestion of it was beyond shocking; the idea that Cadance believed it to be her responsibility was the last thing Twilight had expected to hear.

“I’d- well, manipulated her. And used you to hurt her,” Cadance said weakly, the tears now falling along her beautiful face and staining through her makeup. “So of course it’s my fault. I’m just sorry that it hurt you-

“What? Cadance, no!” Twilight cried, horrified that such a sweet, caring woman would dare to think such a thing. She broke the tension space and held Cadance’s hands tightly, trying to give pressure to the feeling. “Cadance, I should have stopped it, I- could’ve talked my Mom down but I didn’t and made it worse, and- and they blamed you for everything like you’d done something wrong! It was always my fault, ever since I kissed you in your office and- and-” the willfull voice of Twilight broke, strangled as the violent wave of vicious emotion turned to strike down her riled spirit that had been made vulnerable through sleep. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything because she was absolutely worthless-!

“Twilight, you will not blame yourself for this. Not once did you ever, ever do anything wrong!” Cadance said fiercely. “What your mother did to you –what I did- are not because of anything you did wrong. Don’t you ever believe anything else! I love you too much to think otherwise. So please, just- just… I’m sorry. I wish I could change everything.”

The argument could have gone one forever. Twilight hated the thought of Cadance taking the blame for what had transpired, that all the hurtful words Velvet had said were something she deserved; Cadance, in perfect balance, refused to let Twilight know an ounce of guilt for trying to mend burnt bridges. Instead of an endless back-and-forth, the two simply became overwhelmed and wept together, the misery of past transgressions and current pains more than what they knew to bear alone. The hurt did not lessen as they sat there on the couch together but instead became all the more raw and vicious, burning until it seemed that grief would be too difficult to endure. Yet, as they allowed the fury of its wrath to burn all the way through, in its wake came a small sense of comfort that came in the form of the comforting touch and love of the other, not yet enough to bring peace and resolution to the tribulation, but –for now- to dull its edges.

And for Twilight, that was more than she could have hoped for.

Some days still felt dull and dreary. It would not ever again be the same, of that Twilight was certain. But the more she reached out for comfort, the more she was to find it. Celestia and Luna treated her as though she were their eldest child; Sunset and Pinkie were like the sisters she had never known. And Cadance…

Twilight saw the movement in the bathroom and she turned from her place at the dresser to take notice; Cadance was readying herself for the day, a small razor combing delicately at her flawless skin as she sat there on the side of the bathtub. It was a normal part of routine, an unremarkable event of morning preparations that go so easily unnoticed when looked upon in hindsight. But that small movement that had caught Twilight’s eye now kept her transfixed, unable to be torn away from the fair form of Cadance- it would have been impossible to do otherwise. Soft skin that gleamed like polished gold when under light; delicate hands that begged to be held tightly; beautiful breasts that were only barely hidden beneath a simple bra; plump lips that needed to be kissed; lavender eyes that glowed like jewels…

“Hey, you!” Cadance said brightly, giving a wave when she found Twilight staring at her. “Something caught your eye?”

Twilight wanted to blush- but why should she? It wasn’t as though her attraction was a secret. Instead, she looked over at Cadance and decided she needed to do something in response. Cadance had been so bright, so steady a pillar for her ever since they had returned home. How could she have let it go unnoticed?

“Earth to Twilight! Wake up, silly!” Cadance teased, her lavender eyes twinkling with mischief. “You’ve gone too far down the rabbit hole and it’s not even eight in the morning.”

“Got stuck thinking about you, that’s all,” Twilight said, and glad to feel the genuine attitude behind it. “I can’t decide what about you is prettiest.”

Cadance giggled, rolling her eyes. “Oh, hush,” she said, though she was smiling through her redness.

“I want to say it’s the eyes,” Twilight continued now walking forward towards her admiring lover. “But I do love your breasts. The touch of your skin…”

“Oh, do you?” Cadance asked, amused and thoroughly pleased. “I wish you’d told me sooner, I never knew-”

“Or how much I love your lips,” Twilight whispered, leaning in so close that her balance was kept by a hand on Cadance’s thigh. “Because you let me kiss them-”

It didn’t matter who closed the gap, only that the softness of Cadance’s luscious lips were pressed happily against hers, not with the hesitancy that was born by reluctance, nor was it the slavish actions of overeager lust; this kiss was comfort and happiness, glad to be given- and that meant love.

Or maybe not. Twilight finished the first kiss, but her senses told her that she needed to grant another, this second gift of affection just as pleasantly met by Cadance’s desire for physical pleasure. Twilight’s hand left its place on Cadance’s leg and came upward to caress her cheek, a third kiss not even enough to satisfy the itch that was slowly being uncovered.

Cadance placed a hand on Twilight’s exposed breasts, giving one a gentle knead. The next kiss was more fervent, less gentle. The older woman leaned in deeper, trying to drink in more of Twilight’s kisses, the two women now being taken in by the sensuous outpouring-

“Mmm…” When Twilight retreated from Cadance’s touch, she was disappointed with herself. The moment had been going so well, the touch of Cadance’s lips more than welcome. Each breath she took was rather hurried, she feeling an intensity in her chest that the beautiful woman before her was clearly aware of, and more than happy to indulge.

“I missed you,” Cadance said sweetly, licking her lips in anticipation, “Mind if I let you know just how much?”

Twilight smiled and made to lean in- and her eyes caught the clock leaning against the mirror that read a quarter till eight. “Holy crap I’m late!” She shrieked, rushing back to the dresser and grabbing the first outfit she could put her hands on-

“Wait, Twilight!” Cadance protested, looking as though she’d been robbed. “Oh come on, babe, that’s not fair!”

Twilight didn’t even have time for a response. Haste drove her downstairs where she dressed in a rush, grabbing a quick cup of coffee before running out the door in the hopes that her absence wouldn’t be too deeply felt. It wasn’t until she had come to the hours of late morning and the pangs of hunger began their assault on her empty stomach in earnest did she find the capacity to recall the events of that morning. She, the one most dedicated to rigid structure and order, had left Cadance in her most aroused state. And worse, she’d left her unsatisfied- a terrible teasing that must have been hard for the affectionate woman to endure. Twilight wanted to make it up to her. Not just for her neurotic rush that morning, but the many days before. Cadance deserved something special in return for all the patience and unrequited love she’d been giving Twilight. It was only going to be a matter of what exactly she’d do that was the question. It needed to be a bit more off the beaten track, something unexpected that Cadance would want.

And when Twilight conjured up her idea, her worry was only if she had the talent to pull it off.

Frustratingly, Cadance had arrived home first. Twilight had wanted some prep time, a way to make her plan feel truly perfect. If Cadance was busy elsewhere in the house, she might still have a chance. Unfortunately, there was no sign of her downstairs when Twilight entered the darkened house, with only the bedroom light filtering down the stairs to give a clue as to her whereabouts. Twilight sighed; she had hoped to make her surprise the first thing Cadance would see when they met, and now it looked as though her plan of payback was not thoroughly shot. She trudged up the stairs in gloom and pushed aside the door to see Cadance resting atop the bed in only her underwear, her hand massaging her clit with fervor-

Lavender eyes met violet, bringing an immediate end to Cadance’s solitary pleasures. Neither of them moved from where they were, both women unsure of who held the right to break the spell.

“Hey,” Cadance said, appearing unusually flustered. “I… thought you’d be back later.”

Twilight’s mind was clocked into overdrive. She couldn’t believe it, of all things- she actually had a way to salvage her idea. Do not mess this up, she pleaded with herself. She let her eyes study Cadance intimately, looking upon that smooth skin that begged to be felt, following the stationary hand beneath panties that appeared already damp; the sight had its effect on Twilight brilliantly.

“Were you thinking about me when you were touching yourself, Cadance?” she asked, the trace of a grin on her face. She let her body be accented when she placed herself against the wall, highlighting the confident, capable figure she carried.

Cadance was not oblivious, more than aware of where this conversation was headed. “Well… maybe just a little,” she answered, at last extracting her hand from the depths of her folds. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Aw… you poor thing,” Twilight remarked, now walking towards the edge of the bed. “Did I leave you unsatisfied this morning?”

You just might have.”

“Could I make it up to you?”

Cadance positively beamed at the question. “Only if you give me your best,” she answered, reaching back down to tear her dampened panties away-

“Not yet,” Twilight said teasingly, raising a hand in protest. “Let me do that… in time.”

It was not the best sort of clothing for what she wanted to do, nor were the actions something she would normally undertake. This was Cadance’s realm, her means of sensual thought. But she would try to do her best.

She kept her eyes on Cadance’s wondrous face, ensuring she could keep track of her reactions- and the first thing to go was the pin in her hair, loosening the braid until her hair flowed down to her waist, she giving a slow shake so as to let it shimmer in the soft light of the bedroom.

Cadance gave a start of surprise when she realized what was happening, her face giving life to an uncertain, yet hopeful smile. Surely Twilight wasn’t actually attempting such a thing!

The young woman wished she hadn’t been wearing pants; a skirt, even a formal one, would have been preferable. But with what grace she could manage she unzipped and began to free her skin from the clutches of the fabric, every movement allowing ample time for Cadance to enjoy the movement. Then she bent over as she undid the buttons on her shirt, allowing what cleavage she possessed to be exposed more and more with each freed button until the shirt was only supported by what lay across her shoulders. “You mind taking this off for me?” she asked.

Cadance’s grin was eager, and she crawled to the end of the bed to pull away her lover’s clothing, one hand tearing the shirt away while the other reached for her bra-

“Ah-ah!” Twilight objected, swiftly putting herself out of reach so as to continue the show. “I didn’t say you could do that.”

Cadance was struggling, looking at Twilight’s nigh-exposed body with the desire to ravish it. Patience was not her romantic virtue.

One hand reached out and held Cadance’s anxious face, pulling her in so close that Twilight’s breath came hot upon her lips. The beautiful woman closed her eyes in hopes of a kiss-

Twilight again pulled back, but only just; her hand took Cadance’s and guided it downwards to her underwear, placing the hand in between flesh and fabric. One finger tried to wriggle its way in deeper, to delve into the slickened depths-

“Just a little longer now,” Twilight whispered. She granted her first gift, a single simple kiss on Cadance’s lips that was hardly enough to satisfy. With Cadance’s help, her panties were pulled down to her ankles- one leg free, then the other raised high, the small reward there for the taking-

Cadance’s hunger was voracious, she taking Twilight’s panties and casting them aside in favor of a better prize, eyes still fixed on Twilight-

She came forward at last and took her place on the awaiting woman’s lap, legs wrapped tightly around Cadance’s waist and giving her such a kiss that she could feel the breath stolen away along with it, stroking tongue probing deeply into her mouth to grace it with tender touches upon its pair- gently, warmly, sensuously.

“And this last one,” Twilight whispered, pulling back so her chest could be clearly seen, “is all yours.”

Cadance breathed a sigh of happiness and pulled Twilight’s bra away with her teeth, so great was her energy. Petite breasts were the focus of her attentions and she tended to them lovingly, a soft tongue swirling about the nipple until she felt it start to harden. One nibble, then one more. Twilight’s breasts were not the majestic mounds that she possessed, but they were part of Twilight, and she loved them deeply because of it-

“Sorry for this morning, Princess,” Twilight said softly, gently turning Cadance away from her ravishings and bringing those delectable lips to meet her own for a string of kisses, kisses full of love and desire and all needed feeling. “And for making you wait longer than that, too.”

“I still love you, anyway,” Cadance whispered, returning with a kiss of her own- this one sloppy, flavorful as she pressed a slickened finger against Twilight’s outstretched tongue. “I missed you.”

“You certainly will,” Twilight assured her, pushing Cadance down onto the covers and setting to work. She lavished kisses on Cadance’s lips until their tongues danced together in dripping harmony, the two women licking away at each other in kisses and coos and sighs of lust. One moment of suckling on that tongue was enough for now- her love had further places to attend to, lips drifting down shivering skin and pausing at Cadance’s splendid breasts that cried out for her devotion. She’d loved those breasts from the moment she had first held them, and loved them even still; mouth kept busy with nibbles and licks that made Cadance gasp from just the proper amount of pleasure and pain, the other breast cared for by Twilight’s hand that grasped and flicked at the nipple. One twist, ever so gently, and Cadance gasped. Another in the opposite direction and she induced a cry-

“Oh my god, Twilight,” she moaned. “What are you waiting for?”

“For you to beg, Princess,” Twilight teased, leaving the adored breasts to lean just above Cadance’s open mouth that begged for another kiss. She dangled her tongue like an outstretched candy and was unsurprised when Cadance lunged for the succulent, pink morsel and sucked it madly. The sensuous, lovesick woman was absolutely desparate.

“Twilight, I swear, if you don’t get down there- please!” Cadance cried.

It was all that Twilight needed, she sliding down that smooth skin in a heartbeat and ravaging the soaked pussy with all the love and desire she could possibly hope to offer, Cadance crying out in delight from the very first touch of Twilight’s tongue against her clit. Too long had she been left hungering, unsatisfied; patience in the face of Twilight’s mourning had done little to slake her thirst for the young woman’s love, her physical need for it. As Twilight’s mouth gave vicious, wonderful kisses to her lower lips, when tongue explored deep and fell like a hammerstroke, Cadance was in ecstasy yet again. The woman she loved was back with her once more, and it did not take long for her to find that sweet release she craved. One deep, delighted moan and she felt a wave of pleasure ignite her body with the orgasm, the juices flowing outwards into Twilight’s open mouth, the splatter falling across her face and onto the bedsheets below. Still Twilight did not stop, although slowing her efforts so as to match Cadance’s squirming. The tonguework now was smooth, gentle so as to give each new wave a unique feeling all its own. It had been missed, and was a welcome return to form.

Twilight felt a glow of pleasure as she surfaced from between Cadance’s legs and heard the gasps. She had only departed for a short period, but their absence of physical connection had been long enough for even a short bit of play to satisfy. As Twilight crawled up Cadance’s naked body, a string of kisses along that sensuous form to guide her way, she resolved that it would never be such an absence again. Her grief, and her emotions, would not keep her away from such comforts any longer; she would find shelter and strength in Cadance the next time around, the dearest member of her makeshift family that she had. Kisses from soaked lips graced the beautiful woman’s sweat-laced face, and for a moment the two women could do nothing but hold one another and allow their kisses to fill the void.

“Did you miss me?” Twilight asked, leaning down and resting beside her magnificent lover. She could look on that beautiful figure forever and never tire of it…

“For so long, Love,” Cadance whispered happily. “Next time… let me be there with you. For you. OK?”

“I’ll- I’ll try, Princess,” Twilight replied. “I’ll do my best.”

“Is that so?” Cadance asked, suddenly pinning Twilight to the bed as she balanced her naked form above the younger woman. “Mind if I put that to the test?” One kiss that was not gentle, a nibble on the neck-

It was to be a very busy afternoon.

Author's Note

Can't be sad forever. Not when you're still breathing.

... Can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish this story had more views. I actually like this one. Don't mind the dry-bitching.

Keep reading, if you want.

Five: A Wonderful Christmastime

Snow! The feelings Cadance and Twilight had about the beautiful, powdery substance was mixed at best. Though lovely to look at through from within warm shelter, the abysmal conditions outside that would be theirs to deal with the moment they stepped foot outside were not their favorite cup of tea. Cold, miserably damp, and nothing but weary irritation to cast aside from their driveway, a task neither of them enjoyed. Twilight was more intellectual than athletic and Cadance had only been a softball player, not one who enjoyed throwing weight around. To aid their continued aversion to the chore were the neighborhood youth, a group of traveling boys who would gladly toss the mush and ice away for ten dollars apiece and warmth thanks. Twilight and Cadance’s home, amusingly enough, was usually the one they gravitated towards first. One could hardly imagine why.

Twilight watched the menagerie of young boys hard at work outside on an iced sheet of snow that covered both her car and the driveway it called home, a smile of amusement refusing to relinquish its place on her lips. They’d arrived at their doorstep only a few minutes after the announcement that all county schools had closed, Twilight having only just managed to coax herself from beneath the warm blankets and out into the bitter cold of the house. They’d even offered to clean off the walk to the front door, simply out of the kindness of their hearts.

One of the oldest of the group, a straw-haired boy who was barely a teenager, looked up and saw they were under watch, he offering a large smile and an enthusiastic wave- one that Twilight returned and tried not to giggle.

“Twi, can you come in here and help me with these?” Cadance called from somewhere in the kitchen, the clatter and dull clinking of glassware and ingredients having been the symphony in their ears for the past few minutes.

“Sure.” Twilight rose from her place on the couch and came in to offer assistance, seeing a serving plate dotted by half-a-dozen mugs that awaited contents. “What’ve you been working on?”

“Oh, I figured I’d make them something warm to drink. It’s cold out there,” Cadance replied. “Start stirring this, will you? I need to look for some marshmallows.”

Twilight sighed, her smile speaking for her amusement- and admiration at Cadance’s continued kindness. “Heartbreaker,” she teased. She could feel the chunks of chocolate begin to melt in the saucepan as she stirred.

“What? How? I’m being nice!” Cadance protested, voice muffled as she stuck her head into the pantry and searched in the depths for her final ingredient. “How am I doing something wrong?”

“Well, Cadance, if you haven’t noticed, our driveway is the only one that gets an entire gaggle of middle schoolers to get it cleaned up every time there’s a snowstorm,” Twilight remarked. “And they were also here at seven in the morning.”

“So?” Cadance reemerged, bag of marshmallows held in triumph.

Twilight tried not to laugh. Cadance was being intentionally stubborn. “So,” she continued, “It just might be that a young bunch of boys might be helping out the house of a very attractive woman because they think said woman is pretty, and they like to look at you.”

“And how is my making them something nice breaking their hearts?” Cadance countered.

“I’m willing to bet that one of the oldest asks for your number.”

“You think they won’t ask for yours, too? You forget that you’re pretty, too.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “You’re the one that looks like a supermodel. Is it really hard to guess?”

A bag of marshmallows was practically slammed onto the countertop. “Twilight, let go of the saucepan.”

“OK, and-” One hand held the back of her head and an arm went about her waist, pulling her in for a strong, intensely passionate kiss that Cadance gave no hints of allowing to end, stifling all thought –and breath- as the beautiful woman continued in her romantic advances. Just when Twilight began to think that maybe this was a moment worth pursuing, the kiss broke- and Cadance adding one lick across her girlfriend’s lips for added measure. “… And that was for..?”

“Because apparently you needed the reminder,” Cadance said sweetly. “Try and act like you’re not pretty again, and I’ll make sure the whole neighborhood hears you screaming.”

The kiss had put Twilight into a mood that wouldn’t have minded, but this wasn’t the time for such a conversation. Little more was to be done than to roll her eyes and return to her stirring. “I think it’s whipped enough, don’t you?”

“Should be. I’ll get a measuring cup.”

Five minutes later, a group of young boys were crowded around their front door and drinking away as they chattered happily. On the other side of the front door, lying on the couch in embarrassment as her girlfriend laughed maniacally was Twilight, who was perfectly ready to sink through the floor.

“I told you!” Cadance said, having to struggle through hiccups her laughter had been so great. “And you thought it was just me they were looking at!”

“Oh gosh, I didn’t hurt his feelings, did I?” Twilight moaned. “How could I have screwed up that bad, I work with high schoolers!”

“Well, maybe blushing and running back inside wasn’t the best option,” Cadance remarked, “but it could’ve been worse. Just think of all the street cred he’s going to have now, he actually asked for a pretty girl’s number.”

“Princess?”

“Yes, Love?”

“Shut up.”

Cadance laughed again, clearly enjoying her free morning. “A bit grumpy, are we?” she teased. “Why such a blue mood? You’re getting a day off with your favorite person in the world.”

“Cadance, actually do shut up,” Twilight growled. “It’s way too early for this.”

Cadance knelt down beside her girlfriend and gazed into her dark eyes with a gaze that sparkled from her playful mood. “Why don’t you… make me?” she whispered.

One kiss turned into another, Cadance turning the pair into several. Twilight’s sweater didn’t stay on her body for long.

Holiday parties were part of the norm. Friends mingled with friends and strangers alike in the warm shelter of a singular home, there to partake in social comforts that came with good conversation, good drink, and the mediocre food that always seemed to pop up. Many ended up being seen as little more than a nuisance to those who would attend, a social obligation that had to be dealt with even if they entered to the sound of their own groaning. It was not welcome or wanted, but was simply part of what one did to maintain social graces.

Not all of them, however, were something to grumble about. Yes, the staff Christmas party was a little dull, but Celestia had made it a send-off for the semester rather than anything meant to last long. A few moments of time together, then off to enjoy some well-deserved rest. Cadance, in her usual brilliance, had declined to organize one at all, instead giving each of her staff a gift basket for them and their families, complete with a nice bottle of wine. Now, with no real obligation to speak of until the New Year began, the real fun could begin- starting with Pinkie Pie’s Christmas party.

It was something she had genuinely been looking forward to, despite her partiality to calmer, smaller parties. Pinkie’s over-enthusiastic, multi-day parties weren’t as common nowadays as they had been when they were younger; Sunset’s more tempered approach had helped soothe that particular itch. Yet even still, they were brimming with warmth and life and were full of the sounds of good cheer that seemed so natural when Pinkie was involved. Silliness would intertwine perfectly with adulthood; games and laughter would be had alongside quality bourbon. Where Pinkie Pie and Sunset had decided to entertain, the good memories would certainly follow.

“You almost ready?” Twilight asked, standing in the closet as she looked over her outfit. She needed something for her neck- a scarf, maybe?

“Almost. I kinda slowed down for a moment,” Cadance replied from the bathroom. Putting on makeup, if Twilight had to guess.

“Hmm… Question!”

“Answer.”

“Necklace or- actually, better idea. Necklace or bracelet?”

A pause. “Bracelet,” she answered. “Why not the opal one I bought you?”

“Hmm… almost forgot about that,” Twilight muttered, extracting the beautiful item and cradling it in her hands. It had been given to her without a second thought, and was almost as beautiful as the one who’d given it to her. She hadn’t given any sort of jewelry to Cadance once in their years together. The more time had passed, the more she wanted to change that, if she just wasn’t so scared of something so simple.

“Well, I’m good to go,” Twilight said, walking into the bathroom where Cadance was sprucing up her lashes. “You need anything else, or can I go start up the car?”

“That’s for you to decide,” Cadance said, turning to her girlfriend and letting herself be put on display. The makeup was a bit different than her usual, more formal look; her face seemed to glimmer like the shining glow that came from snow, giving her a more festive appearance. The brightness in her eyes only added to the appeal, giving Cadance a look of something ethereal, almost timeless. And Twilight hadn’t even given any thought to her outfit. “You like it?”

“As always,” Twilight assured her- and, because she knew it would be both welcomed and despised, she leaned in to kiss Cadance on the cheek-

“Twilight! I just got done!” Cadance cried, trying to back away and instead crashing into the countertop. “That’s not fair.”

“Oh, you can’t handle getting teased in return?” she smirked. “Aren’t you a poor sport.”

Cadance, though the older of the pair, remained the most girlish. “Fight fair,” she said with a pout.

“Fine, then. But only because I love you,” Twilight replied, a hand stroking through pristine hair as she leaned in for a kiss, one of her own bidding. She felt a tremor of surprise; Cadance had lip gloss on, a sweet-tasting one that made her think of cinnamon. She rather liked it. Liked it enough at Twilight felt the need to return for another.

A break apart, Cadance’s hands bound around Twilight’s waist as the two women held each other. Eyes softened in their meeting, a sweetness lingering in the air as the moment continued with nothing more but soft comfort that could only be found in the safe, comforting arms of a beloved soul.

“I’m proud of you,” Cadance murmured, bringing Twilight’s lips to hers for a kiss of her own making. “I want you to know that.”

Twilight returned that kiss with a soft press of her own lips, mouth slightly agape so as to find Cadance’s lower lip in between her own. “And why’s that?” she whispered.

“Because I always am,” Cadance answered, turning to Twilight’s neck so as to leave a series of kisses- and hesitating as she realized she would leave an unmistakable mark, so she returned back to the sweet lips that she so continuously craved. “I’m glad you’re with me. You’ve made my life so much better just by being in it.”

Another kiss, this time slower and longer as Twilight found herself eager for more and more; it was so unusual for her, this hungering mood that begged for her to initiate and seek Cadance’s romantic attentions. She rather liked it. “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

“And you’re sure?” Cadance asked, hesitating mid-kiss and allowing a droplet of seriousness to invade the softness of the tranquility. “I’m not too old or too boring for you? You’re young and beautiful, and-”

“Are we gonna have this argument every December, Princess?”

“I- just checking.” Bashful and embarrassed was the color of her smile now.

“I love you,” Twilight reminded her. She struggled, Cadance’s lips looking particularly luscious and pleading for more than just a kiss. Why was she like this all of a sudden? “And you’re the only one who I’ll ever say that to. That’s a promise.”

Cadance beamed, the meaningful reminder settling her fretful thoughts and allowing them to return back to the recesses of forgotten thoughts. Brushing her hair aside, she asked, “So are we gonna be fashionably late or do you feel like enjoying yourself right here?”

Twilight knew what answer she wanted to give, but appearances dictated they leave for now. But she still felt the itch.

“Hi, Twilight, Cadance! Come on in,” was the greeting the moment the two women walked through the door, Pinkie Pie bouncing across the living room to give them each a hug of greeting and a kiss on the cheek. “Ooh, it’s good to see you both! I’m glad you could make it, I know the weather’s been terrible lately!”

“Of course we’d come. Like anyone sensible would miss your Christmas party,” Cadance said, splitting a grin at the sight of their hostess. “And my, don’t you look like you’re enjoying yourself.”

Pinkie Pie smirked; a Santa dress with an undersized skirt that left little to the imagination as to the curvature of the body beneath it, the young partyer never having been one to hold qualms with festivity. “Is it too much?” she asked playfully.

Judging by the fact that some of the guests couldn’t help but stare… “Is there any particular reason you’re wearing it, or-?”

“Oh, I just like driving Sunset up the wall every now and then,” Pinkie answered pleasantly. “It gets her all feisty for when we’re alone.”

And as always, no filter. “Well, glad you’re having a good time.”

“Yup. And now you can, too! I’ve got plenty of food set in the dining room, help yourself!” Pinkie cried, giving them both one last hug before darting away to some other section of the house that required her sudden attentions.

Cadance and Twilight relieved themselves of their coats and made their way to the food trays that their hosts had placed in the dining room, a pleasant mixture of finger food, sweets, and mildly substantial meals. Silence went on between them for a few minutes as they helped themselves to whatever tickled their fancy; a cookie or two, maybe some chips or pretzels-

Twilight was the first to break, the cracks allowing a series of giggles to seep through the supposed maturity that held her together. “Absolutely no shame,” she said, trying to smother her laughter before it became contagious.

“And that is why Sunset married her.”

“I don’t know how she does it, honestly,” Twilight remarked, pausing to take a bite out of a cookie. Peppermint isn’t quite my thing. “If you were going around the house dressed like that I think I’d lose my mind.”

Instantaneous regret was the young woman’s next emotion as she tried and failed to bite back her words that had so casually slipped out. Cadance, however, opened her eyes wide with a look of playful delight. “Oh, is that so?” she mused, the grin on her face devilish. “Why, I might just keep that in mind, Twilight. And here I thought you’d lost all your primal urges.”

“Is this the time and place for this sort of conversation?”

“Pinkie Pie is flashing everyone she walks by for the sole purpose of driving her wife up the wall. Is there a place more appropriate?” Cadance teased.

Twilight was having trouble keeping her eyes off of Cadance at the moment, and more specifically her extremely appealing body. It was definitely not the place to consider such actions, but the idea of pushing the beautiful woman against the wall and undressing her before a gawking crowd was intoxicating- a horrible idea, really, but trying to bury it wasn’t working so well when Cadance seemed so eager to tease and tempt-

“Twilight? Cadance! Hello, it’s been ages, darling!”

Oh thank God. “Rarity,” Twilight welcomed, smiling as her elegant friend came striding forth through the crowd for a greeting and a hug. “It’s good to see you, it’s been a while.”

“It must have been back in summer, darling!” Rarity said. The fashionista certainly looked no worse for wear, her hair shorter than it had been previously with the wavy curls falling just to her neck and giving her a more professional air. “I’m sorry it’s been so long, Adagio and I have just been terribly busy for months now. Whether it’s a new design or an expo somewhere, or just some other matter… if I’m frank, darling, I’m quite glad it’s slowed down a bit. The holidays are the first rest we’ve had in a while.”

“Well it certainly hasn’t done you any harm,” Cadance remarked, her eyes drifting from the young socialite to a newcomer, a ginger-haired woman who was almost as tall as she was. “And you’re… Adagio, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Oh goodness, yes, I didn’t realize-” Rarity paused in her musings to introduce the pair. “Adagio, this is Cadance, Twilight’s girlfriend of- three years, is it? She’s Principal over at Crystal Prep… Cadance, this wonderful woman is Adagio, my dearest love and my muse for the very best designs I could hope to craft! You might have seen her in Vogue just last month?”

“It’s a pleasure,” Adagio said, taking in Cadance’s appearance and finding it pleasant to behold. “Twilight has good taste.”

The words were delivered so evenly that it would seem intimidating to those unfamiliar with its bestower. Cadance clearly wasn’t sure what to make of the graceful model’s cool demeanor, the friendly words easy to misinterpret when heard from such a sharp-eyed individual.

Twilight, having met the somewhat enigmatic woman before, tried to defuse Cadance’s uncertainty. “Rarity said you were invited to Milan last week,” she offered. “It must be exciting to be able to go, I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you. It’ll be a lot of work,” Adagio replied. “For both of us, it would seem.”

“Oh, Rarity will be joining you?” Cadance asked.

“I’ll be wearing one of her designs,” was the answer. “It’s something I demand whenever I work.”

“And the biggest reason why I stay so busy,” Rarity added. “This lovely woman seems determined to keep me exhausted!”

“In every possible way,” Adagio said, the coolness of her speech warming as she turned to her lover, that sharp gaze losing its edge as slender fingers slipped into the warm hand of her partner and lips pressed against her cheek. “You’ve never told me that you minded.”

“Of course I don’t mind, dearest! I just- oh, I was trying to be humorous!” Rarity protested, though clearly not minding the affection. “And don’t be vulgar, we’re with other people!”

“Only because you asked,” was the reply. Adagio broke from Rarity’s hand and made to turn elsewhere. “I feel the need for a drink. Would you like something?”

“Not at the moment, dearest.”

“Very well, then.” Adagio turned and nodded towards Cadance and Twilight. “It’s nice to see you both.”

Rarity’s smile lingered, eyes following the striking woman as she strode across the living room and disappeared into the kitchen, the loving beam appearing unlikely to disappear for a time.

“She’s… a little daunting,” Cadance remarked, though not unkindly. “Is she always so formal?”

Rarity shook her head. “Only very reserved, Cadance. She is wondrous with the people she loves.”

“And that seems to include you,” Twilight said. “I’m happy for both of you.”

“It’s been wonderful, really,” Rarity sighed dreamily. “She’s just… we’ve talked about marriage and other silly things lately. I certainly wouldn’t mind it, if she asked me.”

The idea of Rarity, the girl Twilight had known as a serial boy-chaser, actually settling down was enough to elicit a smirk of laughter. “Well, if it would make you happy…”

“Of course it would, darling! Truthfully, I’m surprised the topic hasn’t been brought up between the two of you!”

The effect was instantaneous, Twilight turning a violent shade of red while Cadance was set to a fit of giggles that only antagonized the young woman further.

“Goodness,” Rarity mused as she took in the pair, “what did I say? I hope it’s not a touchy subject.”

“No, no, it’s not!” Twilight protested, though still flushing. “We just haven’t- hpmh! Uh…”

“It’s a bit on the backburner right now,” Cadance admitted, a bit of dull color infecting the brightness that so often glimmered in her gaze. “We had a rough Thanksgiving, and now we want to see if Twilight’s mom turns a new leaf. You know, before we talk about it again.”

Rarity smiled again, a tinge of sympathy that spoke to heartbreak within it, the knowledge of that unpleasant experience having made its way to her ears through Twilight little more than a few days ago. “Any luck so far?”

Twilight shook her head. “Not that my Grandpa’s mentioned,” she said. “Mom’s stubborn.”

“She’ll come around, dears. I’m sure of it,” Rarity said encouragingly. “After all, who wouldn’t want Cadance as a daughter-in-law? Heaven know she’d be a wonderful spouse, wouldn’t she?”

Cadance rolled her eyes and tried not to smile, but Twilight regarded the woman beside her and found herself in total agreement. They’d been together for three years now and yet neither of them had really tried to broach the subject for any real length. The time had to come soon, and it’s not like she would mind. Cadance perhaps wasn’t quite as beautiful as Adagio, didn’t have the same youthfulness as Rarity, but Twilight much preferred what she held to more than any other person she’d ever find. The beauty, the maturity, the mind that was within- all her wonderful, desirable traits that were so easy to see and linger upon were only the beginning. Twilight had learned of that inner glow, the light that danced in her eyes and seemed to keep Cadance so ready to smile at the drop of a pin. The gentle-heart, so eager to please…

“Am I interrupting?”

Oh come on. Twilight returned back to her senses and realized she’d been staring at Cadance for quite a while now, her two companions stifling back giggles as the neurotic woman somehow turned redder than before. “How long?” she groaned.

“Just enough for it to be cute,” Cadance replied, kissing Twilight’s lips to soften the teasing remark. “It didn’t bother me.”

Looking back, Twilight realized she’d been looking for an excuse to do something. The surroundings didn’t help either; friends able to act so lovingly towards one another, couples displaying public romanticism with such ease and comfortable ability. Sunset and Pinkie were openly sensuous, yet still retaining that sweet joy that came from genuine love. Rarity and Adagio’s façade of politeness and formal love hid a passionate bond. The two couples were so comfortable, having found their niche, how they displayed their love to one another and to the world- what were she and Cadance? Behind closed doors, and in public? She wasn’t sure if she had much of a definition for either, even after their time together.

She knew she loved Cadance. But beyond that, who were they together?

A squeeze of her hand and Twilight turned from her internal musings to see Cadance gazing down at her, that sweet light dancing in her eyes which always accented her smile so perfectly. “Everything OK?” she asked. “You’ve been real quiet tonight, something on your mind?”

The answer was an emphatic ‘yes’ and Twilight wasn’t sure how to deal with it. This was the woman she’d adored for years- years. She’d been crushed when their first relationship had burned to the ground, torn and shredded by her inexperience and Cadance’s fear of growing old. But this… this was everything to her. What she felt for Cadance was the most meaningful thing she’d had in her life, a deeper love and trust more than she’d held for anyone else before. And Cadance- she’d grown. Much, much more than Twilight had hoped she might have, the one love she had nearly ruined driving her to grow, the beautiful woman now cherishing their newfound relationship. Twilight thought she didn’t quite appreciate that often enough, nor let Cadance be made aware of it. Maybe I should fix that.

“Earth to Twilight..?”

“Would you come with me for a bit?” Twilight wasn’t truly in the mood for taking any unwanted answer and took Cadance’s hand in hers, pulling the confused soul behind her down the hall and out of sight, heading towards a darkened office room and slamming her against the wall-

“Twilight, what are you-”

Words weren’t really necessary at the moment. Lips pressed fiercely against lips, the young woman silencing all hope of thought or action that was not of her making. Again, then again as she held Cadance firm in her grasp; Cadance, holding no aversion to physical affection, returned each kiss with delight, eager to meet the warmth and softness of Twilight’s lips with romantic fervor. A soft, muffled coo slipped from her tongue and into the open world through the brief relinquishments Twilight allowed her to experience, a dreaminess overtaking her expression as the woman she loved continued to lavish affection upon her.

The moment ended and Cadance was left breathless, delighted by this sudden outpouring; Twilight was not one who trended to gifts of such tangibility, more predisposed to word and thought rather than direct action. This kindness was more than welcome to the lovely woman- it was a treasure. “Twilight… are- what was that for?”

“Because. And that wasn’t everything-”

“It wasn’t-”

Words, yet again, were deemed unnecessary. Cadance’s dialogue faltered and swiftly became a gasp as she felt a different sort of ferocity overtake her senses; where Twilight had kept her focus occupied on talk and kisses, now came the feeling of fingers snaking deep into the depths of her clothing, plying their way beneath layers until it found lingerie that was smooth on the tips of fingers and diving deeper until an unmistakable slickness was known to the senses. Further, deeper, more explorative, not yet eager to bring forth stronger feeling. This was just the teasing, the testing of the waters.

“Twilight!” Cadance found her voice again and sounded stunned, horrified, yet brilliantly delighted. “What is gotten into you?”

One deep, steady stroke and voice disappeared once more. Twilight had no intention of allowing this to be halted, practically beside herself with intent. She was to do this, and nothing would stop her-

“We’re gonna get caught!”

“Then they’ll enjoy the show,” Twilight whispered, stealing another kiss as she truly began to get to work. Her handiwork was comfortable to Cadance alone, knowing where she felt the most primal satisfaction. A touch, brief and simple that electrified the senses; then again, but slower and deeper so as to elicit the fiercest reaction. Cadance was struggling now, trying to bite back sounds of joy that begged for release. Twilight knew her intimately, exactly how to please her; the unbearable agony of keeping silent was only making the furies of pleasure all the more potent. Twilight could feel the wet running further up her fingers the longer she carried on, the fruits of her efforts becoming more evident. She couldn’t hold back a satisfied smirk as she knew just how deeply she was making Cadance struggle, to hold back those cries of ecstasy-

“Still in my computer. I knew I should’ve just bookmarked the tab, but no-”

The world came to a cruel, crushing halt as the sound of a familiar voice coincided with footsteps and a flicked light switch. Cadance blanched, eyes turning from Twilight to their surprise guest that turned out to be Sunset Shimmer, gawking at the sight of the two lovers pressed against the wall and deeply involved with one another. No one moved. Sunset’s hand remained raised, one solitary finger held upwards just above the others and her mouth slightly agape as though this surprise was somehow more of an exasperation.

She was the perpetrator, after all. “Uh- hi?” Twilight said, failing to be casual and instead emitting little more than a squeak.

“Really?” Sunset asked, voice suggesting more humor than disgust or displeasure. A twitch at the side of her mouth spoke to a forming smile. “In my house.”

“It… was an accident?”

Sunset’s smile found fruition and she tried not to laugh. “Maybe you should go home,” she suggested.

“We loved the party,” Cadance said.

Twilight mutely assented and dragged Cadance away to the car. The drive back was tortuous for both of them, the end result being a darkened house just recently cleaned turned to unraveling as the two women’s voracious affections took far more than usual to be satiated.

Christmas Eve was cold, and wonderfully peaceful. Twilight awoke early but found little reason to rouse herself from the depths of the blankets and actually meet the world. The air was frigid against what little of her face was exposed, but everything deep beneath in the dark was wonderfully comfortable. A quick visual assessment of the room was all that was needed to confirm it: a few more hours.

She awoke again, this moment not of her own making. A rustling of movement beside her, slow form of motion as Cadance slid out from beneath the bedsheets and quietly moved elsewhere, footfalls becoming more rapid as she made her way into the bathroom. Little thought paid to it, even though the time spent within the bathroom was considerable. When the footsteps returned to audible range, they did not return to the bed but instead headed out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

Twilight missed the body warmth, but returned to slumber. So Cadance wanted to start her day early on a holiday for some ungodly reason.

The late morning was pleasant when she finally decided it was time to rise from the depths of the bedsheets, starting the day with a hot shower to perfectly match the bitter cold. As the waters poured across her body and tempted her senses to fully awaken, thoughts of a pleasant breakfast complete with coffee- and some cinnamon creamer, just to make it special. She found herself craving pancakes, but did they have any in the freezer? Making any sounded like too much work, maybe she should order some. Ooh, that sounds so good. Half a dozen pancakes, and I can spice some syrup before heating it in the microwave-

Twilight turned to make her way down the stairs and up to meet her ears came the sound of a series of wet, chunky coughs that set her skin to gooseflesh, a series of weak gasps that sounded as though strained through saliva- only for it to be followed by extended misery. Twilight had a shrewd idea of what she’d just audibly witnessed, and it wasn’t pleasant.

Down the stairs and into the living room just as Cadance stumbled into the kitchen, a large mixing bowl in her hand that seemed to be sloshing with-

“Cadance?”

“Give me a moment,” Cadance replied, voice slurred and most definitely sickened. “I need to… uff.”

Twilight could smell it in the air, that reeking scent of illness that was unmistakable and by no means pleasant. Cadance must have come down here when she realized what was happening so as not to bother her. The hopes of creating a pleasant Christmas Eve breakfast with her girlfriend were now as washed down the drain as, well…

“Bad morning?” Twilight asked as Cadance reappeared, a thoroughly washed bowl in hand and bearing an expression that spoke to abject misery.

“Feels like the flu,” Cadance said before crashing back onto the couch, “so let Sunset and Pinkie know since we were just over there.”

“Will do. You need anything?”

“I need to stop throwing up,” Cadance said in an attempt to summon some shred of good humor. “Just some rest.”

Twilight assented and let the paled woman fall back to her realms of weariness. Time for something to eat, though the desire for food was diminished. Musings the contents of the fridge, then the pantry revealed little of interest. All her thoughts for good cheer didn’t seem to work well in the face of reality. No, it wasn’t that she wasn’t hungry; she needed to tend to other things before she tended to herself. First stop was the bedroom for a new change of clothes.

“Be back in a minute,” she called to Cadance as she stepped out the door- a shaky hand waving back to show she’d been heard. Thankfully the grocery store wasn’t too far away, because it seemed to be absolutely packed with people who were making an excess of last-minute Christmas purchases. Her desired items, however, weren’t exactly what was being chased after by the voracious crowd around her. Tylenol, ginger ale, soup and crackers… the cashier had little issue deciphering what Twilight was intending with these.

Before she went back home, she stopped for some coffee and an egg muffin. Hunger pains couldn’t be ignored forever.

“Feeling any better?” Twilight asked as she settled into the nearby loveseat, not even bothering to take off her shoes just yet.

“A little.” Cadance gave a shiver and pulled the blankets closer to her face. “It’s cold.”

“I know. Here,” Twilight opened her bag of purchases and set the Tylenol on the coffee table before Cadance. “You feel like you could eat something?”

“Not much.”

Twilight smiled. “You need something in your stomach. I’ll heat up some soup for you.”

Cadance sighed. “Twilight, it’s alright. I’m not a little girl.”

“I know. But I want to,” Twilight said. “There’ll be a ginger ale in the fridge for you when you want it.”

The bowl of soup, complete with a row of crackers adorning its side brought a look of apprehension from the miserable-looking Cadance, still uncertain that she would be able to stomach much of anything after her morning’s miseries. Twilight felt comfortable insisting, pushing her girlfriend into taking the first sip- minute, hesitant, and then a small nibble of cracker dipped in broth. “Mmf…”

“Just go slow,” Twilight encouraged. “And try to get something to drink soon, too.”

“Thank you, Twilight.”

“Happy to,” was the reply, soft and gentle in tone. “I know I’m not as good as you, but… still.”

“It means a lot, Love,” Cadance said. She took another spoonful of soup and drained it slowly, then ate the rest of her cracker. The appetite wasn’t truly there, but she was finding herself in need of nourishment.

Twilight allowed the rest of the morning pass away as she tended to her sick beloved. Towels, soaked in cold water and then wrung, given to help soothe the clammy skin. Cadance continued to struggle against the fever, but the misery of the morning was not so terrible now. A nap was medicine for her just as anything else, the weary woman’s slumber deep from the exhaustion her body had endured. Twilight took the free time to tend to her own needs, fixing herself a larger-than-normal lunch to compensate on the dream breakfast she’d been forced to abandon- and maybe for the ones they wouldn’t be able to experience tomorrow.

A vibration on her phone and she read the message. And Pinkie’s sick, too. Someone at the party, for sure.

Twilight watched TV; relaxed on her phone; gazed out into the cold world still holding to its snowfall and finding herself able to admire its beauty even still. Their Christmas had been abruptly cancelled –at least most of it- but there were still things to enjoy. A flash of a grin as she recalled Cadance’s gift: a book full of little love notes on its pages, and a personalized wineglass. Maybe it wasn’t the most perfect, but she liked to think Cadance would like it. That was all she really wanted.

She took the empty soup bowl and soda can back to the kitchen, a small sigh as she realized this was going to be part of the next few days. There was a good chance that she’d get sick as well, considering just how close contact she and Cadance had been the past few days. But she was with Cadance- genuinely, truly, in a way she had always wanted to be. Perfect? By no means, and Thanksgiving had been proof of it, and more distress and struggle was assuredly on the horizon. But to see it beside Cadance, the woman she loved… no, more than that. Cadance was the only one she ever wanted to love, ever again. Even with all the nonsense, frustration and difficulties they’d known so far; she didn’t mind more. So could she do this for the rest of her life?

Yes. Yes I will.

Author's Note

I know this took a while. Keep reading if you want.

I'm so tired.

Six: A Different Kind of Future

In the first seconds of a new year that came in the wake of quieted grief and sickness, it was a joyous thing that the first sensation Twilight’s sleep-deprived senses knew was the feel of Cadance’s soft lips taking her own captive in a kiss; something so commonplace and familiar was rendered unique and cherished in the face of a new birth, one that seemed so eager to fulfill its promise of a time better than what had come before. In gratitude for her constant comfort and ever-present love, Twilight returned the kiss with equal fervor and let her own feelings find their voice. This was the woman she loved, she had adored for years now. Why should she have any reservation or desire to hide such a thing?

“Happy New Year, Love,” Cadance said softly, deciding that another slow, delicate kiss was needed. “Ready to make it a good one?”

“So long as it’s with you, Princess," Twilight answered thickly. “And so long as it starts in the morning. I’m going to bed.”

Cadance, who looked like she’d been leaning in with the desire to commit less innocent deeds than just kiss, was left scandalized by Twilight’s departure from the couch. “What… Twilight!”

“Cadance, I’m exhausted,” Twilight said as she headed for the stairs, desiring little more than to find her place beneath the blankets and sleep deep into the morning. “I love you to pieces, but I’m exhausted. I’m literally just going to brush my teeth and go to bed. Is that OK?”

“Come on, not even for a little bit?” Cadance pleaded, her desire so fervent and genuine that it was difficult for even Twilight’s weariness to hold firm against it. “I just want to love on you for a few minutes. You know you’d like it.”

“Yes, and then I’d make you unhappy because I’m so tired I wouldn’t be any good, and then there you go…”

Cadance had unbuttoned her shirt and was letting her most marvelous breasts hang there like the fruit of the vine, tempting and succulent to the eye. “And you wouldn’t even want to play with these for a bit?” she asked.

The iron will of an exhausted spirit was struggling hard now, but Twilight was doing her best to hold fast rather than rush over and give Cadance’s melons a good devouring. “Cadance, I’m super sorry, but I’m legitimately exhausted. I promise we will but… not at midnight, OK?”

The older, more physically affectionate woman still appeared eager to pout, but held no desire to start a spat when her girlfriend was clearly drained. She herself stifling a yawn before taking the TV remote in hand to power it off, a shrug of her shoulders enough to signal that she had accepted defeat. “It is late,” Cadance conceded, turning to flick off lights and lamps as she made to follow Twilight up the stairs.

Twilight had to turn her face when Cadance passed her on the way to the bathroom, hoping her smile wouldn’t be too easily noticeable. Despite her inclination to words that affirmed and spoke of love, she’d found that Cadance’s constant craving for feel and touch had begun to rub off on her in a different way. Perhaps not as intense or romantically inclined, but Twilight found she desired that comfort of presence that only the beautiful, sweet-hearted woman she affectionately called ‘Princess’ could offer. It was likely only to be a consolation prize in Cadance’s eyes, but it would still be enjoyable for the both of them. To be near her was always a joy, and maybe this would help soothe the burning sting of temporary rejection.

“And what are you so smug about?” Cadance teased, her playful question alerting the young woman that her inner thoughts were now not so entirely secret. “Planning something, maybe?”

“Just a little,” Twilight answered through a garbled mess of foam, washing it all down the drain before leaving the bathroom behind for better accommodations on the bed, she almost collapsing on the bed in her weariness. “Will you get over here already?”

“Hmph. What, lovemaking on the couch isn’t good enough for you now?” Was the reply, a feigned frustration that arose only in loving familiarity. “I guess lying there sick for a few days can make it lose appeal.”

“Just get over here.” She hoped she was audible, even when she was speaking almost directly into the pillow.

“Alright, alright,” Cadance said gently, finishing up her nightly rituals and falling beside her beloved with a tired smile on her features, a hand slowly stroking away the stray hairs that had fallen across Twilight’s face. “So impatient when you’re tired. And here I thought you were a grown woman.”

“Told you I can be bratty,” Twilight mumbled, her muffled laughter matching well with Cadance’s giggle.

“Only when you feel like it… so what has you in such a hurry?”

“This.” In a slow, smooth motion that left Cadance rather surprised, Twilight slid herself comfortably into her girlfriend’s gentle embrace that so barely held- but tightened when consciousness understood what was occurring. Finding the extra warmth of human body heat and savoring it, the present pulsating of her heartbeat, this excess of wellbeing left Twilight wonderfully content and fully able to drift off from this world and into one of dreams. “Mmm…”

“You tricked me,” Cadance murmured teasingly.

“This feels better right now,” Twilight said thickly. Already she was drifting away, the contented warmth of her beloved’s body heat taking the winter cold and throwing it aside, the blankets that fell heavy on her form just the perfect mixture.

Cadance sighed, somewhat surprised and delighted by her young beloved’s desire for some measure of carnal comfort. So used was she to initiating that anytime Twilight took matters into her own hands was something she prized; being more feminine, she had always held tightly to the idea of being taken and ravished, clinging deeply in someone’s love and kept there. Though right now she was the bigger spoon, that feeling of security was just as tangible as the blankets under which they sheltered. As Twilight swiftly drifted off to sleep within her arms, all the besotted beauty could do was sigh in peaceful contentment. Now if only she’d marry me…

Twilight had never been one to daydream. The calm, rational mind that so easily maintained itself within her was not given to drifting away from the here and now. She was focused, diligent, a force bent on the consumption of whatever knowledge she could gain- and its uses for those around her. It was not suited for lackadaisical fantasy that could be used for little more than self-entertainment.

So of course she couldn’t find the strength to concentrate on her work right now. Like an unused muscle that becomes sore at the slightest tension, so Twilight struggled to keep her mind in check and actually pay real attention to the paperwork before her. And this was even important, something that required real awareness; one couldn’t just make a report on a high schooler’s behavioral health like it was a casual thing. She needed to really put effort into it, especially since it was such an improvement over-

“Oh Twilight,” came a voice warm and playful, yet somehow making the young woman want to jump out of her skin. After managing to prevent a fall out of her desk chair, Twilight turned and found Principal Celestia standing at the doorway. “Busy with something?”

“Huh? Oh yes, umm- a student’s health report, I need to get it to Dr. Mendel before noon,” she answered, rising from her seat and brushing away whatever creases could be found on her skirt. “Sorry, what can I do for you?’

“Nothing, really,” Celestia replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “I was just dropping by to say hello for a bit and you didn’t answer the first couple times.”

“Oh jeez, I- sorry, I’m kind of spacy today.”

“It’s alright. Is… everything OK?”

Twilight blinked. “Huh? Oh, I’m fine,” she said swiftly, a crinkled smile on the edge of her lips. “Just a bit distracted is all, thanks.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah! I promise, I am really doing well. Did you just want to say hey?”

“More or less,” Celestia admitted. “Luna’s been a bit lonely in her home with Jasper gone, she offered to have us all over tomorrow since he’s still gone. I know Nova would love to see you.”

“Yeah, sure!” she said, “That sounds great. I’ll check with Cadance first to make sure we’re both free, but I’d love to. What time?”

“A little after five sound alright? I’ll bring a pot roast, do you two mind bringing a dessert?”

“Definitely not. Sounds like fun!” Twilight replied.

Celestia smiled. “And you’re sure you don’t want to tell me what’s on your mind?” she added.

Twilight hesitated, her own nerves a jumbled mix that she herself didn’t fully grasp. “Well… maybe just not here. It’s nothing bad, I’m just- thinking about something.”

“Well, I’ll be glad to listen whenever you’re ready,” Celestia said warmly, giving a parting hug before moving on down the hall and off to say hello to a trio of students that stood at the edge of the hallway.

Twilight smiled as she returned to her seat, the anxious tension in her being given some measure of relief thanks to her boss’ pleasant words, Celestia always having been a warm, motherly ear whenever Twilight had needed it; she had been that way even more so since Thanksgiving as well, if she were honest. It would be nice to spend some time simply relaxing with her and Luna for an evening. Cadance by her side, spending time with loving sisters and a rambunctious little girl that was Luna’s daughter. It would be a good a place as any to speak to Celestia about what had been on her mind.

Though, if she was being entirely honest, that conversation was better suited for Cadance. She was wanting to marry her, after all. The thought hadn’t left her mind since before Christmas and had only grown in strength every day since. The real culprit behind her deepened happiness that came from Cadance’s caress, and why she now wanted to speak that language of love more than before. Because... I want to marry Cadance. It was easy enough to say. The problem was that Cadance was the one she’d loved since she was a girl, and looked every much the part of a princess with a sweet personality to match. When the woman you want to wed is beautiful, graceful, and endlessly sweet, a simple proposal couldn’t possibly do- neither could a simple marriage, either, if she were honest.

So could a decisively unromantic woman like Twilight possibly hope to pull that off?

Twilight had always liked Luna’s home. Celestia’s house was comfortable and homely, but the excess spaciousness had always made her feel so miniscule in comparison to her surroundings. But Luna’s dwellings, with floors marked by scattered toys, pictures and items that decorated walls to make it feel small, seemed to radiate that sweet presence of being lived in. There was life here, emotions and feelings that its denizens exuded so naturally. Celestia always seemed to offer a place of peace and quiet; Luna’s family took you in and helped you feel just as alive as they.

It had been some time since she was here last, Twilight realized. Maybe it had been the extra photos along the wall (some of which included herself within them) or the growth spurt little Nova had experienced since she had last seen the young girl, or perhaps instead the increases softness that could be found in the eyes of Nova’s mother. It was a bit of a marvel to see Luna as a parent, especially such an excellent one- but there she was bearing that confident stride as she watched Nova run and barrel into Cadance’s legs to almost topple her over.

“Nova! Be gentle now, Auntie Cadance is carrying a lot of brownies!” she chided.

“Oh, she didn’t bother me,” Cadance replied brightly, passing over the tray of sweets to Twilight before leaning down to give the young child a tight hug. “Hi, Nova! Look at you, you’ve gotten so big!”

“Hi Aunt Cadance- hi Aunt Twilight!” Nova’s voice held that extra volume only children could master, blisteringly loud when so close to the ear. “I got so many awesome Christmas presents, can I show you? Can I?”

“You’ll be able to later,” Luna said. “Don’t you worry.”

“And I’m very much looking forward to it,” Cadance assured the little girl. “Auntie Twilight and I will be very happy to see all the fun things you got.”

Nova beamed and promptly darted off elsewhere, driven by the excess energy of youth. Twilight couldn’t help but smile; she’d never been around someone with such vibrancy within them.

“Well, it’s good to see you both,” Luna said, walking over to give both her guests a hug, “Celestia’s not in just yet but I’ve got some drinks in the kitchen if you’d like anything.”

“Just tea right now, thanks,” Twilight called. She knew a conversation was likely in order sometime tonight; emotions given extra strength via alcohol weren’t going to be of much use.

Cadance, however, felt no such inhibitions. “I’ll have some chardonnay, if you’ve got any ready,” she said. “It’s good to see you, Luna. It’s been a while.”

“The same to you,” the dark-haired woman replied, taking her old friend into a comforting embrace. “Glad to see you’re back to feeling better, Twilight said you were both sick for a good amount of time.”

“It won’t go down in history as one of my favorite Christmases,” Cadance admitted, following their hostess into the warmly lit kitchen, she eyeing a few of the trays already presented with some level of interest. “But hey, it could have been way worse. Sunset had to practically tie Pinkie down to the bed.”

“Oh jeez,” Luna muttered, pouring herself and Cadance a light glass each so as to further entice the appetite. “I’ll bet she had fun.”

“Pinkie had it bad. She actually had to go to the ER for a bit, she wouldn’t stop throwing up,” Twilight said as she cradled her mug. A cup of tea, steaming hot, was a soothing welcome to a throat made raw by winter’s bite.

Luna blinked. “And what was she doing to make it so bad?”

“Thought she was feeling better and ate a batch of cookie dough. Sunset was furious.”

Luna rolled her eyes as her two friends laughed, an eye drifting over to her young daughter as the happy child began to showcase her Christmas presents to Cadance. “Just unbelievable. My sister and I tried our absolute best to teach you all some sense, and just- a bunch of clowns.”

“What? How am I dragged into this?” Twilight demanded, feeling affronted by the insult to her common sense. “I helped Cadance and then just rode it out as best I could when I was hit. I didn’t try to do anything but sleep!”

“Not quite,” Cadance chimed in, cradling Nova’s new doll with care as her words turned to her beloved. “Didn’t I have to hide your laptop because you wouldn’t stop trying to answer work emails?”

Twilight blushed, feeling the teasing stare of Cadance mixing horribly with the judgemental glare of her former vice-principal. “I could still be productive,” she said meekly.

“Idiot.”

“She’s my idiot, thank you,” Cadance added. Her smile grew wider when she returned Nova’s doll to the young girl, who darted off back to her bedroom to bring along her next prize.

The chatter in the quiet home grew a bit louder when Celestia made her entrance, instantly stealing the show from all others within. The constant professional when in public, she was a delight to be around in private- albeit a loud, overly gregarious personality. Though welcome she was, the wonderfully-pungent pot roast in her clutches was likely more welcome, and it took the group of women little time to set the table and eat.

“No, you can’t,” Luna said firmly, keeping strong against her daughter’s pouting glare. “No toys at the table, especially when we have guests over.”

“But it’s the present Daddy bought me on his last trip!” Nova protested. “I just wanna show Auntie Cadance, can’t I?” As though pleading for assistance, she turned to her favorite guest in the hopes of aid.

Cadance, however, was not quite so easily charmed as that. “Sorry, Nova,” she said gently, “You’re gonna have to listen to your Mommy on this one.”

Nova looked eager to protest further, but the iron will of her mother was something she had learned not to trifle with. Perhaps with a huff, she went to wash her hands as the adults started to fixing their plates.

“She’s your daughter, alright,” Celestia teased.

“Don’t even start,” Luna muttered, fixing her daughter’s plate before tending to her own. “If Mom and Dad were still alive I’d probably have to apologize and I hate that thought. Thanks for bringing the roast, by the way- and the brownies, Cadance. They look amazing.”

“Should we let Nova have one tonight?”

“Don’t you dare.”

The meal was delicious, and Twilight was grateful for it. Her surrogate family was the strangest thing she could have conjured, but the presence of Luna and Celestia was a welcome thing, a small glimpse of a different sort of normalcy. A well-set table, comfortable food and friendly surroundings, the sounds of familial chatter that could only be found around a kitchen table. And there with her was Cadance, beautiful, priceless Cadance- not as young as she’d been when they’d first shared a kiss, but still just as exquisitely lovely. That smile was sweeter because she knew the meaning behind it; those eyes were lovelier because of the heart that shone within them; that laugh was made rich by the joy it radiated. Twilight knew Cadance belonged to her, and she to Cadance- she just wanted everyone else to know it, too.

When the end of the meal came and the clattering of silverware was overthrown by idle chatter, it was all she could do to sigh and lean back in her chair, the tea she’d happily drank throughout the evening beginning to weigh down her frame and bring an air of drowsiness. “And it’s only seven,” Twilight murmured.

“The joys of getting old, I’m afraid,” Celestia remarked, a wry grin on her features as she was well aware of being the oldest in the bunch. “Isn’t it nice to have such wonderful things to look forward to? Like back pain, a random bruise and you have no idea how it got there- knees that suddenly don’t want to work. All the little things.”

“Hmm. I can’t imagine how that happened,” Luna remarked drily. “Tell me, just what did you get up to when you were young? Skydiving when you were eighteen, marathons in your twenties, your entire college career…”

“I didn’t say it was an accident.”

“Well, sorry to interrupt, but I’ve got to go to Nova’s room,” Cadance announced, trying not to let her smile grow more wide as she felt the continued tugging on her hand. “She’s quite insistent in showing me the Christmas present Jasper got her, and she’s been very patient all dinner long.”

“Is that so?” Celestia said, seemingly interested. “It must be very special if my favorite niece hasn’t even told her Auntie Tia yet. Is it alright if I come, Nova?”

Nova, delighted at the attention her demands were suddenly receiving, nodded enthusiastically and led Cadance away by the hand with Celestia following close behind-

“I can’t believe I had to wait until after dinner,” Luna said suddenly, practically leaping out of her seat and giving her body a shake. “Come on, Twilight, help me out with the dishes. You and I are gonna have a chat.”

It couldn’t have been more ominous a thing to say, the foreboding within the young woman taking a vicious momentum. “And what does that mean?” Twilight asked, more than apprehensive.

“It means I know damn well what you’ve been so distracted about since Christmas,” Luna remarked, tossing a towel in her general direction while she set to creating suds in the sink. “Actually, Celestia and I both know what’s been bothering you, and I’m not letting you leave this house until I get an explanation.”

Twilight took the towel, but she was regarding her hostess with a good air of suspicion. “Did- did you and Celestia set this up just to corner me?” she said.

“No, but the excuse was convenient,” Luna said, a sud-soaked sponge wiping across the plate in her hand. “That, and we figured it would be too personal a conversation to have around a bunch of high schoolers.”

So it was quite likely that this wasn’t a bluff in the hopes of forcing a confession; Luna might actually really know what was chewing at Twilight’s mind. With a sigh she set to cleaning the now-empty table and ridding it of leftover crumbs before saying, “Do I really have to say it out loud?”

“Yes, Twilight. If you want to ask her to marry you, you’ll have to actually say the words,” Luna answered. “Just why- jeez, for heaven’s sake, Twilight, I’m honestly shocked you haven’t asked her already. How long have you two been together now?”

“I get it. I know! I just- how do I say it to her, you know?”

“Do you want to try repeating after me?”

“Don’t be condescending, please,” Twilight groaned. “Come on, Luna, we’re both adults here.”

Luna paused. “Fair enough,” she said. “But Twilight… what are you waiting for? Do you want her to ask you instead, is that the issue?”

“I don’t think so, no,” Twilight said. “You and I both know Cadance would rather be asked than ask herself.”

“Does that bother you?”

Twilight shook her head. “No. I just don’t know a good way to ask her.”

“And what does that mean?” Luna inquired.

Twilight felt embarrassed. This was so stupid. “Well… Luna, just look at her. When you look at Cadance, what’s the first thing people think of?”

“A supermodel?”

“Exactly. She’s gorgeous, Luna, if there was any justice in the world she’d be a princess,” Twilight said. “I want it to be something like… I guess a fairytale. It would make her so happy, and she’s waited for it for- a while now. I want it to be good- something she deserves.”

Luna scrutinized her young companion, a look of confusion still etched into her face. “And you think that you have to go above and beyond for this… why?”

“Because it’s special!” Twilight cried. “I love her, Luna- I have literally loved her since I was a girl, I can’t just treat it like something casual you just do. I want it to be special for her.”

“Yes. Because it’s about the proposal, and the dress, and the wedding. Definitely not about the person you’re marrying, not at all.”

Twilight glowered. “Really?”

“What?”

“You’re being a pain in the butt on purpose,” the young woman grumbled.

“I’m not! I am telling you the truth,” Luna protested, “just about any way you propose will be special because it’s you doing it, Twilight! It’s you she loves.”

“I know. I promise, I know,” Twilight said as she placed the last pair of wine glasses next to the sink. “I still want to make it special, though.”

“Special doesn’t have to mean over-the-top,” Luna added. “Does this really mean that much to you?”

“I love Cadance, so yes,” Twilight said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Luna, I get what you’re saying, and it means a lot. But I do want to make it a little special, at least.”

“Well,” Luna hesitated, “what’s holding you back from trying, then?”

“A lack of ideas.”

“Ideas? You?” Luna looked like she couldn’t believe what she’d heard.

“Good ones, I mean,” Twilight said. “You know… affordable?”

“Do you want my help at all, or..?”

“Do you mind listening to a few I had in mind?”

Luna gave a half-smile and rolled her eyes yet again. “Why not?” she whispered. “Do your worst.”

Cadance couldn’t have kept the smile from her face even if she’d tried to put in her greatest effort to do so; Nova’s room, so entirely cluttered with toys and books and games and pictures of loving family members that it could not have been more stark a difference from the childhood memories her mother bore. When the young child had come along, Luna had sworn she’d give her daughter the sort of decent youth she herself had never known. With a more gentle-hearted husband to help cool her temper, the success so far had been dramatic; the bright colors of Nova’s room were like something out of a candy shop.

“I think you're her favorite, you know,” Celestia whispered in her ear, the middle-aged woman taking a seat at the edge of the pastel-pink bed.

“What makes you say that?” Cadance asked somewhat distantly. Her gaze followed Nova around the room as the young girl tended to her latest prize, a small airplane her father had gifted her.

“Just a thought,” Celestia remarked, her gaze lightly settled on the row of dolls that sat on the nearby dresser. “They all have your hairstyle.”

“Do they?”

“Hey Nova,” Celestia called, rousing the girl from her play. “Did you try to brush all your dolls’ hair like your Auntie Cadance?”

Nova nodded. “Did I do a good job?” she asked.

“You did a very good job,” Celestia replied, setting the young girl to beaming. “You must have been very patient to make sure you did it that well.”

Cadance was trying to ignore the whole thing and failing spectacularly, turning deeper shades of red and smiling profusely as Celestia continued to jabber with her young niece. Her hair wasn’t that pretty, was it? Maybe not any longer, now that she was in her mid-30’s. She was terrified she’d find a gray hair before too long-

“I swear, you’re turning into Twilight,” Celestia remarked, bringing her friend out of the mire that was personal thought. “You can’t take a compliment at all.”

“I just feel silly thinking about it,” Cadance replied. “There’s still times I just feel… older.”

“Does that bother you?”

Cadance shook her head, a small smile forming. “No,” she answered. “Not as much as it used to. And only in regards to certain things.”

“Like that you want Twilight to marry you?”

The guess was spot-on, perhaps a little too much so for Cadance’s comfort. The smile was gone and twisted into a sad grimace, a disheartened gaze flitting about to any place that didn’t hold a human smile within sight. “Maybe a little,” she murmured.

“You sometimes think you’re too old for her,” Celestia surmised, sliding down from atop the bed to take a closer seat that was more suitable for personal conversations. “Even though you two have been together for years now.”

“It’s- not just that,” Cadance said. “Just… well, look at her, Celestia. She’s beautiful, and I swear she doesn’t even think anything of it. And it’s such a classic beauty, too. And then you think about how smart she is, and that she’s… really just- an actually decent person.” Her shoulders sagged. “Sometimes it’s hard to ignore it.”

“Ignore what?”

“That she’s too good for me, of course,” Cadance said sadly. “I- well, you know what I did, our first time around. And then Thanksgiving comes around and I’m the reason her mother disowns her… she deserves better than someone who did- that. To her.”

Celestia pondered the response for a time. “And if she asked to marry you, would you still say yes?”

“I mean, of course!” Cadance replied. “I want it more than anything in the world, I really do.”

“But you think she’s too good for you, though.”

“I know. I just-” Cadance paused, trying to sort her positive emotions from the negative. “There’s times I just find myself sitting there and thinking about her and I just think about what it’d be like to marry her, and I start imaging it all; I’m in my wedding dress and so is Twilight, it’s a beautiful garden in the spring and we’re sharing a kiss- the kiss, the most important one we’ll ever share. And it just makes all the other things I’ve done just… fade.” Cadance laughed, perhaps a little bitterly. “Girlish dreams don’t die easily, I guess.”

“So you think that what you’ve done in the past makes you unworthy of those dreams,” Celestia guessed.

“And that Twilight doesn’t need to be saddled with my past, either.”

Celestia snorted. “Even though she sleeps in the same bed as you, lives with you, professes her love for you every single day already.”

Cadance felt like arguing against that but couldn’t come up with much of anything in response to something so difficult to overturn. In fact, it was quite impossible to rebut at all. She simply sat there and let her eyes drift to Nova’s playtime and be lost in that for a bit instead.

“Cadance?”

“Mhm?”

“Am I the same person you met in college?” Celestia asked.

“Definitely not,” Cadance answered swiftly.

“Is Luna?”

“I know where you’re heading with this.”

Celestia smiled. “That’s wonderful, so ask it of yourself. And then ask why you won’t simply let that be instead.”

“I know.”

Celestia put an arm around her dear friend’s shoulder and gave a small hug. “It’s alright to get better,” she reminded her. “You’re a good person, Cadance. I don’t think Twilight would love you if you weren’t.”

Cadance laughed only once, a gentle sound that spoke to a relief of the spirit, grief and troubled feeling releasing their grip upon her heart. “Maybe so,” she murmured.

“And I promise you, Twilight will ask you to marry her. It’s inevitable,” Celestia remarked with a grin. “You might want to warn Rarity, she’ll be dying to make the dresses for you both.”

Cadance smiled more strongly this time, her mind drifting to that long-held dream of a picturesque scene where she stood in a priceless dress, with arms wrapped about her beloved Twilight and feeling that deeply treasured sensation of lips that were pressed against her own in a single, invaluable, incomparable kiss.

Nervous? Only when she started thinking about it. After all, it wasn’t like she didn’t have certainty of what answer she’d get. Twilight was just a creature of planning and preparation, and the plan she had was set to be a spectacular one if something didn’t screw it up.

“So she’ll start her day with her favorite breakfast already made for her,” Luna said, poring over Twilight’s nigh-indecipherable notes with a mixture of thought and exasperation on display. “And there will be a gift of flowers waiting for her when she gets to her office…”

“Then when she gets home, I’ll have a dinner made. She loves Tuscan chicken, so I’ll make it a pasta,” Twilight added. “I can’t screw that up very easily, right?”

“Don’t jinx yourself,” Luna warned her, barely holding back a grin at the thought of Twilight’s difficulty with cooking. “From there, your plan is..?”

“I’ll leave a note for her to meet me outside, where I’ll have a little display set up with lights and some pictures,” Twilight continued. “And then- I still like the idea of reading her a poem, Luna. I’ll read her one from Lord Byron, and then… I’ll just ask her right there.”

Luna pondered over the whole matter with a good deal of thought before deciding to give a reply. “Well,” she began, “it’s sweet. And simple, allows for privacy. But it’s still cheesy.”

“Is that bad?” Twilight asked.

“With Cadance? Hardly, she’ll enjoy it more because of that.”

Twilight smiled, though perhaps a little weakly in light of the monumental step she was looking to take. “It sounds like a plan to me,” she said. “I’ll just have to start getting everything together first. And I guess go from there.”

“And Twilight?”

“Mmm?”

“When the time comes- remember to relax,” Luna advised. “You tend to freak out under pressure.”

“I do n- OK, you’ve got a point.”

Luna smiled smugly, earning a quick glare from her friend in response. “I’m gonna go check on Cadance and Celestia- Nova’s probably got them roped into some game, I might need to save them from it.”

As the absence of additional human presence drifted away to other matters, the full weight of Twilight’s plans began to impress themselves into her mind, agitating a delirium of thought and emotion that seemed to roil in her stomach. She was actually going to do this, she was going to ask Cadance to marry her- and she was definitely scared she’d screw it up. But she was excited to do it, she’d finally gotten a plan together to pull the whole thing off! Maybe it wasn’t super extravagant but it was still romantic and that was something Cadance would cherish. It would even be super memorable if she didn’t screw the whole pooch.

When letting the two extremes duel one another, she couldn’t quite tell which was stronger than the other.

After a while, the sounds of voices could be heard again, a pair of raised ones with an undercurrent of laughter just beneath. Cadance and Celestia reappeared and seemed to be trying not to let their humor grow greater in size.

“What’s so funny?” Twilight asked.

“Nova is not happy that she’s having to get ready for bed,” Cadance answered, taking a seat on the couch and letting herself lean back so as to lie against her girlfriend’s comforting form. “I think she was hoping she might be able to stay up a little later tonight since we were all over.”

“It’s like- I’m sorry, don’t tell her this, but it’s like watching Luna as a little girl all over again,” Celestia said, having to pause her words and regain a real sense of self-control. “Oh my gosh, it’s just perfect.”

“What did she have you doing in there with her?”

Cadance shrugged. “Just wanted to show off her new toys for us, that’s all. We got to talking and just got a bit distracted.”

“Everything OK?” the young woman inquired.

Cadance looked up at Twilight from her resting place in her lap and smiled, leaning up only slightly so as to steal a kiss from her beloved’s lips. “So long as I’m with you,” she said.

Twilight felt a small flush in her cheeks, but the smile that came wasn’t one of embarrassment. She was going to marry this woman! Maybe not quite yet, but she was going to see it come true. It would take time and planning to pull it off in the sort of fashion that Cadance deserved, but it would happen. Twilight’s fear at botching the affair was still present, but the excitement for the moment to actually occur was strong and growing more wild with every passing moment. She kind of wanted to make the moment happen now, if she were honest.

Uh-oh. Twilight felt a small tremor run through her body at the thought of it. She hadn’t really thought it at first, but she really did want to ask Cadance right now. But that was stupid, right? After all that talk of planning and preparation, it would be a horrid waste to simply blurt it out with no thought whatsoever.

“Twi? You OK?” Cadance asked.

Eyes went wide and she tried to rewrap her emotions. “I’m good,” she murmured.

“Cold? I felt a shiver.”

“I’m fine. I’ve got you, don’t I?”

Cadance looked extremely pleased with that fact and said nothing, smiling as she continued to rest her head in Twilight’s lap. It was a sweet sensation to be considered a place so comfortable.

And right now, the thought really didn’t help.

“Sorry, everyone,” Luna sighed as she reappeared from down the hall, flopping into the nearby chair to join in the relaxation of her guests. “Nova isn’t happy that tomorrow’s still a school day. Did I miss anything?”

“Not in the slightest,” Celestia replied, seeming so wonderfully comfortable in the plush loveseat across from her sister. “Though if you offered another glass of that muscat, I would be grateful.”

Luna nodded and turned to the kitchen, pausing as her gaze found Twilight’s face; her eyes grew wide as she correctly read the mixture of emotions present there, realizing the struggle that the young woman now held within her. A small, almost imperceptible nod came afterwards, the minutest of warnings against further emotional pull.

But Twilight was struggling. She tried to hold back all the more strongly, knowing full well that the course of action she’d decided upon was a perfect one. It was sweet, romantic, just a little clichéd, and allowed for privacy. It was to be her and Cadance’s moment, together. Why did she feel such an urge to ruin it when there was no need? It would be so much better if she was just able to control herself for a little longer. After all, putting everything together would only take a little while, right?

As Luna returned with a pair of glasses in hand, Twilight was running through every argument she could think of to combat her growing eagerness. She needed to not mess this up, and before she’d even begun the whole thing was sitting on a knife’s edge. How could she be so stupid? To think she called herself rational, this was idiotic! But Cadance was right here, happily speaking of her -of her-! to Celestia, and with such loving things to say. Words of kindness, overflowing with such genuine love, were like kryptonite to Twilight’s common sense. She could feel a muscle twitch in her face.

Luna no longer pretended to feign interest in her sister’s conversation, her fullest attentions now on a struggling Twilight who looked ready to blow. She was shaking her head constantly, even mouthing ‘no’ a few times over to make sure the point went across. It was such an obvious, distracting thing that it was something of a marvel that her actions weren’t immediately noticed.

Celestia paused mid-sentence. “Uh, Luna, are you-?”

Cadance, feeling her lover’s heart beginning to pound madly, was looking upwards. “Twilight, what’s wrong?”

And in that exact moment that the sweet, caring gaze of Cadance met hers, she fully encompassed in that loving light, Twilight decided she just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Ooh- will you marry me?!” she cried- only to promptly slap a hand over her mouth as her brain caught up to the incessant speed of her heart. Far, far too late.

“Oh come ON!” Luna roared, leaping to her feet and throwing her hands in the air. “Really, Twilight? You and I spent almost an hour trying to help you plan out a perfect proposal and you just blurt it out? Like that? Are you kidding me- unbelievable!”

Cadance had initially laughed at Twilight’s outburst, figuring it was only a quick moment of some internal struggle. But when she bore witness to Luna’s furious outburst, the smile on her face turned from joyful to solemn. “Wait,” she whispered. “Twilight, are- are you really asking me right now?”

Luna gave a shuddering groan at the botched maneuver, a stark difference from the absolutely delighted expression her sister now bore. Twilight was a deep shade of crimson as her emotions continued to roil, now with the added flavor of shame at the lack of her self-control.

Cadance slowly rose from her resting place in Twilight’s lap, her body trembling faintly as every fiber of her body seemed to be put on edge, held back from a great and deeping plunge. “Twilight? Did… did you really mean that? You really want to get married?”

Too late now to conjure up a perfect moment. If she tried to deny it, it would be the biggest lie Twilight could ever hope to say, nor would she even want to. Instead, she rolled with it. “Yeah,” she confessed. “Cadance, I really wanna marry you. Is- is that OK? I know this isn’t a great place for it or anything but I just couldn’t help-”

“Is it- of course it’s OK!” Cadance cried, moved to a happiness beyond what even tears could hope to express. “Twilight, I’d love to marry you, of course I say yes! Oh my goodness, this is perfect and don’t you dare tell me otherwise!” And without another word she threw her arms around Twilight’s neck, delighting in pulling the young woman close for a deep, marvelously passionate kiss.

Twilight wanted to cry; she could feel the wetness behind her half-lidded eyes, an overpowering emotion she hadn’t known she could actually feel. She’d actually proposed- not in the fashion she’d hope for, but it had been done. Cadance had even accepted- happily! What more could she ask for? Enwrapped in a bliss she couldn’t possibly name, held deep in the comfort of Cadance’s lips, she was at peace. She was going to marry the woman of her dreams.

Far beyond the hopes of the pair’s lovesick senses and yet close beside them, Luna was shaking her head in exasperation as Celestia continued to laugh. The unintended witnesses were glad for them both, they truly were- but to say the moment hadn’t been the slightest bit awkward would have been a lie.

“And it even worked,” Luna muttered. “Well, time to pour a couple more glasses. What a bunch of weirdo’s.”

Author's Note

Twilight almost botching it was the better option, anyway.

Well, keep reading if you want. I enjoy writing it.

Keep tossing out suggestions.

Seven: A Weary Road of Wrath

“Well it’s about time.”

Twilight felt a small part of her, the part that wasn’t annoyed by the remark, should have seen this coming. Of course that was going to be most people’s initial reaction, one doesn’t date one woman exclusively, live in the same house, sleep in the same bed –for three years- and an engagement not become something unexpected.

But still, perhaps a little less honesty would be nice to hear, too.

She’d stopped by Sweet Apple Acres after work, a long-awaited meeting of friends that hadn’t happened in some time. Applejack, the only unattached person left of their old high school friends, was rarely seen elsewhere other than her farm. With Apple Bloom away at college most of the year, her brother the head of the business side of the family, and Granny long passed, the notoriously hard worker seldom ventured out for social calls unless duty demanded it. While meant just as much to be a pleasant reunion, Twilight had come on some level of personal business in mind.

It was going well, but was it really?

“Why has everyone I’ve talked to said that?” Twilight asked, trying to ignore the smirk on her dear friend’s face. “I swear, I think only Rarity ever actually bothered to say congratulations, or even be excited.”

“What? Of course I’m excited! Ain’t been to a wedding since Sunset and Pinkie’s a few years back,” Applejack replied, “but darlin’… you’ve been with Cadance for three years. It’s been a when for a while now.”

“And what was the when, if you’d like to tell me?”

Applejack grinned. “Why, whenever you’d actually get the guts to ask her.”

She should have expected that, too. The scowl on her features did nothing to dampen the smile on her friends, so Twilight saw no other reasonable option but to relent. “Well, it was sort of an accident. I meant to make it a whole… event, I guess.”

Applejack shrugged. “What happened suits y’all better, anyway,” she remarked. “So lemme guess: you came here to ask me if I’d be alright with you and Cadance having the wedding here. Am I right?”

Twilight nodded. “It was a good excuse to come see you, at least. Cadance wanted somewhere outdoors, so my first thought was here.”

“Hmm…” Applejack seemed to be scrutinizing the idea as though it were a tangible thing before her eyes. “When were y’all hoping to have it?”

“Oh, right, you’ll still have to be out in it,” Twilight realized.

“It’s alright, I can manage without a single day off the schedule,” Applejack said with a wave of her weathered hand. “But still, when were y’all looking at?”

“Late April, as of right now.”

She looked at her friend with raised eyes. “That’s not long from now,” she said.

Twilight shrugged. “We weren’t going to have a large crowd, anyway. Her side of the family and what friends we have here.”

Applejack nodded, word of the familial split having reached even her busy ears. “Push it back a bit,” she said. “First weekend of May, how’s that sound? Gives me a little more time to get the barn fixed, you can have the reception in there.”

“So we can have it here?” Twilight hadn’t thought the hectic daily lives of the Apple family would afford them to leave such a space cleared for guests, especially an event like a wedding.

“Of course! Wouldn’t dream of saying no, you know that,” Applejack cried. “I’m glad for ya, and it’d be a great reason for all of us to get back together for a little while. It’s been a long time since we all were… well.”

“In one place,” Twilight finished, taking in the bags about her old friend’s eyes, the weariness in each smile. The family business had done well, expanded in size and scope, but much of the ground-level work still fell at the feet of one solitary person. As her own life had become cluttered and full of duties that required her constant attention, it had slipped Twilight’s mind that others might not have as much to help them bear even more troubles. “Have you been OK lately, AJ?”

The grin on her freckled face was sly. “You trying to be Dr. Shrink right now?” she asked.

“A friend,” Twilight said, ashamed it had taken an in-person visit to remember such a thing. “I know your brother’s been busy, and so have you… are you doing alright out here?”

Applejack shrugged. “It’s always gonna be home,” she answered, gesturing to the whole land about her that had been a part of her family for generations past. “Big Mac’s thinking of moving back in, now that he’s married… wants somewhere to raise a family just in case. It’ll be nice to have this place loud again.”

“I’m glad. Apple Bloom been doing alright at college?”

The blonde laughed. “She says more fancy words now than you or Sunset ever did,” she reported. “She’ll go on and be some real smart person for even smarter people somewhere else, I bet. She’ll be fine.”

“And you?” Twilight asked. She was the matriarch of the family now, at an age far too young for it to be demanded of her. Applejack the strong, the constant spirit, beating heart of the family and lifeblood of the family business- a horrible weight to have to bear alone.

“I’ve got my family. I’ve got my friends. What more can a girl hope to ask for?” Words meant fully, but not even sincerity could hide the deepened tinge in her eyes that spoke to a heavy loneliness.

“I can’t imagine,” Twilight said, surprising them both by being the one to initiate a hug. “Thanks so much, AJ. I’ll make sure to keep in touch, and not just for the wedding.”

“Appreciate it, pretty girl,” AJ whispered. “Happy for you both, I mean it.”

Twilight knew she would have to leave soon, more work and responsibilities awaiting her the moment she would depart. But there in the empty farmhouse, its sole occupant so weary from her private walk through life, she knew what she needed to do was stay a little longer. It would just have to be a later night than usual.

It was one of the most anticipated days of her life, if anyone had asked it of her. Cadance had always been so typically feminine when she was younger, spending no small amount of time daydreaming about white dresses and weddings and all the lovely, pretty things that came with it. For a few years, she had thought she might have to let the dream wither away and die- yet another casualty of the many mistakes she’d made over her years of life. But when Twilight had rekindled their relationship, tended to it with the role of leader on her shoulders, she’d begun to wonder if maybe she could hope for such frivolous things again, even if it were a long ways down the road. So now, the moment actually having arrived, Cadance couldn’t help but let the smile on her face grow strong as she strode through the doors to the boutique, knowing a very different version of a much-desired future was about to come to pass.

“Be with you in just a moment!” came the clear, refined call of the one woman who was suited for the task. Of course she had come to the Carousel, where else would she go?

“Take your time, Rarity,” Cadance called, trying not to let her unyielding grin affect her words. “I’ve been patient for three years now, I can wait a few more seconds.”

Silence. And then a sound that suggested a great rush through clothing and plastic wraps that protected- Rarity practically crashed out of the back room to greet her guest, friend, and soon-to-be customer, bearing an expression that suggested some measure of manic delight. “She finally asked you!” The young woman squealed.

It was the spark that set Cadance aflame, someone just as girlish and excited as she was about the whole affair. With a squeal of joy she raced forward and met her friend in a back-breaking hug, the two women bouncing about and letting themselves be lost in their fervor that only seemed to grow with each passing moment.

“Oh my goodness, I was afraid Twilight would always have cold feet and just never ask,” Rarity said. “Oh, I’m so happy for you, darling! For you both, truly!”

“It was so perfect, I couldn’t have asked for a better moment,” Cadance replied, at last releasing Rarity from her embrace, yet still laying claim to the young woman’s hands in her own. “She was so excited to ask and just let it spill out- could I ever hope to find someone sweeter?”

“She was mortified about it when she told me!” Rarity told her, laughter now tinging the curves of her smile. “Oh my goodness, she wanted to plan it out over a whole day and everything-”

“I loved it, I just absolutely loved it! It fit her just so perfectly, I wouldn’t have hoped for anything better…” Cadance tried to compose herself properly, taking a breath and forcing her body to be calmed. “I guess you know why I’m here, then.”

“Of course! Oh, this is so exciting!” Rarity breathed, guiding her client into the back rooms for a proper fitting. “I always hoped I’d be able to make the dress for all of my old friends, I’m so glad I get to have one for you and Twilight as well! Come along, now, I know just where to begin.”

Cadance was led into a small room and told to make herself comfortable, a plush robe hanging on a nearby rack for her to use in between gowns, Rarity rushing off to prepare the boutique for such a momentous occasion. Thinking back to when she had first met the young woman some years prior, it was nothing short of miraculous that they could be in the same room together and not feel- Correction, Cadance told herself. Nothing short of miraculous that YOU don’t feel ashamed. After a proper admonishing and some real maturity, Cadance had found she and the fashionista could have a close, comfortable friendship. Another gift Twilight’s love had granted her.

“Alright!” Rarity said, stepping back into the room with a variety of measuring tapes and other items in hand. “Now, before we begin I’ll have to get your measurements and see what body style we’ll be trying to fit, since that will determine what styles we’ll be looking at primarily- tell me, darling, did you have any sort of preference to begin with?”

Cadance felt like a kid in a candy shop, though possess the self-awareness to be embarrassed by it. “Just- Rarity, I know it’s silly…”

“Please, don’t even say such a thing,” Rarity countered. “Twilight’s daydreamed about marrying you for most of her life, she’ll be a thousand times worse when she comes in on Friday. Now… indulge yourself. What’s your dream dress look like?”

Cadance smiled, albeit with a slight tinge of pink across her face. “I… oh, I know it’s silly, I just always dreamed of being a princess and having that perfect dress and everything. Something beautiful and just… I’m sorry, Rarity, I never seemed to want just one specific style.”

“Perfectly fine, darling! Here, let me get your measurements before I make any recommendations.” Rarity set to work immediately and let her sense of professionalism take over, the girlish excitement she’d displayed earlier fading into a more business-like mindset. “Hmm… you’re more slender than I expected- some curves, but not overtly so. Now don’t move… I thought so.”

“Thought what?”

Rarity studied her momentary model intently. “Yes, I thought so,” she said again. “Tell me, Cadance, have you given any thought to a trumpet gown? It would be just perfect for your more slender figure. And if you’re wanting something a bit dreamier, I have a few designs that would fit the bill.”

“And…” Cadance hesitated. “Maybe something just a little- you know, uh… sexy?” A bit of an adulthood desire had slipped into her meandering thoughts, unwilling to simply be ignored. She couldn’t fully help it; if she were to only get one wedding day, she wanted to be wearing a dress that had Twilight weak in the knees.

Rarity’s smile spoke to laughter. “In my line of work, darling,” she said, “we prefer to say ‘flattering.’ And I do believe I have more than one that might suit your tastes. I’ll be right back with the first of them.”

Cadance felt her excitement go through the roof as the sound of the closing door reached her ears. This was going to be so fun! And hers wasn’t the only dress she was thinking about: what would Twilight pick? She had such a classic figure, something timeless would look perfect on her girlfriend- wait, she could call Twilight her future bride now, that was even better! All of this was simply too wonderful for her to soak in and she let slip a small cry of glee.

A sudden ringing from her purse; her phone was going off in a furious tone. When she picked it up to look at the number, all she recognized was the local area code. Who was this? “Hello?”

The voice on the other side sounded tired, blunt, and to the point. “Ms. Cadance?”

“This is she,” Cadance answered uncertainly. “To whom am I speaking?”

“Ms. Cadance, this is Detective Watts. Could you please meet me at Crystal Prep? There’s been an incident I need to speak with you about.”

The day had been a long one. Apparently something about the new semester had caused half the student body to either stop showing up to school or have some form of distress that needed to be dealt with by more rational mind, namely Twilight and Dr. Mendel. She thought she’d been busy when the holidays had come around, helping students not despair over the exams they would have to endure. But this was only January, and already students were struggling. Likely not the best sign for how the rest of the year would go.

Twilight pulled into the driveway and groaned, a long and wearisome thing that spoke of a mind that held no desire for further use. She was proud of her career, and what she was doing was certainly of some good for the world, but that didn’t stop it from occasionally becoming exhausting. Helping young minds learn to care for themselves was rewarding work that sometimes wore down her own. “At least I’m home,” she said. “And… wait, how am I here before she is?”

It was unusual for Twilight to find the garage empty when she returned home, the emptiness of the space beside her own a rare sight to see. Cadance’s habits of work had been to arrive early and to leave as such, a privilege she had taken in light of her duties in her career. Twilight, a much more junior member of staff, rarely had such a luxury even under Celestia’s care. “Where is she?”

There was little more she could do other than to send a text: I’m home, where are you? A small flicker in the young woman’s mind came through in dreadful form; what if Cadance was hurt, or worse? Unlikely, but possible. Right? Twilight hated letting the miserable worm of consciousness find strength in her mind and she gave it a shake. That was just a worst-case scenario, a trick of the mind to assume the worst. Cadance was principal of one of the most prestigious schools in the city, she was likely just kept back at work for some reason. Darker thoughts didn’t make much sense.

Nevertheless, Twilight disliked the emptiness of the house as she tended to herself, changing from her work clothes into a hoodie and sweats. She had become accustomed to Cadance’s presence, the sounds and ambience she seemed to give to the place to make it home. It was a sort of calm that was made tangible, physical in form whenever she was with the beautiful woman. To not have it with her, Twilight realized, was discomforting. She didn’t always realize just how deeply she desired Cadance, she guessed.

Rather than sit around and let her mind stew in such matters, Twilight tended to some household chores so as to be kept focused. The floors needed vacuuming, dishes from their morning breakfast needed to be washed and put away, garbage needed to be thrown out. Come to think of it, dinner needed to be made also- but laziness from a long day started falling upon her with greater strength than she’d expected. Some takeout didn’t sound like such a bad idea, if she managed to order something that wasn’t too terrible. I… could really do some pork rolls right now, actually. Now she just needed her phone, wherever she’d put it. A groan escaped her lips at the realization she’d left it in the bedroom. Trudging upstairs and finding it sitting on the pile of books beside her bed, she opened it and found a message from Cadance-

The pork rolls were forgotten and she opened it immediately: I’m fine. Will tell you more later.

Twilight stared. What did that mean? Unusual for Cadance to be so cryptic. She mulled over potential possibilities, wondering what her fiancé was hinting at. Surely this wasn’t about her wedding dress, right? Cadance had hardly given thought to anything else for the whole week, to think she could actually keep silent about a matter so dear to her heart didn’t seem possible. Maybe a student had tried something awful.

It wasn’t until nearly an hour later, Twilight deep into her small carton of rice and chicken did she hear the sound of a key puncturing a lock, and then the door pushing open to reveal a very weary, slumped Cadance entering the house.

“Hey!” Twilight didn’t need to be told twice that something was amiss, she rushing over to put her arms about her beloved. “Are you alright? You look exhausted.”

Stunningly, Cadance didn’t return the gesture at all, seeming to still be held silent by shock as she let herself simply sag into Twilight’s arms until it was as though she would disappear into her dear love’s grasp.

“Cadance- what is wrong,” Twilight demanded. “Are you OK? Tell me, right now.”

“I am…” was she struggling for words? A rare thing for someone so composed. “Let me sit down for a bit. It’s been a… well, it’s been bad.”

“What happened?”

Cadance sank into the couch and groaned, sounding more exhausted than she even let on. “Just a minute, I promise. I just need to decompress for a second.”

Twilight had never seen Cadance like this, so drained and miserable from a day at work. She enjoyed her job as principal, even if Crystal Prep’s reputation demanded to be upheld in highest fashion. She’d dealt with it for so long now that it often didn’t faze her; what had caused her to become so burnt out like this?

“Oh my gosh,” Cadance said at last, hands pulling at her face in the hopes that she could shake some of the fatigue from her skin. “Today was horrible.”

“Are you OK?”

“Just very, very tired,” Cadance answered. “I’ve been having to talk to the police department most of the day… and the FBI.”

That had not been an expected answer in the slightest. “Wait, wh- what for?”

Cadance looked over at Twilight through a sideways glance. “I didn’t get to pick out a dress today, either. Rarity added me to your same timeslot. I’m extra bummed.”

Twilight wasn’t so eager to let the real story slip, however much Cadance wanted it to be ignored. “And you were talking to the FBI why, exactly?”

Cadance groaned again. “Do you remember the Physics teacher at Crystal Prep, by any chance?” she asked.

The young woman seemed to give a shiver of revulsion at the memory, not even the years of absence away allowing her to forget such a personality. “Mr. Connery? Ugh, he was so creepy, I can’t believe he had worked there for so long! What about him-” The thought of such a hair-raising individual alongside her knowledge of an investigative division connected the dots for her instantly. “No.”

Cadance nodded. “He’d been sleeping with her- well, raping her for almost two years,” Cadance replied. “The relationship started when she was sixteen, he got caught sexting her by the girl’s parents.”

“Oh jeez, I feel sick.”

Cadance let her features truly sag and she looked over at her lovely companion with further disgust. “They confiscated his computer, too. Want to guess what was on it?”

“No way.”

“I took their word for it. I got way too many details just by talking to them,” she said.

“Wait, why were they talking to you?” Twilight demanded to know, that particular point not seeming to connect in her brain. “They didn’t think you had anything to do with it or anything, did they?”

“Making sure I didn’t know, first off. Then they questioned some of the staff individually to make sure they didn’t, either. Then back to me for a second time so we could go over his records with the school. The school board is coming by tomorrow to do their assessment of the school’s staff, too.”

“I’m guessing it all took a while?”

“I swear it felt like forever. It was just…” Cadance sighed for so long that it seemed all the air in her lungs had been whispered away, she burying her face in her hands so as to shield herself from the world. “Two years, Twilight. It was going on for two years and I never even knew.”

“You can’t blame yourself in this,” Twilight protested, taking to stroking Cadance’s wrung hair and setting it to rights with as much skill she could manage. “Trust me, I know you feel terrible, but if you didn’t know, you couldn’t have stopped it.”

It was reasonable advice, but Cadance was too appalled by the events that had happened under her rule to really care too much yet. At Crystal Prep she was the consummate professional, the unflappable personality that couldn’t even begin to be ruffled by the words, emotions, and actions of others- such things were demanded of her. But here, far away from that mentality and in the safety of her lover’s arms, she allowed herself to unravel and feel the weight of her burdens. “I wish I could have stopped it. Or just knew before he’d… what if this isn’t even the first time, and just no one ever said anything? Twilight, I…”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Twilight assured her. She took the unhappy woman into her arms and kept her there, safe from all harm and hopeless thought so as to be relieved of her burdens and made to feel whole again. This was a true wound, a gut-punch to the spirit that demanded the best of her. Cadance would likely take some time before she could really let herself be free of such guilt by ignorance, even if no fault could be held against her. “I’m so sorry, Cadance, I know you would have done something if you’d known.”

“Twilight?” Cadance’s muffled voice rose from Twilight’s hoodie.

“Yes, Princess?”

“Thank you for not trying anything until you were an adult and graduating,” Cadance said. “If that had been you and me…”

Twilight felt the blood in her veins become icy at the thought, her memory turning to a first kiss shared between them the very day she had become an adult. Though just a kiss, it hadn’t been much longer after that much more physical, passionate things had begun, and- and…

It had truthfully been a close call.

Twilight didn’t require great skills in perception to notice Cadance was still struggling with her inner turmoil the next day, the normally cheerful early bird instead found to be pale and morose as she put on her morning makeup. The young woman’s heart felt for her; it had been a miserable day yesterday, dealing with the fallout. Another day deep in the quagmire of such horrific deeds wasn’t likely to be a very pleasant experience. If only there was something I could do, she thought to herself. Well, maybe there is a little something.

“Hey, so I was wondering,” Twilight said hesitantly, pausing mid-dress to look over at her fiancé. “How would you feel about meeting up for lunch today? Just a little pick-me-up to help the rest of the day go by.”

Cadance sighed, putting away her things before exiting the bathroom. “I don’t know, Twilight,” she said, “I’m not sure I’ll really be in the mood for it, honestly. I’d hate to be a wet blanket.”

“Haven’t we both been that once or twice?” was the counter-reply.

Cadance pondered that. “I guess that’s true,” she said. “Maybe so, Twilight, I’ll think- actually, no, I’ll just say yes. I appreciate it, Twilight, how does 11:30 sound?”

“It sounds fine,” the young woman said brightly, a small glow of warmth arising to strengthen her spirit. “I’ll come by your office, pick you up?”

The timeless beauty nodded, a small thing paired with a smile just as miniscule- but still there, a ray of sunlight to help break apart her clouded expression. “Yeah, it sounds good. I’ll- I’m looking forward to it.”

“OK. I’m gonna head out, then. You going to be alright?”

“Mm? Mhm, I’ll be… well, I’ll live through it,” Cadance answered, her small smile becoming pained. “What more can I do?”

Twilight, having somewhat of an inkling as to what added to her beloved’s turmoil, came to her side and took the glum woman in her arms, a slow, lingering kiss left upon her lips. “Hey. Look at me for a second,” she said, a hand guiding those lightless eyes to meet her own stalwart gaze. “It’s not your fault, alright? I know you, I promise. If you’d seen or heard even the smallest hint, you would’ve done something.”

“I guess so,” Cadance said, “but Twilight, it’s not just-”

“I know. But you and I both know when we actually came together,” Twilight added. “When you came to visit me at college and you know it. Whoever you were before- gone. Lost. She doesn’t exist anymore. And it’s just as true for me.”

Cadance didn’t appear entirely convinced by her young beloved’s words, but allowed herself to be comforted for a little while longer, the two women allowing the quiet to flow as they remained in each other’s arms. One last kiss was shared between them before the two separated, Twilight heading on to Canterlot High and hoping for a brighter afternoon than the morning had been.

She felt the day pass by smoothly, all things considered. Was there any particular concerns in her mind regarding Cadance and the incident she had to deal with? None at all, Cadance would handle the whole thing deftly and see to it that the matter was brought to a just, proper end. She had endured tribulations as Crystal Prep’s principal before; this one was particularly terrible, yes, but her hands were clean in this matter. There was no reason to be afraid.

Twilight couldn’t help but smile as she drove along for her appointed lunch date, glad that the gloomy skies of the early morning had indeed faded and allowed the pale winter sun to come flowing down. It was cold, yes, but the warmth of the magnificent star above was always a welcome touch to the skin. Yesterday had been rough for her Princess, but today would be better. She would help make sure of that.

Arriving at Crystal Prep brought its own share of troubles through an already-packed parking lot, she taking more time to find a spot than she had anticipated. I’m going to be a little late, Twilight realized as she finally exited her small sedan. Not a big deal, I guess. But I wish it hadn’t been today, of all days. Cadance needs to feel like a priority.

There was no warning as she walked through the halls to Cadance’s office, no signs pointing to danger. The halls were filled with the usual bustle, that strange and subdued quiet that the academy always seemed to possess in lieu of the rampant chatter at Canterlot High. The world was, in its own strange way, as it should be. The sight of Ms. Weir at her desk just outside Cadance’s private office, the long-time staple of life here at the school. “It’s good to see you, Ms. Weir,” Twilight greeted cordially, “hope Cadance hasn’t been keeping you busy today, too.”

Ms. Weir performed the strangest of double-takes as the young woman strode through the door. “Twilight? Oh heavens,” she murmured.

A pause came at the greeting. “Is… something wrong?”

“Ms. Sparkle, you do not want to be here right now.” The aged woman held no malice in her words, no displeasure to be seen across her features; the matter-of-factness with which she spoke was positively disarming.

“And what…” Twilight found herself flummoxed, not sure of how to properly reply. “So, is Cadance busy- is she alright?”

Immediately the sound of voices from inside Cadance’s office met their ears and Twilight found herself put ill at ease. She recognized the voice of her fiancé, harried and bristling with a displeasure that was just barely held in check. What on earth was happening to make her so upset? And come to think of it, I’ve heard that other voice before. Wait, I’ve heard it from this exact office!

And as the argument continued, the silhouette of two women rising to their feet could be seen from the opposite side of frosted glass, the clash of words spilling out into the waiting room as Abacus Cinch continued to debate a concerned and clearly stretched Cadance.

They rehired her. That's unbelievable, the county school board actually REHIRED HER! Why is she here, what is she possibly doing for them? Does she work for the superintendent or something? Why would they have even taken her back in the first place? Twilight's mind was an absolute whirlwind of negative emotions and shock at the sight of the horrendous woman, keeping her conscious thought away from the tightly wound words the two women were throwing at one another.

“Ms. Cinch, as I have told you multiple times, none of the staff were aware of Mr. Connery’s actions,” Cadance was saying, the words positively bristling with heat that seemed on the verge of spilling over. “I am not happy that I could not prevent any of his crimes myself, nor am I pleased that such things were occurring under my leadership. But you will not hold my staff liable for any sort of action they did not commit.”

“Hmph. You clearly had one liar among you already,” said Abacus Cinch, looking no worse for wear than she had been in the years absent from Twilight’s life, yet somehow brimming with even more of that cold cruelty she had always so naturally possessed. “It is not difficult for anyone to believe that where there is one rat, you’ll find an entire swarm.”

“And again, Ms. Cinch, my staff are of better character than to allow such atrocious conduct to go unreported,” Cadance countered. “You will not disparage them while in my presence, I will not have it.”

“You won’t have it?” Cinch said, her words held to a bitter sneer. “One of your staff was molesting a child, clearly your judge of character is flawed. What is to happen to your staff, as well as your position as principal of this school, is not in your hands any longer. The school board will decide your fate.”

Cadance said nothing but remained steadfast, her expression that same rigid composure that Twilight had encountered in her whenever the brilliant woman was truly furious. Cinch, her former superior, likely knew it just as well as she did and seemed to be trying to toy with Cadance as much as possible so as to elicit a reaction. Something, anything, even a small outburst that could be used to bring about a wicked judgement upon an innocent woman. But to her credit, Crystal Prep’s principal remained silent.

Cinch huffed and turned to leave, coming to an immediate halt as her eyes beheld Twilight. “You!” she said, both appearing and sounding surprised at the sight of the young woman. “You would have graduated years ago, why are you here?”

“I’m-” She despised herself for that fear she felt by being held under this woman’s unrelenting scrutiny. She had been bullied and intimidated before, when she was little more than a naïve girl; such a thing would not happen now. “I am here to visit with Cadance.”

“Why? For what reason?” Cinch demanded. “You’re under the employ of Celestia, not her. This is not your school.”

Twilight wanted to throw the truth into her cold-hearted face, but something about the affair made her take pause and immediately think the opposite. At all costs, Abacus Cinch could not know that she was engaged to Cadance. Cinch had been her principal, Cadance’s employer. She would know the childhood connections between the two, to find what had become of it –especially under current circumstances- would be disastrous.

But what should I SAY?

Cinch stood in the center of the silence like the eye of a storm about to unleash its fury upon an unprepared world. Her eyes darted between the two woman- first at Twilight, then Cadance, back to Twilight again. Back to Cadance, those serpentine eyes narrowing. Just what was she looking for that could possibly give them away?

“Hmm. Ms. Cadance, you’ll receive the school board’s report come the end of the week,” Cinch replied before turning to Twilight. “Out of my way.”

As she made to leave the room, Twilight promptly went across the room to Cadance’s side so as to provide comfort, her hand trying to find that of her beloved’s and instead being pushed away as the sensation of cold lightning hit the young woman’s heart when the reality of her mistake came crashing down-

“Hmph.” Cinch stood there at the door and smiled, the pleasant act turned horribly cold when undertaken by such a villainous personality. “I thought so.” Without another word she slammed the door shut behind her and disappeared, leaving a silent Cadance –and a horrified Twilight- in her wake.

The rest of the week became torturous to endure, Twilight feeling absolutely certain she had just cost Cadance her career. How could she live with herself after such a mistake? To allow herself to slip in the presence of someone as vindictive as Cinch was cataclysmic; there would be repercussions to follow, of that she was certain.

Friday came and the school day ended, Twilight and Cadance at home together, but finding no rest to speak of despite what words of comfort they could grant to another. Beautiful Cadance whispered words of assurance to her, promising there was no blame to be found. Twilight gave Cadance whatever affection she could muster, any small act of kindness she could think of. The wait was so miserable that it was almost a relief when Cadance finally received the phone call, she disappearing out of sight so as to face the results alone. Twilight could hardly manage the wait alone, it had been bad enough with Cadance by her side. What would they do if she really had gotten Cadance fired? How would she live with herself, knowing she’d ruined the career of the love of her life?

Cadance reappeared before too long, looking absolutely woebegone as she came around from the office down the hall. Twilight’s heart sank at the heart of her. “How bad?”

“Cinch recommended they suspend me- and arrest me,” she said, giving such a wearisome groan that it seemed her soul would slip out along with it.

“Wait- arrest you? What on earth for?” Twilight asked, speared through the heart two times over. She’d gotten Cadance fired and somehow found a way to make it even worse!

“For allowing a criminal culture to be cultivated within an academic institution, for one,” Cadance reported. “And for my own illegal behavior in the past, as to the other.”

“You mean me,” Twilight said. “That’s insane, it's not even true! And there’s no way they can prove that. You know that, you know you do!”

“I’ll have to testify to the school board regarding everything,” the sorrowful woman said, “and so will you, by the sound of it. It’s the only shot I’ll get to disprove her.”

“Good, so you’ll be able to make her look like a fool a second time around!” Twilight cried. “I can hardly wait, that miserable cow was agony to be under.”

“She’s got a witness, Twilight,” Cadance added, sounding immensely despairing as she sank against the wall and down to the hardwood floor. “Who says that I was illegally involved with you while you were still a minor, and can testify to it.”

“That’s idiotic. Who could possibly have the guts to say that?”

Cadance looked on the verge of tears as she tried to bite back the answer, holding on for only a little further as she let the floodwaters pour out and bring the answer along with them, gasping out, “Twilight, it’s your mother.”

Author's Note

Yup.

Keep reading, I guess.

Eight: Out of the Frying Pan

Even compared to all the fights she’d heard as a young girl, Twilight could tell this one was particularly bad. Screaming and insults were the norm at this point, if not just considered tame; it wasn’t like her parents actually loved each other. But the hatred involved, the sheer force of it in the voices that spewed such vicious words and curses down upon one another…

Twilight, the clueless queen of all things sociable, didn’t need much clearer indicators to know that the marriage her mother and father had endured was soon to be coming to an end. And clueless though she was, she knew full well they’d remained together for the sake of their kids- and with her brother gone, that meant her specifically. She wondered how she should feel about all that guilt that bubbled up within her in response to such a thought.

Smarty Pants was her only friend in the house at this point, her aged stuffy held tight against her chest as she continued to hear the hateful bombardment of her parents trading blows. For one who was used to hearing their outbursts, she wondered why it was so difficult for her to actually endure this one. Maybe it was because Shining was finally gone –and for good this time- or simply she couldn’t help but feel the pain of such a loveless, hopeless, doomed marriage that seemingly forced you to be beside a person you absolutely despised. With so many images of tired marriages, worn out and ready to be set by the wayside, unions of lovelessness was all Twilight had known for her very short life; now at the age where she could know such things weren’t healthy, maybe at last she had the wisdom to utterly despise it- and yet no means by which to avoid it, so she basked in the despair. Surely a marriage isn’t supposed to be like this. Please, please…

She heard a door open and then immediately be slammed shut, the lighter footfalls indicating that it was likely her mother- even if they staggered wildly down the hallway towards the stairs. Twilight wondered if her mother was drunk; if she was, maybe she should keep an eye on her while the drunken woman tried to navigate steps downward. But when the sounds of her father’s furious fixations continued to abound, she hesitated for a moment. Maybe not just yet, a few minutes of waiting couldn’t hurt. To be caught in the middle, like when she was a little girl…

Twilight dared to sneak a look through the crack in her door and saw no activity coming from her parents’ bedroom, her father not showing any indication that he wanted to leave its quarters. She assumed it was safe, and her petite frame darted towards the stairs before any sign of her could be reacted to, rushing down the stairs and finding the kitchen lights on- the sound of glass tinkling within not helping matters. Before she even entered, Twilight knew what she was to find within.

“Twilight!” Velvet was deep in a glass of whiskey already, the woman drained of all life and positive emotion as she reaped the whirlwind from her coffee mug of liquor and clearly unhappy at the sight of her youngest child. “What the hell are you doing here, you should be in bed! You’ve got school tomorrow, you know better!”

“I couldn’t sleep,” Twilight said bluntly, not sure what emotion she wanted to express first in response to the night’s events. The fight was bad enough, and her mother’s continued alcoholism wasn’t helping matters.

Velvet gave an assenting nod. “Yeah… not surprised,” she said, cocking back and downing the majority of her whiskey in a long, singular drain without a thought in the world, immediately taking the sizeable bottle of spirits in hand to pour out another- one that disappeared just as quickly, and with as little inhibition as before, if not less. Her mother was clearly having a bad night.

She cursed herself initially for being so willing to speak plainly, half-wondering if the boldness would bring wrath down upon her own self for it. “You and Dad are finally gonna divorce, aren’t you?”

Velvet sighed for far too long, the effect of her liquor swiftly taking hold as she took to another heavy glass. “Probably,” she muttered. “Sure looks that way.”

“Couldn’t you just-“

“No, Twilight,” Velvet said fiercely, a total lack of hesitancy in her reply. “I’m done. I won’t let him just keep ruining everything and just… shit. Your father’s a fucking asshole, fuck him.” She took another drink and slid down against the cupboards, wistfully looking out into the world and perhaps wondering what sort of futures she had missed out on instead when she had chosen this path in life. “Twilight?”

“Yes, Mom?”

“Do yourself a favor,” Velvet muttered, “if you fall in love- make sure it’s with someone that’s worth it.”

When Cadance had broken the news to her, there was hardly a word able to be said. Twilight wanted to fly into a rage, and Cadance’s spirit was too thoroughly crushed for her to find any means by which to speak again. Did they ever go to sleep? Did it matter? All Twilight knew was that she awoke sometime in the early morning and found herself in the bed next to Cadance, cradling her beloved fiancé as though she were a cherished doll. Actually leaving the bed, to really stop pretending that the world wasn’t a complete mess was excruciating. She didn’t quite know how to handle it all, facing down the ungodly Cinch and- her own damned mother.

Cadance picked at her food that morning. Twilight had coffee and didn’t even try to pretend. The two dressed and readied themselves slowly, tripping over simple tasks like socks and buttons as they tried to depart for any semblance of a normal life, only for Cadance to remember that she wasn’t actually supposed to go to Crystal Prep anymore until her dealings with the school board were actually over and whatever stupid as hell suspension that had been recommended was tossed out alongside Cinch like the absolutely idiotic arrest recommendation that had somehow cropped up-

“Twilight…” The soft, gentle voice of Cadance revived Twilight and she looked down at her hands to see the torn fragments of a sock within them, she having become so infuriated so as to ignore her actions. And now she owned an odd number of socks, just another frustration to add to the mix. “Twilight, are you OK?”

“Of course I’m not!” Twilight said, tossing aside her torn sock and promptly letting her flood of emotions run forth. “You’re getting accused of being a pervert, Cinch somehow got another job with the school board and is trying to ruin your life just because she’s petty, this stupid accusation will follow you forever and it is entirely my own mother’s fault! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FEEL?!”

“I’m sorry. I know this is-”

“Don’t you say it’s your fault! It is not your fault, none of this is your fault! This never would have happened if those idiots on the school board hadn’t rehired that miserable old toad and my mother hadn’t decided to be such a vengeful piece of crowbait! Not one ounce of this is your fault!”

“And you’re sure of that?” Cadance’s expression was strange, and not at all to Twilight’s liking. It wasn’t quite guilt, but instead something far worse.

“What sort of question is that? Of course I’m sure!” Twilight fired back, an inkling of her mind beginning to guess as to where Cadance was heading.

“Twilight, have you- she thinks she's in the right, and it's a thought that is... rather justified,” Cadance said hesitantly. Her look of defeat was growing stronger every second, more potent and terrible to behold than Twilight knew how to bear.

“What? No it's not, I went to you EVERY TIME! You wanted to break it off, I kept it going!” Twilight said angrily. She remembered perfectly the day she’d first embraced Cadance, and how tight that embrace had become, all the more until two immature people strode straight into a disaster…

“Twilight... what happened in that cabin?” Cadance asked.

“That's not-”

“Twilight. Say it aloud.” Cadance’s expression was horribly pained.

She didn’t want to say it aloud at all, lest she actually give all the accusations any measure of validity. “You... got us drunk and tricked my Mom... and me- into- having sex. With each other,” she finally admitted, each word like a stone in her throat.

Cadance nodded slowly. “Exactly. Twilight, think about this from your mother's perspective. The only interaction she'd had regarding our relationship was that one moment, that one point in time where she did something she regrets for the rest of her life. If you were her, and that had been your daughter, would you ever trust that person again?”

“But you're not that person anymore! I wouldn't be with you if you were!” Twilight protested.

“Twilight, she doesn’t know that-”

Twilight, however, was beyond reason in regards to the actions of her own mother, incensed to a loss of control that forced her emotions to boil over and spill out from within her. “Yes she does!” She spat. “She's just mad because she thinks I'm still a kid and- I'm happy with my life! She doesn't get the right to ruin that! I grew up hearing her and my Dad scream at each other for years and now she wants to come back into my life and act like she knows what a healthy relationship looks like?” She hated the tears that were pouring down her face, so illogical and unhelpful as she tried to face the fact that her world was falling apart and it might have been her own fault in the first place.

Cadance looked like she wanted to reach out and try to stop the flow down her love’s face but was weighted to her seat by shame. “She just… is doing what she thinks is right, Twilight.”

“Oh don’t give her that,” Twilight snarled. “She’s trying to get revenge and you know it, don’t even try to pretend that she’s doing this for some good reason. She never liked Cinch either and now look- just because she still hates you, and for no- no-”

“No good reason?” Cadance guessed. “I was never able to actually apologize to her, you know.”

Twilight knew she was caught on that one. “She… she changed. But you did too, and even if she doesn’t know that, she should- I wouldn’t be marrying you if you were still that person, and she should know that. What my Mom’s doing is wrong.”

“She may not think that way, Twilight. She might… think you’re a victim caught in abuse and just don’t know the difference. You said it yourself, Velvet’s marriage was a horrible one, I don’t think she’d wish that sort of thing on anyone.”

“Why are you defending her?” Twilight demanded, appalled she was even hearing such things in the first place. “She’s trying to get you thrown in prison for pedophilia! How is this not fazing you?”

“Twilight, she’s your mother-”

“What, and I should just forgive her?”

“No, that’s not what I-” Cadance paused and sighed, trying to sort her muddled thoughts of various unhappy sources. “I don’t want you to go through the rest of your life hating her. Twilight, you’re a good person –a genuinely good person- I hate the thought of you going through life and being motivated by such an awful emotion. It’s not… it’s not what you’re supposed to be. So don’t hold onto it, and try to understand how your mother’s thinking about all of this.”

Twilight tossed the thoughts aside for the time being, either unwilling or unable to conjure any sort of sympathy for the woman who was trying to ruin her future and that of her dearest love. “So… now what do you do?” she asked. “For yourself, I mean?”

“I… wait for the hearing before the school board next week,” Cadance said baldly. “I testify, you’ll testify, Cinch and your mother will say whatever they have to and then…” The beautiful woman went cold and struggled to even swallow. “I guess we’ll find out from there.”

It was the first time in a while that Twilight looked over at Cadance and saw the exquisite woman frightened. Not the intense nervousness that had plagued her when Thanksgiving had come around, but a true fear of a truly terrible potential future. Twilight was furious and scared herself, but she was considered a victim in all of this; Cadance was being portrayed as a malevolent perpetrator…

“We’ll get through this,” Twilight said at last, though unable to force herself over to Cadance’s side and provide comfort. “I’m the ‘victim’ in this, right? One testimony from me and Cinch’s whole plan falls apart, and then she has to go crawling back to whatever miserable hole she crawled out of. Right?”

Cadance gave a weak smile that was more like a grimace. “To the school board… guilty until proven innocent, Love.”

“Not if I have anything to say-” Twilight meant to say more then and there, but found herself interrupted by a vibration coming from the cell phone in her pocket, one she promptly checked. “Unbelievable.”

Cadance had an inkling as to just what might elicit such a reaction. “She didn’t just try to call you.”

“Texted me, just now,” Twilight answered. “She wants to meet with me and talk things over.”

“I think you’re right. Unbelievable.”

“I mean, should-” the young woman paused, caught between fury at her own kindred and a curiosity as to what would make her mother dare to ask such a thing. “Do I even answer?”

Cadance sighed for a time and a half, her whispering breath speaking to her own multitude of unpleasant emotions that had yet to be dealt with. “I think… you should try to find out what she’s thinking.”

“Irish coffee, please.”

The barista gave a look that suggested the order came as something of a surprise. It was, after all, sometime in the afternoon, and the order itself was hardly customary for working hours. Twilight seemed to catch a lot of strange reactions from people for her choices and personality, whether she meant to receive them or not. Maybe others, like Cadance, considered her lovely to the eyes; one whose choices seemed so contradictory to her aesthetic.

Or maybe she was just weird. That was never much of a wrong answer. As she waited for her drink to arrive, the young woman wondered just what she was going to do when she actually ended up meeting with her mother. Considering all the fallout that had come in the wake of their last meeting only a few months prior, what had come only a couple days ago seemed like fetid icing on a sewer sundae. Would she just simply abandon pretense and slap her, or did she even have the ability to do meet her mother at all? It wasn’t a bad question to ask of herself, actually. For all her efforts to be the mature, reasonable one in her relationship, Twilight knew she was truthfully more immature than Cadance, a thing that would only come with time an experience. She wasn’t sure that she’d be able to see her mother again and behave rationally, something that would take a lot of effort even if she were fully sensible. But being only in her mid-20’s didn’t really help things. This was to be a battle, inside and out.

Twilight’s order came and she looked for an empty table somewhere well-nestled away, easily forgotten by any prying eyes or ears that might listen in even by accident. A booth wasn’t great, but it was better than nothing. Now, sipping on a coffee that held a little too much sweetness for her tastes, the brilliant woman waited for a conversation she didn’t know she could withstand. Her mother had rejected her, disowned her- why was she reaching out now? Did she feel the need to twist the knife in the wound a little more, gloat in some sort of depraved victory? Scabby old crow if that was what she was wanting, Twilight found it all too easy to believe. After all, the stupid miserable drunk had tried to ruin her life before, she’d been an awful mother, didn’t that count for something? And in the end-

“Twilight.” The furious monologue was brought to an abrupt end as Twilight Velvet appeared beside the empty bench with coffee in hand, staring at her daughter with some measure of apprehension. Despite her being the progenitor of this meeting, even she seemed unwilling to actually go through with her intent.

Twilight’s first reaction was to destroy her mother. Instead, a good swallow of her words and she managed to say, “… Velvet.” It wouldn’t go unnoticed.

Did she flinch? Twilight wondered if she’d seen a grimace at the greeting, but Velvet took her seat anyway, pausing to take a sip of her drink before actually trying any sort of real conversation. “What do you want to know first?” she said at last.

“Did you look for her?”

Velvet shook her head. “Cinch called me several days ago.”

“And lied to you, obviously-”

“But did she?” Velvet challenged. “She said she suspected Cadance had raped you when you were still a student-”

“That’s a goddamn-” Twilight had to bite back the rage, cool her sound and fury that wanted to bring the whole café into her argument. No, this wouldn’t do; she would be the calm, collected one this time around. “Velvet, Cadance never once raped me. The only, only times we were together was when I was a calm, consenting adult. That is it, do you understand me?”

“And how are you supposed to know that? You were still only a girl and-” Velvet was the one who had to restrain herself this time, a sudden onset of potent emotion overtaking her; tears actually sprung from her eyes, albeit swiftly brushed aside and forgotten. “Twilight, before you even begin to explain yourself, I need you to understand what I’m doing, alright? I’m guessing you’re still mad at me.”

“You disowned me- Velvet,” Twilight said with added venom. “I thought you didn’t want to see me again.”

“I didn’t want to see you with Cadance again. It’s a difference.”

“I’m marrying her,” Twilight said bluntly.

Velvet looked at her once-daughter as though she’d been hit with a brick. “Oh my god, I- shit. Twilight, you’re making a mistake.”

“And you’re not? Get over yourself, you think I’m still some little girl. I know who Cadance is now, you don’t- you don’t know how far she’s come. Do you think I’d even be with her at all if I thought she wasn’t a good person?”

Velvet considered that thought for a moment, but whatever argument she had already conjured was going to be said no matter what was thrown against it. “Twilight, do you… do you remember your Great-Uncle Cob?” Velvet’s voice had suddenly become extremely quiet, even perhaps choked back by some unspoken feeling.

An odd question to be faced with, Twilight thought. “Only barely,” she admitted, “I think I only met him twice, you and Grandpa didn’t seem really happy about that, either. Why?”

Velvet looked down at her coffee, then at her daughter- then back at her coffee, taking such a swig that surely would have easily scalded her throat. “God,” she whispered, through physical pain or one of a different kind her outcast child couldn’t tell. “Twilight, this is something I know I’ve never told you, and it’s something your grandparents never told you, either. Do you understand me?”

“I don’t-” reasonable conclusion kicked in where confusion had once blinded and Twilight’s eyes went wide. “Ohmygod.”

“When I was a girl, your grandfather found me with him. I don’t remember any of it happening and, and I don’t know why- maybe something like I just didn’t want to remember, but the both of us were- naked, and- and he’d been caught about to do something, something else. To me.”

Twilight couldn’t have found the strength to say anything even if she’d wanted to. Nausea and the feeling of a need to vomit, perhaps more pronounced by her liquored coffee, kept her mouth sealed shut. It was something she had of course never known, had never wanted to know. The world suddenly seemed clearer, yet all the more smeared and darkened because of its knowledge.

“I remember always being glad to see him when I was a little girl,” Velvet continued, tears forcing her words to become thick and somewhat slurred, an alcoholic tone to them that had been left behind in Velvet’s recovering years. “Your grandmother said I was always trying to be his best friend- and we all wondered if he was abusing me from the start and just nobody knew, including me.” A wry smile, marred by tearstreaks and a horrendous guilt that spoke of emotions and experiences forgotten, or others now so easily explained that a myriad of messes and mistakes suddenly made complete and horrible sense. “So now you know. And I guess you know me, too.”

Twilight, although still appalled, finally found her voice again. “But- but why did I even see him at all, then?” she asked. “If you all knew, surely Grandpa wouldn’t just allow him to-”

“He came to a family reunion- just once, not twice like you remember,” Velvet said. “And when your Grandpa and I found out, we- it was really bad, Twilight. So when you came to the house with Cadance after what- what happened, I just thought… oh god, not again.”

“You thought it was the same thing…” Twilight shook her head, trying not to get lost in her mother’s own sorrows. “But that’s not what’s happened with me and Cadance. I was never in such a place with her.”

“And you’re sure? Twilight, I don’t recall anything about your Great-Uncle, your Grandfather had to tell me about for me to even remember. Are you absolutely sure that you haven’t just blocked anything out and you just don’t know it?”

Did she truly know it? Twilight deeply wanted to say yes. There were a million reasons to say just that. There was also some reason to possibly say no, too. Cadance hadn’t been all that innocent when they’d first come together, that summer fling so quickly spiraling into disaster. She would need to give a clear answer.

“Velvet,” Twilight said slowly, “I know Cadance. God, I love her- I’ve loved her since I was a little girl, I’m going to marry her. And you’re going to help Cinch ruin my life because you’re afraid of something that isn’t real.”

“Twilight, think of what she did…”

“I know! Of course I remember, jeez! But- do you think –and I mean really think- that I would be with her in any capacity at all if I thought she was still that same person?”

“I have to be sure. I need to be sure,” Velvet countered. “Twilight, you were an inexperienced, naïve girl when you first were with Cadance. That matters for something, because Cadance knew better- legal or not, she never should have been involved with you. You know that.”

“I went to her!” Twilight said hotly. “Twice, if you need to know. I was an adult each time, and she was the one who kept trying to say no, and was actually wanting to break it off first… before you decided to try and have drunken sex with her,” she added venomously. “I was the one who went to her. Each and every time we’ve ever shared a moment, whatever it was. And before you even ask, I reached out to her again when I was in college. Cadance was scared she’d mess it up again.”

“Twilight, I just… dammit all,” Velvet said wearily. “Cadance did something wrong, that has to count for something!”

“It did. And now it doesn’t,” Twilight said flatly. “I am not going to be you and Dad, do you understand me? I know Cadance, and she knows me. Enough that I want to be with her until either she’s alive or I’m not, and that’s it.”

“But Twilight, you can’t just dismiss it like it’s nothing!”

“I didn’t! But just- look, when-” Twilight was struggling to explain herself, unsure of where to pull her argument from. Logic? Emotion? A flat refusal and a middle finger seemed wonderful right about now. “I love Cadance. She’s sweet and patient and loving, and she helps me be a kinder person and she encourages me to keep being kind and to forgive people and she blames herself for all of this even though she was so scared of hurting me again but I want her to be with me again…” Twilight’s words became useless as her own tears, furious and hot, began to drip onto the table beneath her and she had to pause her rationale to wipe them away. “Please, don’t take this from me.”

Velvet sat silent across from her weeping daughter, an expression on her face suggesting a weariness of spirit and a confusion that had yet to receive an answer. Both had lain themselves bare, offered no forgiveness of the other for transgressions past, and had let their conversations fully revolve around people not even present. With each drained and unhappy as the other, all need for further talk seemed to be utterly exhausted in the face of a critical hearing only a few days away.

At last, the elder woman sighed and gave an unhappy glower. “Twilight, you need to be sure about this.”

Cadance was nervous. She knew better than to deny it. The hearing before the school board was tomorrow, the very school board that would ensure she was actually dismissed of her duties and arrested, if they so chose. Being so close to an end of a life she had been happy to partake in wasn’t something comfortable to experience, nor was the feeling of standing on the edge of a cliff that was crumbling. To the beautiful woman who was trying not to panic, nothing in her world really felt all that comforting. The comforts of home were a stark contrast to the judgement she faced, and the life that would come after; each tender moment with Twilight was a reminder of what she was about to lose, each kiss and caress just another knife finding its way through her skin. Twilight was furious for her sake, trying to find any solution. All her friends were supportive, willing to testify against Cinch.

But it wasn’t like any of that really mattered. Velvet had plenty of reason to be vindictive, and enough suggestive testimony to help Cinch in her goal. All it would take was a few harsh words and Cadance knew it would be enough to see her behind bars. Some small part of her wanted to run and try to put some distance between her and fate, but the other part knew that bursting into tears was probably more likely. If the school board’s judgement went against her, it would be all that was needed for her to be put on a criminal trial- and promptly left to rot.

Altogether, not very comforting.

Cadance heard her phone begin to ring and she looked down at the caller ID to see the number of her secretary’s phone, an unlikely source of words at this particular juncture. With a sigh, she pulled to answer. “Ms. Weir, you know I’m not supposed to be talking to any of you right now,” she said.

“Yes, ma’am, I’m aware,” came the scraggly voice of her secretary. “There’s a representative from the school board here who’s authorizing communications temporarily, we need your help regarding some paperwork that’s time-sensitive.”

“And you need me to come down,” Cadance guessed. “Of course, I’ll be right there.”

“You will meet me at the front doors, and will not enter of your own accord,” said a new voice- one that Cadance unhappily recognized as belonging to Cinch. “You will not be allowed to enter the premises without authorized supervision, is that understood?”

“Perfectly,” Cadance said promptly and hung up. She didn’t know if she could hear Cinch for a few extra seconds when she’d now have to be around her for an entire period at school.

Cadance’s drive was dread-filled. The memories of being a young woman applying to work underneath the famed tyrant were suddenly coming back to her with crystalline clarity. She’d hated the time she’d spent with Cinch, if she were honest- especially when she’d been so inexperienced, so incapable of knowing how to navigate such a heartless person. Cinch had been a terror, her firing a long-awaited relief. But now she was somehow here again, able to find one last way in which to ruin Cadance’s life… and perhaps, this time, permanently.

It wasn’t a pleasant thought at all.

When she left her car and came to the glass doors of the school, she wasn’t at all happy to see Cinch standing there with arms crossed and a triumphant look on her face, the old familiar feelings of dread coming promptly back in full measure. How she’d hated seeing her…

“You took your time,” Cinch remarked.

“Traffic was bad,” Cadance replied, not wishing to waste any words on the wretched woman. “Let’s go.”

“Ah-ah! No orders from you around here any longer,” Cinch said with a wag of her finger, the change of tone in her voice like claws on a chalkboard. To hear a happy, contented sound from this wretch was always a signal of further displeasure. “We will go when I say so. And right now, I have enough mind to make you wait here while I bring the paperwork to you for you to sign. After all, wouldn’t want you to rape any more children, would we?”

So she was to be baited like prey. Cadance knew better than to react, not willing to satiate Cinch’s eager desires. “It’s cold out here,” she said. “I wondered if you knew that.”

Cinch did know it, and her outfit seemed to suggest a lifestyle suited for comfortable indoor work. With a scowl, she beckoned for Cadance to join her and she turned to walk inside, only pausing to ensure Cadance continued on beside her as a prisoner being paraded. “Take one last look, Cadance,” she crowed. “I knew a person like you would ruin it all eventually.”

“Whatever you say,” Cadance remarked blandly. “I didn’t know the school board had rehired you.”

“When the HR department’s head resigned, I was asked to fill in,” Cinch said. “Funny, really. They seemed to think I ran the school better than you. Exams scores have dropped since you’ve been in charge. They averaged in the 90’s when I ran things.”

“They’re averaging 88 right now,” Cadance said. “And not one suicide for four years, too.” She couldn’t help but let the pride swell in her voice in response to that, the small gleam of pride that came from actually being there and caring for her students was difficult to ignore. She wasn’t unapproachable, something so distant and far away- or so very cold and harsh. Cadance wanted her students to feel valuable simply because they were, not for anything they did.

“You’ve set them up to fail, unfortunately,” Cinch remarked as they walked along. “And whatever other illicit activities you’ve performed here will be found out. If one teacher was able to get away with things, I can hardly imagine what crimes you committed that your staff simply didn’t notice.”

“I think you’ll find yourself disappointed.”

“I highly doubt that,” Cinch said. “I remember you as a student, and what a wild child you were. Do you actually think that I believe you outgrew such things?”

“Probably, because maturity is what happens to normal people,” Cadance countered. Despite her intent to remain calm, she was finding herself growing all the more angry and struggling to control it. This wasn’t the best option available to her.

“Perhaps you did. Or maybe you had a wild streak. One that didn’t quite die,” Cinch said slowly, gloatingly. “And maybe you wanted to indulge it a little longer- with just a little danger involved to make it interesting.”

Cadance desperately wanted to fire back at that particular comment, but found herself biting back her words. It wasn’t that Cinch’s words were untrue, and that was the biggest problem. But was it even fully true in the first place?

“It will be enjoyable to see you leave this place, you know,” Cinch said. “Just like I did, but with far more disgrace. I will enjoy seeing you thrown into the spotlight and seen for what you are. It’s almost a pity that I feel like offering you a way out of it.”

Cadance certainly hadn’t heard that last part. “A way out- Cinch, what are you doing?”

“You wouldn’t even like to hear it?” Cinch asked. “Not even a touch of curiosity, and you used to have such a thing. Even when your career and your future lies in my hands.”

“Just spit it out already, I’m not in the mood.”

Cinch paused. “Sleep with me tonight,” she said softy, although with a tone that sounded like an order.

Cadance had never felt so slimy, or more like an item that was made to be discarded. “Excuse me?”

“Sleep with me tonight,” Cinch said again. “Do to me exactly what I tell you, and I will convince the school board to drop criminal charges against you. I believe they would listen.”

“That’s your guarantee,” Cadance remarked, her voice absolutely devoid of any feeling besides incredulity. “Have sex with you and you’ll drop charges of having sex with someone. Because that makes sense.”

“Going once-”

“Going- gone,” Cadance said firmly. “I’ll marry Twilight from prison if I have to. Unbelievable, you’re as awful as I remember you were.”

Cinch smiled, a dreadful leer that wouldn’t even be suitable for a crocodile. “I hoped you would refuse,” she said. “And it would almost have been as much fun as watching you be sent to prison. I will most assuredly enjoy watching your life slip away before you.”

“And I’ll enjoy watching you make a fool of yourself all over again,” Cadance spat. “Maybe you’ll get fired by the school board a second time, wouldn’t that be fun?” Without another word she stalked off towards the office that wasn’t meant to be hers any longer and finding her head swimming, now certain she was going to see her hopes and dreams fade away.

It was difficult for them to say who woke up earlier. Cadance felt like she hadn’t really slept at all; Twilight felt that strange sense of nausea that came so commonly with poor sleep. But to wake up to darkness and knowing that the dawn to come was probably the last one spent together wasn’t something they knew how to bear.

“Twilight?” Cadance whispered, her voice almost indiscernible in the depths of the dark before sunlight.

“Mhm?”

She didn’t want to say it aloud; it would be as though she had accepted her fate. “Twilight, I was wrong to ever get involved with you.”

A pregnant silence, perhaps brought about by the muted collection of Twilight’s thoughts. “You were my first kiss.”

“I don’t think I should have been.”

“I was glad you were,” the younger woman added.

And so was she, but to admit it would be all the more painful now in the face of disaster, a punishment for delighting in such moments all too early. “And everything else that came after?” Cadance whispered. “Was that OK, too?”

Twilight considered the question for a moment, taking in thoughts long held within and weighing them against ones far younger as she came to a conclusion. “I know who you were then,” she said, “and I know who you are now. Even if you don’t right now.”

“I ruined your life.”

“Only for a little bit. Now you’re the best part of it.”

It was meant to be words of comfort, but to the beautiful woman they were now simply further daggers in her flesh that tormented her spirit all the more. Another thing set to be destroyed by her poor judgement, the one she loved most to be wounded even more than she as a future was robbed from her. Cadance didn’t know how she would bear it. Cinch was its executor, but the doom was that of her own making. There were far too many ‘if onlys’ that she could say.

“You’re not even tired, are you?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t think I even slept.”

The shadow of Twilight nodded in the dark and rose to her feet, heading to the bathroom to switch on the lights that would bring a pale lightness to their gloomy world. “We might as well start getting ready.”

Time behaved strangely for the two women as they set themselves through their morning rituals; a slowed, seemingly dazed world would be set into place for a time- only for a frenetic, rapid flow to come and take its place and set things to an unrecognizable blur. Neither Cadance nor Twilight could find a rhythm in which to settle themselves, feeling displaced and unfamiliar even with themselves now that they stood on the precipice of separation, one forever branded a foolish victim and the other a wicked perpetrator that were bound together by manipulation and wickedness rather than fondness and trust.

Cadance sighed as she sat on the couch, a book sitting beside her and long forgotten in the face of her anxieties. “I just wish it would get here already,” she said, staring out the nearby window and watching the dreary light of a winter morning grow slowly brighter. “I feel like I’m going crazy just waiting for it to happen.” Twilight said nothing, wondering if she’d perhaps had too much coffee. Perhaps excess nerves, further strengthened by caffeine, would be more unhelpful than she’d anticipated.

Minutes dragged by or rushed past them in a frenzy. At last came a time in which they would depart, though perhaps a little early simply for the sake of their fraying nerves. Sitting in a parking lot wasn’t much better, especially when the building before them was the one that housed their doom, but to simply wait any longer was torturous. In a silent car swiftly becoming embittered by the cold they waited, hands fast intertwined and utterly dependent on one another for support. One hand would give a squeeze so frail and timid only to be pressed in return by a stronger, more needed gesture in return.

Cadance glanced down at her watch. “We… we should go in now,” she said weakly. “No point in waiting around.”

Twilight half-wondered if they were doing one another a disservice by entering together, she well aware of the eyes that were upon them as their mismatches ages made them stand out. Being escorted down the halls by police officers made her feel sick, knowing that they were meant to take Cadance away if the judgement by the school board went poorly. Even worse was the sight of the members of the board themselves, with Cinch standing off to the side in the corner beside Velvet. The miserable old woman was shaking her head at them both, a contrast to the gloating smile that was smeared on her lips. She’d wanted this for years now, the young woman guessed. Vengeance for the loss of her school and the power of rulership that had been ever-present along with it. And she’ll probably get it, she thought, a reflection that threatened to make Twilight’s knees weak.

“Twilight, whatever you do, don’t lie to them,” Cadance said quickly. “It’ll be alright, I promise-”

“Everyone take your seats,” came the command from the school board, a seemingly unified voice that set a strange terror in Twilight’s heart. It was like looking at a many-headed monster, each mouth eager to devour. “Miss Cadance, over there please- Miss Twilight, there. Miss Cinch, you and Miss Velvet please be seated.”

The head of the school board, an authoritative-looking woman dressed in a dark-grey suit, surveyed the room with a strong measure of graven seriousness, yet no further judgement of those before her. “The time is eleven in the morning, the date of February 11th. Time and remarks will now begin to be kept. Miss Cinch, you may begin your argument.”

Cinch seemed to glow as she began her diatribe against Cadance, words so infuriating that Twilight forced herself to block most of it out in the hopes of not lashing out against them. Bits and pieces filtered through as the villainous crow continued her lashings of Cadance’s character, words like ‘provocative’ or ‘shameless’ coming through her ears; phrases such as ‘absence of character’ and ‘intent to molest’ fell against her mental barrier and threatened to break Twilight’s forceful blockade against such things. They were not just demeaning to Cadance but to her as well, treating Twilight as though she had no will or agency of her own. They thought her weak.

“Under Cadance’s tenure as principal, Crystal Preparatory Academy has been allowed to languish- not only academically, but morally,” Cinch said, her words now fully breaking through and worming their way deep into Twilight’s brain. “As a result of her own misdeeds, other teachers have been emboldened to commit similar crimes and to expect no repercussions. The crime that alerted us to this matter is only a symptom of a much worse disease, one that began because of Cadance’s own crimes years prior. It is our moral duty to see justice be done and Cadance be held accountable for her actions, lest more children fall victim to these preying attitudes.”

Twilight could have exploded at that parting blow, somehow remaining silent as Cadance was called to give account of her actions. They began with a brief overview of her history of employment at Crystal Prep, from her work as a teacher to eventually Dean- and then Principal in the wake of Cinch’s release. Some time was spent on academic performance and overall health of the student body. Cadance was doing well, performing with calm under such scrutiny.

“Miss Cadance, when were you aware of Mr. Connery’s actions against the victim?”

“I was… aware of his actions when I met with the investigators,” Cadance answered. “Before then, I had not received any complaints against him regarding similar actions.”

“Were you ever witness to any illegal activity by Mr. Connery?” Was the next query of the board.

“Never,” Cadance answered. “Mr. Connery hid his tracks well enough that the rest of the staff was unaware of his actions until I was contacted by the authorities.”

“Miss Cadance, is this the first incident of sexual misconduct against a Crystal Prep staffer during your tenure?”

“It is.”

“And no such allegations were ever brought against yourself?” The board asked.

“No, they were not,” Cadance said, albeit a little shakily.

“Even though they are now brought against you.” The members of the board regarded her with suspicion, perhaps distrust. “Is there reason why Miss Cinch would have reason to claim such allegations against you?”

“We had disagreements regarding matters of the school multiple times during our time together,” Cadance said. “We had multiple differences of opinion regarding the health and welfare of the student body, which caused tension between us.”

“Were you present at the time of her release from Crystal Prep?”

“I was.”

The board members took that into account, the many heads of the great beast sharing glances with one another, one even slipping down to glare at Cinch in suspicion of her motives. The brush that had so cleanly smeared Cadance was beginning to strike out against further spectators, wild strokes threatening to mar them all.

“Miss Cadance, have you ever had sexual relations with one of your students?” Came the long-expected question.

“No, I have not,” Cadance answered firmly. “Nor did I allow myself to be in a situation that would be considered compromising to my authority.”

“Have you ever had sexual relations with a minor?”

“Never.”

“Very well,” The school board surmised. “You may take your seat. Miss Twilight Sparkle, please come forward to the podium.”

Her? They meant her, Twilight realized. She stumbled when she first tried to rise to her feet, her petite frame protesting against compliance when it would rather fall to the ground in a stupor. She found herself gripping the podium for support, uncomfortable under such heavy examination by such a powerful animal. She felt like a mouse in the clutches of a lion.

“Miss Twilight, how long have you known Miss Cadance?” Was their first question.

“I-” her voice was a squeak, and she paused to take a breath and steady herself. “She was a family friend for years. We’ve known each other for several years now.”

“What is the current nature of your relationship with her?”

“… She’s, uh, my fiancé, currently,” Twilight answered, trying not to shrink as she witness the strong muttering and shuffling of the board members in response, some with raised eyebrows and looks of distaste in light of the new pronouncement.

“How long have you been engaged to Miss Cadance?” One of them inquired.

“About a month now. I asked her.” She hadn’t meant to say that last one, that had just slipped out. Why did she consider that important enough to be said?

“And how long have you been together?”

“Th-three years now. When I was in college, still, was when we actually started dating.” Twilight hated the feeling of so many eyes upon her, she preferred the small and the quiet, not this multitude of stony, silent faces that seemed to be preparing to devour her.

“Miss Sparkle, is this current relationship the first time you have been involved with Miss Cadance?” They asked.

She desperately wanted to lie, but the feeling of so many eyes on her kept the young woman silent for a time. She felt the blank, somewhat judgemental stares of the school board, the baleful watch of her former mother, the cold glare of Cinch- and the soft, nervous gaze of Cadance who awaited her judgement. She’d been the one who had pressed her to tell the truth… “No, it’s not.”

Rolled eyes and sighs of disappointment came from the board, though not a single sign of surprise to be seen amongst them. “What was the nature of your first relationship with Miss Cadance?” Came the groaning query.

“During the summer before college,” Twilight answered, feeling a small fire grow in defiance of their sudden change in tone, displeased that they had seemingly already made up their minds. “It was only for a short time. And it was my idea.”

The board’s mutterings came to a halt. “When did this relationship begin?”

“The day I graduated,” Twilight said proudly- and immediately she slowed her fervor, knowing that probably sounded terrible to those who heard it. “I- I went to her and sort of… bothered her for it.”

“Did Miss Cadance ever have any sexual encounters with you during your time as a student at Crystal Prep?” They asked.

“Never. And before you ask, she never did anything to me that was improper, and she didn’t say anything that suggested anything illicit while I was there,” Twilight said, knowing that everything she said now would only bring herself further into shame that was already being showered upon her. “Cadance tried to break it off early on but I wouldn’t allow her to. We eventually stopped seeing each other near the end of summer by mutual agreement.”

“And you are sure that Miss Cadance never assaulted you, or acted improperly in regards to you?”

“Not once. And she wouldn’t do it to any other student, too. She has standards, unlike the miserable crow-bait who’s trying to slander her,” Twilight added. “I remember Cinch as a principal, she was particularly vindictive towards me during my time under her tenure. Cadance was the only person who was actually decent to me- and I made my choice to be with her, I wasn’t some puppet or toy that people were just using-”

“Miss Sparkle, that is enough!” The call was a command that put an end to Twilight’s fire, the small flame finally flickering and disappearing under the wind’s blowing. “You may take your seat, quickly now.”

Twilight now felt the further burdening of shameful judgement upon her shoulders, the young woman’s first instinct to shrink under its heavy weight; pride, though well-mixed with defiance, kept her head held high as she walked back to her seat and endured the flaming glower of Cinch upon her. Mistakes had been made, whether it be by desire or naiveté it no longer mattered. From where she stood now, Twilight knew they’d been used to bring about good tidings that would not have come without their existence- no one would take that from her now.

“Miss Velvet, please come forward to the podium,” The school board called, and the diminished figure of Twilight Velvet walked slowly towards the podium, her head on a swivel as she took in her former daughter and the one who had summoned her to condemn. There was a strangeness about her expression, a conflict of spirit deep inside.

“Miss Velvet, Twilight Sparkle is your daughter, correct?”

“Ex-daughter,” Twilight said loudly. “She disowned me-”

“There will be no outbursts from the floor at this time!” The board cried, Twilight battered into a defiant silence. “Miss Velvet, again- is Twilight Sparkle your daughter?”

“She…” Velvet glanced back at the furious young woman she had once held in her arms for so many years. “Yes, she is- was. I… I disowned her some time ago.”

“What is the current nature of your relationship with her?”

“Not well, as you might have guessed,” Velvet said wryly.

The school board held a union of shared glances and mutterings, again their suspicions turning to Cinch. Suddenly the old woman didn’t seem totally certain of her victory, a pause coming to change the sneer on her features.

“What is the nature of your relationship with Miss Cadance?” They asked next.

“We, um… we’ve had clashes before,” Velvet said. “Not always positive.”

“Will you explain the reasoning behind this?”

“I- I didn’t like that she… that my daughter was involved with her. I considered Twilight to be too young at the time- even though she was a consenting adult when it began.”

No way. Twilight didn’t dare hope for this. It was just a set-up.

“Were you aware of the relationship between Cadance and your daughter?”

“Only a little,” Velvet said. “As I said, I thought Twilight was too young, even as an adult. Being a Mom, you know.”

“And you had no suspicions that Cadance was potentially sexually abusing your daughter?” The members of the board inquired. “Was there ever any evidence for abuse during your daughter’s time at Crystal Prep, under Cadance’s watch?”

This was the question that mattered, the one that would decide everything for all of them. Velvet held the gun in her hands and could point it at anyone she wanted, one trigger squeeze all that it would take to see doom at last brought about. Her eyes glanced over at Cinch, then Cadance- and then at last to Twilight, a strained displeasure softened by sorrow evident within those clear aqua eyes.

Twilight felt her breath catch at the sight of a look she recognized. Oh my gosh, she’s actually gonna do it-

“No, there wasn’t,” Velvet answered. “I wasn’t pleased when I found out she’d approached Cadance and I tried to break them off, but instead caused a scene that pushed Cadance into a compromised position due to alcoholic tendencies I was struggling with. She rebuffed me, I got angry and tried to retaliate. My daughter actually displayed more troubling issues while under Cinch’s tenure as principal, who seemed to enjoy threatening my daughter with expulsion-”

“You liar!” Cinch’s voice tore through the charged air like a bolt of fiery lightning, the vindictive woman rising from her feet to shriek at her betrayer. “You told me you knew! You swore to me that you knew, you filthy liar!”

“There will be not further outbursts from the floor!” The head of the board commanded-

“She’s lying to you!” Cinch screamed, a pointed finger seeming like a sword when held against Velvet. “She’s lying, she’s lying and I can prove it!”

“Ms. Cinch, you will refrain from further outbursts or you will be removed from this hearing until the pronouncement has been made, do you understand?” Cinch looked like she’d been slapped and force-fed gall in response to Velvet’s contradictions, but now she seemed to be chained to floor and held fast as though a prisoner. Never had she expected things to turn against her so quickly, not an ounce of doubt in her thoughts on victory…

“Miss Velvet,” The board said, turning back to their subject of scrutiny, “are you being truthful in regards to these allegations?”

“I am,” Velvet sighed. “I… I was improper in action towards Cadance, and I was untrusting of her due to my daughter’s inexperience, despite the legality of their relationship. Sorry… for, um, wasting your time. With all of this.”

The board looked down at Velvet with no small amount of irritation, indeed looking as though they thought their time had been thoroughly wasted in regards to all of this. “Very well. Return to your seat. At this time, the board will adjourn to discuss a final verdict and will reconvene for pronouncement. The time is 12:30, all present will be at their seats at 1:00. During this period of adjournment, all parties will refrain from fraternization as well as antagonism.”

The many-headed beast of the school board rose from their places and disappeared, Twilight watching their sharpened bite lunge past her and instead strike her oldest enemy, the one who had constantly tormented her for years and brought her no small amount of grief. She couldn’t believe it, didn’t dare believe it. Her eyes flickered to Cadance, who shared the same look of incredulity; Velvet remained stony and would not look anywhere but down at the floor. Cinch, even without the wretched woman in sight, could be felt by presence alone, the seething anger setting the room to boiling. None left their seats, no necessities or desire for air to pull them away. All that awaited was a judgement, one that suddenly looked to be far better than what the morning had threatened to bring.

The school board returned and took their seats, the many heads of the great beast opening their jaws once more in the hopes of ensnaring their prey. The baited sacrifices below sat there in apprehension, knowing that the fates of several were about to be decided. All it would take was a few spoken words.

“It is the decision of this board,” the Head of the Board decided, “to dismiss the alleged charges of creating an ‘atmosphere of misconduct’ against Principal Cadance of Crystal Prep Academy. The charges of sexual assault of a minor against Principal Cadance are also dismissed. Principal Cadance, though your involvement with Miss Sparkle is considered legal by the eyes of the law, your actions are considered to be an absence of professional conduct, and you will be given a public censure by the school board. All other charges are fully dismissed and will not be brought to trial for legal repercussions. Miss Cinch, this board finds you to be acting with malicious intent and conduct that is considered unprofessional, involving actions of slander and libel against multiple parties. Your employment as a member of the county school board will now be examined, and you are currently suspended from your duties until a final verdict is given in regards to your conduct.”

Twilight released the breath that had been so deeply held in and let the sweet, clean air of the world enter her lungs again. Cadance had made it- perhaps not fully unscathed, but she’d made it! She wasn’t going to lose her job, she wasn’t going to prison, she was going to be OK! And- and ohmygod, we’re really going to be able to get married! Suddenly the world she had thought had been ended, the future that had been sealed off, was now there for her taking yet again.

They waited for the members of the board to leave their seats- then at the first opportunity, they ran into each other’s arms for a wildly joyous embrace, laughter and cries of delight coursing through them like wildfire as they allowed themselves to at last feel the hope that had almost been destroyed. Words passed between them in delirium, neither one of them making much sense in the face of their ecstasy. They were together, they were going to remain together, and they would be alright. It was more than any kiss or tender touch could hope to equal in that moment.

A sudden spattering of voices from behind them at last dragged them out of their bliss, their eyes turning from one another and to the sudden gathering of people that had come together. Cinch had collapsed onto the floor, the officers that had been present to drag Cadance away for legal judgement now tending to the stunned woman while further medical care was on its way. Twilight knew better than to gloat, or to wish illness and death on others- but couldn’t help feeling a little vengeful satisfaction at the sight of the wretched woman struggling to endure her comeuppance yet again.

“Twilight…” the shaky voice of Velvet interrupted them and the happy couple turned to see the woman staring at them with no small amount of discomfort, bobbing back and forth on the soles of her feet. “I-”

She’d saved Cadance’s future- her future. Twilight knew all that her mother had done, but also the things she had endured as well. Maybe now, even if it began a little awkwardly, there could be a measure of healing that would seal the gap between parent and child again. A small part of her wanted to hold on to resentment, but so much more of her was now willing to forgive and relent. Arms wrapped about Cadance even still, Twilight gave a small smile.

Velvet sighed. “I- I can’t,” she said. “I’m sorry, just… not yet. Just not yet.” With a nod to them both, the wearied woman turned to leave, her body seemingly burdened by an unseen weight, the contents of which they could only guess. Perhaps it was a false start, a discomfort that would need time to fade away. But… not yet.

Their first thought had been to celebrate. Returning home had instead brought about exhaustion, Twilight and Cadance doing little more than taking time to nap and eat. Even the day after was perfect for doing little more than that, despite their need to actually return to work and some semblance of normal life. They endured their time apart in agony, and the reunion was wondrously joyful. The weekend that came was bliss, well-spent in the company of friends who celebrated along with them, reveling in the relief and joy that the future still held. Wedding plans and desires could flow freely now, uninhibited by fears of being stolen away; laughter and kind words made it all the sweeter, adding to the coming daydream. The days went past in a blur until the weekend was well and gone, the new work week pushing them back into the throes of reality once more, this time the loving couple given fresh vigor to face it.

“And you said you’d meet with Applejack on Thursday?” Cadance asked as she dried herself off, freshly showered and looking particularly delectable in the eyes of her fiancé.

“Yeah, she wanted me to look over a few places where we might have the ceremony,” Twilight said, though finding herself becoming distracted by the loveliness of Cadance’s breast, a treat always so tantalizing. She might just try to enjoy them a little. “And then Friday…”

“Dress fittings,” Cadance said happily. “Ooh, I can’t wait! This is gonna be so fun, I can’t believe it! And then I’m actually going to have to wait to see you in yours!”

“Hey, it’s not like I won’t have to do the same!” Twilight protested, knowing full well the wait would be worth it. Cadance would look more elegant, be lovelier, more royal than any bride that had ever come before. It would be a different kind of fairytale wedding, and Twilight was the lucky one to marry a princess. She could hardly believe her luck, knowing that she would be forever bound to such a sweet, beautiful, infinitely sexy angel… “You’ll look. Well…”

“Something on your mind?” Cadance asked coyly, pressing her breasts together and letting them be flaunted for good measure. “They could use your love, you know. It’s been so long since you’ve sucked them, or made me cry. Why don’t you-”

Twilight didn’t need another word to be said, she latching onto Cadance’s magnificent mounds and happily lavishing her adorations upon them. The silken flesh was still just as delectable, just as thoroughly perfect as they had always been-

But not quite. She hesitated and came to a pause, unsure of what difference she had noticed so instinctively. “Hmm.”

“What’s wrong?” Cadance whispered, trying to pull Twilight back into her seductive clutches. “Don’t you miss me? I’ve almost forgotten how good you taste…”

“Something’s different,” Twilight remarked, hands examining Cadance’s breasts to see if tactile contact would reveal her thoughts. “Yeah, this- your right breast feels different.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah, the nipple is- I’m not sure what happened.”

Cadance took a hand to her body and gave herself a small examination, feeling her flesh and finding it inverted, the nipple turned inwards and away from the awaiting mouth of her fiancé. Eyes went wide- hands probed further, more delicately as pain flared, an unusual, unpleasant sensitivity was found; a swelled portion there, a malformed hardness where softness had once been, like a stone beneath her skin.

“Oh no.”

Author's Note

That got out of hand.

A little more to go. Keep reading, I guess.

Nine: The End of the World

Deep down, Twilight had never known just how much she hated the doctor’s office. The sterile, bland coldness of such a dreary place that always seemed to be held in the depths of some dingy stone building was little more than something worthy of loathing. She hated every stinking inch of the place, from the top down and everything in between. She hated the waiting room, she hated the examination room, she hated the nurses, the ultrasound equipment that seemed to be there only to confirm the very thing she didn’t want to hear- but most of all, more than anything else in the world, she absolutely hated the doctor who was standing there and delivering the news in such calm, sympathetic tones that she knew all of her hatred was little more than a reaction to seeing the hope she had clung to finally be plucked out of her hands forever. She needed someone to blame, someone to scream and to rage at or else she might truly go mad.

Twilight wouldn’t dare blame Cadance. So she chose to hate everything else.

Cadance had said little since they had arrived at the office that morning, the time spent in between hospital and office a further extension of more dreadful silence, foolish hopes that were more akin to houses built upon sand. Mammograms and ultrasounds, testing and poking and prodding that meant more bad news, more ways for the future to be destroyed. But she was Cadance, ever calm and gentle; though this was her, the poison dart imbedded in her chest, she could find no way to not withstand the pressure- not when one so dear could barely withstand the barrage herself.

Twilight hated it. She was here as moral support, or had meant to be such. Instead she seemed to take every blow far worse than Cadance had, the façade of a wisdom beyond her years now blown apart and leaving her as inexperienced and immature as she really was. She was no adult, hardly more than a girl, if she were honest with herself. She wasn’t capable of taking this. But Cadance was taking it all in, the sole victim; she had to at least try and hold back the tears until they were so far away from here. Blame couldn’t be given, not to anyone- not even if she wanted to. As the doctor finished her initial report to the nerve-wracked couple, the pallid face was of no help to their already heady worries. Twilight wanted to deny it, to simply deem it as a falsehood and make it disappear. A turning of the tables- something impossible.

Cadance, the one hit with the staggering blow, tried to search for some measure to cope with the news. “It’s malignant,” she echoed. “It’s- it’s actually cancer.”

The doctor nodded unhappily. She had delivered this very same news to dozens –if not hundreds- of patients before, yet each one seemed to be like a weight across her shoulders. “The precise form of breast cancer is known as Invasive Ductal Carcinoma,” she said quietly. “It’s a common type that makes up the majority of breast cancer diagnoses.”

Common, Twilight told herself, trying to find something in this that she could salvage. Common means well-known. Well-known means it’s something that can be dealt with easily. She felt like she was fighting to save a sinking ship.

“IDC begins in cells surrounding the milk ducts,” the doctor continued, a tired-looking person whose nametag displayed Dr. Pinto, MD. “What’s happened is that the cells have broken through and invaded into the breast tissue, with a further risk that the cancerous cells can now travel through your lymph system- or your bloodstream.”

The miniscule hopes were dashed almost in an instant, Twillight’s heart finding new depths to sink to. She hated this, she hated everything about this. Why now, after all they’d endured? So great was her unhappiness that she couldn’t even hold back any longer, crying out, “But- but how could this happen?” She needed some reason, at least an explanation. Some way for this to have some semblance of sense within it.

Dr. Pinto didn’t appear at all surprised at the outburst of the younger woman, likely a witness to many moments of despair in more cases than she would ever wish to remember. “Miss Cadance… you’ve reported a history of breast cancer in your family before, correct?”

The beautiful woman was shaken as she forced herself to nod, to confirm the first potential cause behind her new ordeal. “My- my grandmother died from it,” she said softly. “And my aunt, she’s… she’s been a survivor for about ten years now.”

“And you are currently in your late thirties?”

“Yes…”

The tired doctor regarded them both, taking only the briefest note of the hands that bound the two women to one another before returning her fullest attentions back to the suffering. “Has there been any reason for elevated stress? Any unusual circumstances that would upset your body’s natural habits?”

Cadance looked over at her fiancé and knew there was far too much evidence for such a thing: Thanksgiving was one, the past few weeks another. Calm had almost been forgotten in its midst. “It’s been a really stressful few months.”

“But this- illnesses don’t just happen,” Twilight protested, knowing she was lying even to herself. “Things don’t just… why now?”

Pinto sighed. “The body can act strangely. The cancer itself is proof of it, cells dividing unexpectedly and spreading further into tissue. It’s the body turning upon itself and can happen at random. There are factors that increase risk: pregnancy in later years, a family history of cancers, changes in lifestyle, heightened stress levels… it’s all still random, even after.”

Cadance accepted the knowledge quickly enough, repugnant as it was. “So…” she tried to say, “how bad? I mean, am I- is it too late?”

“Your current state suggests a Type 2 cancer,” Dr. Pinto answered. “There’s no clear evidence of it having spread to more of your body, but- the potential is there. We’ll need to counter the growth before it can get any worse.”

“And that means..?” Twilight’s thorough knowledge of the world didn’t include all details medical, but the basics were enough to conjure plenty of horror stories.

“I’ve recommended you for a mastectomy,” Pinto said to Cadance. “Only the one. This mastectomy will require the full removal of the cancerous breast in an effort to fully remove the tumor, but does not require the removal of both breasts. After your mastectomy, we’ll have to take a look and make sure there’s no suggestion of any contamination in the rest of your body before clearing you. If it’s all clear, then it’s over- for the time being. If the cancer did indeed spread, then further treatments such as chemotherapy and therapy will be considered. Not everyone’s cancer is the same, and not every treatment is suitable for every person.”

Twilight felt like she was seeing a work of art be torn to shreds before her eyes. The tender breasts of Cadance upon she had long relished granting her physical affections, razed by a surgical knife; the silken hair that always seemed to shimmer in the warmth of light, burned away by radiation; a flowing body, beautiful to eye and hand, ravaged by endless treatments that were as torturous as the disease itself. A warm, ever-tender spirit turned to ashes in the midst of agony. Why, why, why, of all people, she grieved, did this have to happen to Cadance?

“Alright.” Cadance accepted her fate, the next trial that was set before her. “So, umm- when’s the surgery?”

“I have you scheduled for the 5th, fifteen days from now.” Pinto handed Cadance a sizeable mound of paperwork, leaflets and medical advice all stacked upon one another to add to the menacing disaster. “You won’t be able to eat or drink for twelve hours prior, so make sure to keep that in mind.”

“And- OK, so…the surgery will remove the cancerous breast,” Cadance assessed. “And that’ll be that.”

“That’ll be that.”

But even untrained eyes could see there was more to be said. “But that doesn’t guarantee anything,” the beautiful woman surmised.

“It does not,” Pinto confirmed. “The cancer can have already spread to other parts of the body via your bloodstream… the cancer can even return, since the cells have already displayed a propensity to unusual division.”

“So it can still kill me.”

“It can still kill you.” The death sentence was real now, spoken into the air and made tangible. Somehow the knowledge actually being pronounced had made it all the harder to bear.

Cadance was nodded again and again, small motions that spoke to recognition and internal struggle yet to be voiced. “It just might always be around the corner, is that it?” she asked in a frail attempt at levity.

“It can always return,” Pinto said, her face betraying the unhappiness that her calm tone would not. “If you haven’t prepared for any end-of-life scenarios, I would recommend you take these two weeks to do so. And it would not be in your best interest to wait.”

Cadance gave a weakened smile. “I guess I should’ve made a bucket list,” she murmured. “Well, if it’s gonna happen… so be it.”

Dr. Pinto took them both in, a wearied sort of sympathy there to look upon Cadance’s grieved acceptance as well as Twilight’s stark terror. “I’m very sorry for you both,” she said at last. “I recommend taking some time to let this sink in.”

So this was to be her judgement. This was how she would be repaid for her wicked deeds.

Cadance had called Crystal Prep and advised her Vice-Principal to assume full duties temporarily while she took time to prepare for the inevitable surgery- and whatever potential problems that could, if not would, arrive after. There hadn’t been much to say beyond the prognosis, and even less to say about the event itself.

Twilight stumbled past her place at the door and collapsed on the couch, shell-shocked as though one who bore witness to a wartime barrage. She’d tried to be so supporting, always there just in reach whenever Cadance had needed reassurance, always the continuous love that had given her strength to face the horrors of that doctor’s office. She might not even have known she’d done it, not even have any ability to recognize her cherished deed. But Cadance knew, and now the beautiful woman could only hate herself for it. Poor, sweet, wonderful Twilight, stricken and turned to grief by no fault of her own.

Cadance had no intention of letting the young woman try and hold any of the blame for any of this. She knew every ounce of it lay at her feet instead. Every wild moment she’d ever relished, every cruel word and callous deed she’d ever done now came to rise and taunt her when she lay at the feet of the reaper. The cold use of a naïve girl in love; the heartless tempting into wild debauchery- that night out at the lake… recent memories were horrid, and for good reason. But Cadance was not fool enough to think those were her only crimes. She knew she had done so much more.

And this cancer was to be what killed her. The punishment made perfect in response to such crimes. But only if it had hurt her alone, only Cadance left to deal with the fallout of it. Why, why, why, she thought to herself, does this have to hurt Twilight, too?

It was not a pleasant thought. Not one she wanted to endure in the least, but it would have to be done: she needed to convince Twilight to break off the engagement, to encourage the splendid young woman to go free and enjoy a better life away from the judgement- away from her. She knew it was what she needed to do if she actually loved Twilight, she needed to see this sweet spirit kept safe. One last act of decency in the faint hopes of countering all the wickedness she’d done. Cadance stared down at the despondent woman that sat there on the couch, head buried in her hands as she tried to find some way to understand it all. She couldn’t do it now, not another blow to the soul that would make things even worse. It had to be in a better time, a better place.

She found her body moving outside of her conscious thought, an instinctive bidding keeping herself afloat in the midst of a delirium. There was no manner of positive thinking that would help her outlast this, see some way from underneath this doom. Away from Twilight’s presence, from the sound of a loyal spirit put into despair… Cadance took the emptiness of the kitchen as a moment to breathe and instead found her lungs filled with the fetid weight of an unrelenting emotion. She could see the end ahead of her now, only just a short time away and coming swiftly closer. But to face it, to actually stand there and be held accountable for her crimes… it was not something she knew how to comprehend. Cadance knew she didn’t want to go.

That she was scared.

Before she could release any sort of cry, arms were flung about her from behind and she felt the deepening warmth of Twilight pressing against her in an embrace Cadance knew full well she did not deserve, a new stab of pain that made tears spring from her eyes. How could she have dealt so much hurt to someone so full of love for her, one who had adored her even when she’d been little more than a girl? What kind of monster was she? “Twilight…”

“Don’t say it!” Twilight snapped angrily, the thickened voice speaking to hot tears of her own. Her grip on Cadance tightened, every ounce of her pouring out and being willed to the darkened pit where her beloved’s spirit struggled in the mire. Twilight was not willing to relinquish her love, not even now at the end of all things.

But Cadance couldn’t let this last, her conscience would not allow it. Not another ounce of suffering would be dealt by her actions, not anymore. She had to do the deed before she lost her nerve, allowed weakness to really sink in and doom them both. "Twilight, I think we should-"

“I want to get married today.” Twilight’s words cut through before the painful deed could be done and instead dealt a blow far worse, the proclamation a bombshell more unexpectedly painful than she could have imagined. The very thing Cadance had wanted most to hear, the very hope she told herself she did not deserve in the slightest- out in the air before the counter-argument could hope to be made against it.

But she had to try and stop this. Slow the stone before it really did go downhill and out of control. “Twilight-!” Cadance tried to begin, her own words starting to slur as emotions threatened to overwhelm. “Look, we can't just act out or-”

“I want to get married- right now!” Twilight wheeled her desolate fiancé about and faced her, a brilliant fire burning wildly in those deep, beautiful eyes that so often made Cadance feel weak in the knees. This perfect, sweet, considerate woman was determined, emphatic- and deserving of a future much better than this. She had to be convinced of otherwise.

“Twilight, that's now how this works. We can't just walk down to a courthouse and get it done in a few minutes,” Cadance said, reigniting her argument in the hopes of curbing the spread of this virulent, wonderful, horrifying idea.

But Twilight knew Cadance better than the beautiful woman knew herself, already guessing as to where this would lead. “Why not? Don't you try to talk me out of this!” she said hotly.

Cadance tried not to be impatient, to let her tattered nerves give way to her frustrations nor her desire to promptly comply. “Twilight, I have cancer. Do you really understand what that means?” she asked. It was a cold question, one so condescending.

“I know what cancer is!” Twilight shot back, dark eyes beginning to turn splotchy with the hotness of her tears.

Cadance remained unconvinced. “But do you really? This isn't just something small, OK? This is real. Actually real,” she added for emphasis. “And the surgery they're gonna do? It will mutilate me, you have to understand that.”

“I don't care.” Twilight’s voice was flat, as hard as iron. Her gaze did not falter, her will did not weaken. Not an ounce of her spirit was to be shaken anything that could be said or done, and that thought terrified the woman who loved her.

“I'm guaranteed to lose the breast, alright?!” Cadance cried, the sudden burst of fearful emotion not a welcome surprise. “And that doesn't even guarantee I'll be OK afterwards! They may have to do more, and- have you ever seen chemo? What it looks like, up close? I will never look the same again no matter what, you need to know that.”

“I don't care!” Twilight screamed, her calm, lovely face turned red by the inferno of frantic feelings. She was fighting as though for her life, a swimmer struggling against the tide and threatening to drown, only to reach out and clutch Cadance in the hopes of being saved.

She wanted to save her. To take Twilight in her arms and never let go- but that was a promise unable to be made, for there was no guarantee it could be kept. “But, Twilight... Love, don't you get it? I care!” Cadance said, tears now positively flowing down her beautiful face, all her fears driving her seemingly logical arguments into short, choppy phrased.. “I can't just make you go through that! What if the surgery doesn't work? And what if chemo doesn't do anything? I'm just going to be a bald, sick, wrinkled person and I might not even live through it all. Am I supposed to just put you through all of that, up close and personal and make you just endure it until I'm dead and gone?”

“I don't care. I don't care now, and I will never care. Now please say you'll marry me right now or else I- I don't know!” Twilight said fiercely. “Just marry me. That’s all I want.”

She was so close, but she still had to try. “Even if-”

But Twilight would not back down, not surrender even an inch of ground against any foe, not even the words of the one she loved most. “No matter what! Even if you’re hairless and tired, sick and grey and feel like you can’t take another breath, I want to marry you! Just- Cadance-!” Twilight at last lost her strength of speech and had to instead attend to her tears, stemming the flow before she could again try to speak in a dismal, choked voice. “... Cadance, I love you. I am begging you to marry me- before it really is too late.”

Going once, going twice. “Twilight...”

“Yes or no. Please.” Twilight may as well have stamped her foot, so solid were her words. There was no way to avoid it now, no means by which to argue further. A simple yes or no.

And there Cadance stood, knowing she was on Death’s doorstep. She could see the specter that awaited her arrival, knowing that it was only a short distance away. But there between her and the end was this one woman, the person whom above all else she loved and valued- above anything else in the entirety of the world, and that woman was asking for her hand in marriage. “... Yes,” Cadance whispered at last, unable to look anywhere but into the now-hopeful, brilliant pools of light that were Twilight’s eyes. “Let’s check the courthouse and see their earliest opening. I... I love you. And of course I’ll marry you.”

They called the courthouse almost immediately after, no tasks of career or otherwise to distract them. They worked together hurriedly with their end of the paperwork, sending copies of records and ID’s and birth certificates to speed along the process. The date was set, witnesses were called. It was not to be a dream wedding, the one long awaited with all the finery and beauty and brilliance that had been dreamed of for so many collective years- but it would be the one that saw her marry Cadance at last, and that was all that mattered to Twilight now.

When their fated day came a week later, not even a world so deeply marred by grief could ignore the significance of the moment. Death hung about them in everything they did, all their actions and words tainted by the fetid reek that came with its approach- yet today, of all days, that powerful force that bound the world in its grasp could not hope to be overcome. In the face of years of hopes and dreams, longings thought lost or once held as a girl’s foolish daydream, the world shone so bright and clear that only life and love could be seen. Today would be their defiance, their last shook fist against the end of the world, for nothing could hope to stop them now.
They ignored the cold and chose to wear something beautiful. In honor of the fantasy that had been shattered, the fairytale future now lost, Twilight adorned herself in a knee-length dress the color of soft gold that perfectly accentuated the dark depths of her eyes. Twilight was not royal, nor had she ever been, but the one who loved her called her priceless, and all that she touched was made greater because of it.

Cadance’s long-held desire of a blissful, perfect wedding were gone, but the dream she had cherished since even her earliest days were not to be so easily vanquished. A true Princess, once lost in the depths of her own sickness, had been purified and wore a dress the color white in honor of it. To the one who loved her, there was not a flaw to be found, not even the smallest imperfection; Cadance was the meaning of radiance.

“Ready, Princess?” Twilight asked, waiting just outside the door to their room in an aura of calm expectation. She had waited long for this moment, yet could still wait a little more.

Cadance smiled as she gave a nod, her first smile in days that was not weakened by the shadow of death, for no shadow could hope to touch them now. “Ready, Love. Do you have the rings?”

The bands of promise were little more than simple bands of white rubber, a shoddy replacement for the glory that each believed should adorn such tender fingers. If there came a day when the true item could be claimed, they would finally be made right- but that was not here, not now, so they did not allow their thoughts to linger upon it. In a world that seemed all so very wrong, it could still be right for now.

Their drive together was silent, hands holding to one another tightly as they wound their way to the courthouse, no words left that needed to be said. They did not relinquish each other of their grasp until they arrived and departure forced it of them- only to be reunited under the cool sun as their last steps together brought about an end to their relationship. Something new was to be born out of finality today.

“There’s Sunset and Pinkie,” Cadance said, pointing to the hurried couple that were quite literally sprinting towards them from down the street, the hyper-energetic baker expectedly crashing into her friends before bursting into tears. It was a strange relief to receive such a fervent, yet perhaps comical, outburst of emotion, a source of tears that was not their own. The beautiful woman’s gentle comforting helped bring an end to the frizzed woman’s weeping and saw to the bloom of a smile instead.

“Th-thanks for letting us be here!” Pinkie hiccupped, eyes so blotchy that it was a surprise her wide smile allowed sight to be found through them at all. “I’m just- so happy- and so sad- I don’t know what’s stronger, but I’m so happy for you both!”

“We’re glad you didn’t wait,” Sunset whispered into Twilight’s ear as the two friends embraced. “I was afraid you’d try to wait, this is so much better.”

Twilight found herself lost in joy as the four friends enjoyed the company of one another in an excitement that was quickly growing frenetic- and then made all the worse as four became six with the arrival of Celestia and Luna, the requested friends more than happy to bear witness to a long-awaited union. They spoke of the many years of waiting and how delightful it was to see it finally be made right; assuring voices whispered tidings of comfort and hope to help strike away the shadows; confidence looked towards the day when that beautiful, perfect ceremony would be made real for all of them to celebrate in fullness- even if not quite yet, even if the end said otherwise. But for today, for right now, the most important moment had come at last.

“I guess we go in and get started,” Cadance said to the group of eager companions, and the ascendant couple led the way up the courthouse steps as their witnesses walked behind in a procession of solemn joy. Words were shared with staff inside and the party was led into the depths of the building that would see them shielded from any prying eyes. Away from the large, massive rooms that were meant to house dozens upon dozens and instead they found themselves entering the small, comfortable confines of an aged, homely courtroom that seemed almost tailor-made for the occasion. No cold, cruel colors of baleful light and dark here but rather a soft glow so perfectly suited for affirmation of love. And so they waited, and waited, Twilight and Cadance still bound by intertwined fingers until they heard the openings of a door from somewhere behind the bench. Their gaze turned to the judge’s chair and in its place now sat a small, wizened man with a pleasant smile on his face.

“Good afternoon,” the judge greeted them. “I am Judge Prudence, and I will be heading today’s proceedings. May the betrothed please step forward?”

Fiancés no more. Betrothed was their new title, one to hold onto for only a short time longer. Twilight and Cadance left their seats and came forward to their place before the respondent’s table.

“Please state your names,” came the order.

“Twilight Sparkle.”

“Cadance,” the beautiful woman breathed. This was all really happening, and she still could not believe it.

“Miss Cadance, Miss Twilight Sparkle,” Judge Prudence said, “your witnesses may now come forward.”

Pinkie, Sunset, and Celestia came forward to stand just behind the awaiting couple, Luna discreetly taking photos in the background to make permanent the memories of this day. “Do these witnesses who are gathered here today have any objections to the union of this couple?”

“No way!” Pinkie cried.

“No!” Sunset declared.

“None,” Celestia said firmly.

The judge let their words reach his wizened ears and he smile, the joyful gesture evident even from his place in his chair, a bright little excitement clearly evident in his miniature frame as he began the final acts of a cherished, happy duty. “Miss Cadance,” he said, “do you take Twilight Sparkle to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do,” she said, her words full of weight and a potent, powerful meaning- yet so easy to say aloud, so clear and sweet-sounding as they escaped her lips.

“Miss Twilight Sparkle, do you take Cadance to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do!” Twilight said, her eyes glistening as she was the first to begin weeping, her deeply buried dreams of marrying this most beautiful woman to ever walk the earth at last being realized. After so many ups and downs, failures and triumphs, struggled and limitless heartache, there was nothing else that either could say to the other, for all had been accomplished and seen and now all that was left-

“Then by the power vested in me,” Judge Prudence said cheerfully, his tiny voice somehow booming across the small courtroom, “I declare you to be wife… and wife. Congratulations.”

Twilight could not see anything as the moment came, knowing only the squeeze of Cadance’s hand in lieu of the tears that stole her vision. She heard the sobbing of Pinkie, the cheering and clapping of Celestia and Luna, and a small cry of joy that spoke of Sunset. As footsteps passed about her in the midst of her blur, she heard the discreet shuffling of paper and murmuring voices that spoke to one last action, the seal that would see it preserved forever. As there was a quick bout of scribbling beside her, she felt the circular form of a pen enter her dampened fingers, and Twilight brushed tears aside as she placed her name upon a thick piece of parchment paper, the words boldly emblazoned upon it:

This is to certify that I, Prudence Craft, an ordained judge by virtue of the license required by law did on this 1st day of March, unite in holy bonds of matrimonyCadance and Twilight Sparkle

Written proof that they truly had won in the end. And as Twilight turned away from its permanent, unfaltering words, she instead met the bright, shining eyes of Cadance and the two women reached out to hold one another in the beginnings of a brand new life as Twilight beheld her wife for the first time, those sweet, warm lips meeting her own with beloved tenderness in a soft, priceless, perfect kiss.

They celebrated. They rejoiced. Friends congratulated the new couple and saw them be well-fed in response, a hearty dinner after to commemorate the moment. It was all welcome, and gratefully received, but the gift Twilight had wanted most was the one she would cherish for the rest of her life and it now rested beside her. The young woman could find herself focusing on little else but Cadance, more than happy to find those lips again and unite them with hers in a kiss, over and over again.

Wife. This splendid creature was her wife. Twilight felt dizzied by the thought, delirious with happiness.

Their evening among friends was well-spent, good food and drink helping nurture spirits left ragged by the wrath that had come with winter. Comfort of one another gained strength and found little reason to focus on a frightening, uncertain future; the here and now beckoned for their attention with far better circumstances. Each touch and word they knew was real, tangible, and comfort for their souls. It was not what they had envisioned, but it was most definitely good.

It’s a shame it has to end, Twilight mused. This happiness, and with my friends… I wouldn’t mind if it lasted forever. A hand wrapped about her own and Twilight looked over to see Cadance gazing at her adoringly, a brightness like that of stars shining in her eyes as she beheld her bride; love was there to be seen, and a deepened longing for something far more intimate. Or maybe I would.

The night’s celebrations at last came to a close, each of them now returning home in their own state of happiness. Sunset and Pinkie, properly tipsy and overly handsy for ones in public, meandered outside to where a summoned ride awaited to carry them to safety. Luna and Celestia said their goodbyes and departed separately as working woman and working mom left. Twilight and Cadance took their time returning to their car and let themselves enjoy the ride home in peace, a quiet sort of happiness filling the void where conversation was not needed. The world outside in the darkened corners of a late winter’s evening was cold and lonely- the newlyweds could hardly be brought to feel it, encased in a unique warmth that was solely their own.

Their world became so very small when they arrived home, the soft light and locked doors insulating them from the many troubles that had tried to follow. There was no mention of fear, no thought given to death, no anxieties that could slither through and tighten its coils about their minds. Twilight gave none of her attentions to anything but Cadance, and Cadance to her. Laughter seemed so easily found on the tips of their tongues, gestures of affection freely given without hesitation.

Slowly, but surely, their world decreased in size and was unable to contain their nigh-limitless joy; the house was too much and not enough to withstand them, they leaving their comfortable spots on the couch and retreating upstairs where a better-suited world could be crafted, built large and small enough to hold them.

A break apart, hands no longer held together, arms unwrapped and detached from the warm body of their spouse. Twilight gave a great sigh and sat upon the foot of the bed as she kicked away socks and heels, letting that pleasant heaviness fall upon her body, a weariness that only came from time well spent. She had changed so much in only a few hours and she could hardly even tell.

A pause of motion grabbed her attentions; Cadance stood at the threshold of the bathroom and leaned against the wall, her low-lidded eyes admiring she now called wife. There was a distant sort of smile on her features, a simple sweetness of mind unable to be held down.

“What’re you thinking about?” Twilight asked gently.

Cadance’s smile brightened and she gave a soft, singular laugh. “You… really are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever known,” she whispered.

Twilight blushed, knowing full well there was no comparison between her and Cadance. No matter how lovely Twilight became, there would never be a time in all their lives that she could compare to this vision of a woman, a goddess of love in human form. “Can I argue that?”

“No,” Cadance replied, hands moving to clothing as she began to escape from the confines of fabric. “Not tonight. Not ever.”

Twilight felt a change overcome her as she watched Cadance began to leave the dress behind, tossing it to the floor and letting her body begin to be revealed. The young woman had seen it so many times, yet even still the magnificent figure would ensnare all her senses; pure white lingerie that adorned smooth skin, those lovely breasts tucked behind lace and fabric; the sweet perfection of lusciousness that was Cadance had consumed Twilight from the very beginning, for so many years. They had been together as secret lovers, girlfriends, fiancés- and tonight would see them united as wives.

“Do you love me, Twilight?” Cadance asked her, taking position just before Twilight and cradling that keen face in her hands.

“Of course I do,” Twilight replied.

“Then forget everything tonight, Love,” Cadance whispered, leaning in and letting only a demure, solitary kiss bring their lips together. “Tonight… tonight you know nothing but me.”

Twilight could hardly have been roused to give even a moment’s thought to anything else but Cadance; her hands pulled away at golden garments and undressed her bride and the young woman was set aflush. It had been so many years since their first night together, with many nights together since- but now Twilight felt just as timid and safe as she had all those years ago, knowing that she would be safe in her wife’s arms. “Cadance…”

“I need you, Twilight,” Cadance whispered, crawling onto the bed and coming so close to her entranced spouse that little but those gleaming eyes could be seen. “And I’ve waited for so long.”

Years and years; from their very first meeting, from childhood to adulthood, Twilight had waited for this moment, never truly believing it would come. And now they knelt not even an inch apart, barely the hint of fabric separating body from body. “Thanks for waiting,” she whispered, at last closing the gap as lips found their match, arms wrapped about body, hearts sang as love met love with fullest vigor, the moon halting in the sky in honor of their union, granting them all the time in the world for their solitude together.

Each woman wondered how they could have ever been so lucky, each new kiss bringing forth a new bliss that only spurred their own romanticism. Twilight wondered how she could not have noticed such exquisite softness that was Cadance’s lips; Cadance marveled at how perfectly Twilight kissed her, the care given in each meeting. They knew not of how deeply love had changed them, transforming their passions into something far deeper, igniting a hunger they had yet to know. Twilight pressed all the deeper into the supple mouth of her bride, hands rising from their place about the woman’s waist and undoing the bra that held back beautiful breastflesh from joining the fray. Cadance caressed fine hair and let fingers run through it as though by instinct, a buzzing in her brain demanding that these kisses could not end. She craved this feeling, longed for it, and all without knowing it. To love her bride and to show it had never felt so perfect, and loath would she be for this timeless act to end.

Hands moved across fine skin and relieved them of clothing. Feminine forms united as lips and naked body were incensed by desire; the feel of hardened nipples brushing against her bare flesh was intoxicating. Cadance cooed happily as the tender sensation of Twilight’s body moving against hers in a slow, rubbing motion made each kiss all the more satisfying- and yet all the more stirring. She loved to kiss Twilight, loved to feel this simple act of love be brought and made real, and now it drove her mind into a brilliant storm. She desperately needed more, and somehow more could not possibly be enough. Cadance kissed her again, and took Twilight’s lower lip in between her own for a small, teasing nibble, the pull of flesh a signal to venture ever further, deeper. When the beautiful woman felt a wet press against her mouth, it brought a thrill of satisfaction.

Twilight was trying to be patient, tried to fulfill Cadance’s desire for a romantic night. This was for her, all the effort that could possibly be made so the most perfect bride in the world could see her dream wedding night become reality. The kisses she bestowed upon her were everything she knew her beloved wanted, and a little more- but Twilight’s fires of longing were burning bright and out of control, desperate for a rush to the climax. It was a relief when she felt the pull of Cadance upon her lips, a tease for her to dive deeper. When the young woman’s tongue slithered forth and took hold of its mate, she at last let herself melt into the action; saliva mingled and became thickened as the twin muscles danced, twirling about in Cadance’s mouth as bride felt the loving touch of bride. Her own moan of delight was kept muffled, swatted away by the slickened caress of her princess’ tongue and kept tucked within as hands still massaged body, lips remained united and concealing a dance swiftly losing control-

“Aaah…” Twilight could contain herself no more and pulled herself away, yet taking Cadance’s pink muscle as her captive treasure; she kissed it, sucked it as though it were candy, lavished upon it all the praise and adoration it adored until her bride could hardly contain her rising sounds of pleasure that came from every touch brought against it. She had come to love this action in their first night, and had loved it ever since. Twilight exulted in the feeling-

Her captive escaped and swiftly returned, this time pulling forth her own slickened tongue and finding it ensnared between Cadance’s lips, those beautiful eyes gleaming as the first suck was slow, and gloriously tender. Of course Twilight moaned, the sensation so perfect to her senses; each kiss, each moment of suckling upon it was heavenly. Cadance licked away and let the sapphic kiss be made sloppy, they breaking apart so as to marvel at the work that had been crafted: a gossamer band shone between them, shining in the light and turning them both flushed as they gloried in the work they had crafted together.

Twilight had reached her crescendo, unable to wait any longer. She devoured the strand and kissed back fiercely, the more intense motion sending them both toppling against the bedsheets. “I love you,” she breathed.

“Then don’t stop,” Cadance begged, eager to be claimed by her bride. “Take me.”

Such nakedness of flesh and spirit made Twilight marvel. She was to make love to this woman in the purest way imaginable; this was her wife, her bride forevermore, and she was to see her satisfied perfectly tonight. She began where she knew her passions to be their greatest, taking those tender breasts in her clutches and beginning to-

She hesitated and came to a halt; so caught up in her passions that she had forgotten, the hardness and slow disfigurement brought by sickness reminded Twilight of why this had all began. Fought off by feelings of greater happiness, the bubble that had protected them from thoughts of fear and death was punctured and leaking.

“Twilight..?” The cessation of action had roused Cadance’s concerns, the gentle-hearted woman sensing her beloved’s growing despair. The finite world had come back before them, the thought of something so beautiful now made fragile. The darkened shadows demanded attentions-

No. Twilight would not allow grief to consume her, to rob them both of a joyful moment. Another kiss, fierce enough to steal Cadance’s breath from her lungs, made stronger by the grinding of body as she returned to lavish her praises upon pure flesh; a kiss upon awaiting lips began the trail southwards, down along the cheek to the neck. Slow and gentle was each press as the young bride tended to her lover’s carnal desires, small strokes of the hand across pristine skin that preceded the touch of her lips to awaken the gooseflesh and arouse sensitivity. She moved slowly downwards, save for a single hand that found its way in between and began to tease; light touches of fingers both without and just barely within as a small gift. Twilight wanted to hear Cadance cry out before she had even begun, to feel her struggle right from the start. There was dampness, yes, a moistening of her fingers, but not enough to really begin. It needed to be a torturous wait, just long enough to make her beg for it.

“Twilight…” Cadance looked at her bride with desperation, gaze flickering between her lower lips and the starlit eyes of the woman she loved. She wanted more, desired it. A gentle play at the edges of her nerves was not enough to satisfy…

“Not yet,” Twilight hushed, her free hand stroking from Cadance’s cheek to the navel, a solitary finger running across the center of her folds to add to the measure. “Not yet.” She intensified, but only just- two fingers now, deeper and quicker. Not so much that any true satisfaction could be achieved, but enough to make the woman twitch. A sudden break from smoother actions and she plunged in deep, stroking into the depths with a great force- then just as quickly escaping.

“Twilight…”

“Not yet,” Twilight said, her own lips cementing the order and keeping Cadance’s tongue occupied, her fingers still below and adding one more to the mix, further presence and pressure forcing Cadance to tremble. This was the beginnings- a new dive deep, slow and heady as she did not hesitate to repeat the motion, but only once over before she continued with her teasing, her fingers making their way through Cadance’s now soaked folds as though they were pages of a book-

“Mmm! Aah, Twilight!” Cadance could take it no longer and forcibly released her imprisoned mouth from Twilight’s tender clutches, face fully flushed and each breath a struggle to contain. “If you don’t go down there and put your tongue to work, I swear!”

The younger woman grinned, her eyes like slits and she brought her fingers up for a slow, deliberate leaking, allowing Cadance to marvel at how she lapped away at the juices. “Feel free to scream,” she breathed- and in a motion of surprising speed, Twilight dove downwards and began a frenzied assault of amorous intent, plunging so deeply into Cadance’s sex that it was all her senses could hope to take in. If her bride made a sound, she did not hear it, so intent on her artistry that the dear newlywed allowed nothing to enter her consciousness. She lapped as one dying of thirst in the desert, a beautiful voraciousness of spirit and body as she took to every inch she could find: she nibbled only just, lapped wildly where teasing had once been and drank deeply. This woman, this splendid being was her prize, and she was to relish it with all her might. Tongue delved greedily and lovingly, eager to find herself satisfied with her lover’s satisfaction, unwilling to relent her desperate attacks until Cadance could do little more than cry out. Twilight ate with voraciousness- a sudden pull on the labia that would be unmistakable, the captive flesh released and immediately tended to with a kiss-

A motion awoke her from her explorations as Twilight felt Cadance gave a strong shudder that was only barely held in check, the first sign that the struggle to withstand her was failing-

Twilight gave no mercy and plunged all the deeper, licking and lapping away with all her might, no thought given to restraint in the slightest. She plunged deep and remained there, wanting no scent or taste to escape her notice until she had laid them all bare. Every part of Cadance was hers, and she wanted nothing more than to see all of her tended to. Tonight, this long-awaited night of nights, was to be the crescendo all their time together had been waiting for.

Even her focused mind could not hope to ignore the unrestrained cry that flew from Cadance’s lips, Twilight witness to a violent tremor of flesh before the coming cascade that was heralded by the rapturous peal from her bride. She took in the floodwaters and adored them, the feel and smell of them almost forgotten amidst their days of weary, fearful struggle. Glad as she was to receive the flow, to enjoy what she had almost forgotten in their absence, the glow that the young woman felt within was given light by the knowledge that the one she loved had been made happy. And I’m the one who helped her get there.

Knowing her fiercest work was done, Twilight’s intermingled work of mild pain and brilliant pleasure softened, rapid actions now smooth and slow as she began to clean her wife’s mess. It was not the cessation of motion and movement but rather a transformation from the unrestrained to the deliberate, Twilight’s thorough act of love meant to be of comfort rather than further excitement, a further display of the depths of her affection. As she felt Cadance’s body heave with the receding force of orgasm, her lips continued to find drenched skin and she tended to it, content that she had brought such a thing about-

“Twilight!” Before she had even come close to finishing, the attentive bride was torn away mid-swipe and found herself brought into a kiss of delicious fierceness, Cadance holding to her so tightly that her senses became overwhelmed. It was not an aggressive act but one born of an intense, desirous love. “Did I ever tell you that you feel wonderful?” Cadance whispered, the hint of laughter in her wearied voice.

“Once or twice,” Twilight whispered back, content in her place within her wife’s grasp. This was all she had ever really wanted, if she was given the moment to be honest. So utterly at peace in the embrace of the one she’d loved since she was young, that first love given chance to take root and blossom under the nurturing of maturity. There wasn’t a reason to hope for anything else.

“Mind if I return the favor?” the beautiful woman asked, her voice dripping with temptation.

It was an offer difficult to ignore. “Princess, you don’t have to-”

“Oh, but I want to,” Cadance said fiercely, suddenly overpowering her young bride and lying atop her. “I might even enjoy it. Let a girl have some fun.”

“Princess…”

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Cadance added, slithering across Twilight’s naked form until she found the object of her desires, “you might like it, too.”

The first knead by delicate hands was the sign of Cadance’s beginning work. Twilight’s breasts were smaller, more petite, but to the beautiful woman who called her spouse, they were heavenly. A long-awaited return of favor for the many times Twilight had tended to her in such a manner so Cadance tended to her, one hand playing with titflesh while the other was held in the firm grasp of an affectionate tongue that lathered its wordless worships upon a nipple that hardened beneath the weight of such love.

The gasp that escaped Twilight’s lips was unbidden, instinctive, and desired by the awaiting ears of her wife, the melodious sound driving her to pursue it further. So much of their breastplay as a couple had been focused on her own larger mounds, Twilight more willing to spend time upon foreplay and teasing than she. One so eager for the final prize, yet now she found herself savoring the feel of these smaller jewels that so promptly reacted to her efforts. It was a rarity, perhaps even a first, and Cadance swore she would never let this delicacy be taken away from her again. She fell in love with Twilight again, this discovery of pleasure in the flesh spurring her to give further praise: she took nipple in teeth and teased them, her hand taking the other and placing sudden, momentary pinches- all of it making Twilight squeal.

“Mmm…” Cadance moved her lips away from the breast and gave a coy grin at the sound of preliminary success that had flowed into the air. “Enjoying yourself?”

“Yes,” Twilight said in a taut gasp, this new pleasure of physical sensation putting her senses on edge.

“Then allow me,” Cadance breathed, and her fingers plunged downwards and tended to their prize like a gardener diving into readied soil. The cry that came from her loving wife was a song of the deep night, perfect fingers plying their trade below as eyes gazed adoringly at the face of the woman she loved struggled to hold back both sound and expression. She knew what Twilight enjoyed, just where to be touched and stroked- tonight she would have whatever needs they knew met.

“Oooh-MMPH!” Twilight’s cries were cut short as she felt those perfect, plumped lips meet her own in a kiss as hands continued to grant their carnal worship, Cadance fully ensnaring all of her senses within this wondrous display of unrestrained affection. Lost in the haze of such a love, Twilight swooned and threw her arms about her wife in an embrace, fingers tracing through hair and across flesh as she did not hesitate to shudder and coo at every new jolt of ecstasy. She wanted Cadance to know how good it felt: that each kiss and stroking of tongue against her own was delightful, that the touch of her fingers was as the work of a maestro, that to simply be so close –so deeply enwrapped with this paradigm of perfection- was nothing more than the most heavenly dream. She cried out eagerly, struggled mightily, tightened her hold until she felt her senses falter and be overcome. The sound and struggle of Twilight climaxed, the matrimonial union bringing forth a moment that each would remember forever. Cadance relished the rocking heaves of the body as orgasm coursed through her bride, the weakened coos of Twilight finding her own tongue, the outpouring of juices against her own body, each one more tender and precious than the one before, slowing until they came to an end and she knew her love would need reprieve…

“I love you,” she whispered. Cadance released Twilight from her grasp and caressed her face with dirtied fingers, the two women collapsing beside one another on the bed as they tried to recover-

But what recovery was to be found? Twilight would not release Cadance from her embrace and held her lips fast against her own, the series of still-passionate kisses keeping them occupied and struggling for breath. They took in one another with all their wearied senses could endure, their romantic union still burning bright as hand weaved across stained flesh, through frazzled hair and across juices yet to be cleaned away. Their kisses remained fierce, the presses of mouth upon mouth still possessing the strength to steal away moans and murmurs of delight. Tongue danced with tongue again and again, each more than willing to continue lavishing their praises of the other as they held one another close.

Cadance sucked on Twilight’s tongue just as she had over so many years now, eager to still tend to its needs even if their flesh could not go any further. This was her bride, the love of her life, and she would not fade into the grasp of the grave without it being known in fullness. Twilight held Cadance all the more tightly in her arms as she let her lips and tongue be enjoyed, not wishing to be the one that broke the spell. She loved to ravish this woman, and to be ravished by her. It was a harmony she could not find elsewhere, not with anyone else on earth. This was her first love, the only love she had truly ever known…

And she just might lose her.

Cadance’s kisses came to a halt as she felt Twilight begin to shudder. It was not a response to her outpouring of love, but something else entirely. She retreated and stared at her bride only to see tears forming in those darkened eyes, the droplets beginning to fall thick and heavy as the foisted burden of reality again fell across her shoulders. The cavalcade of love now intermingled with fear and the grief that came was a horror to withstand, a weary spirit unable to withstand the weight in silence. “Twilight…”

“Am I going to lose you?” Twilight asked, the streams pouring down her face coming to add to the soaked stains upon the bedsheets. “Please, don’t- don’t say goodbye to me.”

It was another monument to all that she could lose. Cadance tended to her bride’s worries and held her in a softened, gentle hug as the two women allowed themselves to weep and share their fears together, the exhaustion they knew pushing their spirits to face the depths of their fear and despair as the long night came upon them, shielding them from the prying eyes of the world as they grieved.

The moment came faster than even their fears could have guessed. Twilight took the day off, and the one after, just in case there were complications. Cadance had received a number of well-wishes from friends, family, and staff of both schools. She would, at least, be in the minds of so many.

The hospital was clean, and cold. The plain colors did nothing to offer rest, the somber faces of medical staff of little comfort- and the sorrowful expressions on many others even worse. Here was the place where so many fates would be decided, and now their own story was to be added to the mix. The ups and downs, triumph and success, love and heartbreak, all of it leading to this moment.

They held hands when they sat. They held even still as Cadance was called into the operating room, separating for a brief moment as the elder bride was commanded to change. When she returned, Twilight could not even find the strength to smile at the beauty before her, her heart ravaged by the intense fear that now held its place on Cadance’s face like a mask.

“You’ll…” Twilight’s words died in her throat. She wanted to say things would be OK, that the world wasn’t really ending, but her uncertainty was so strong that it felt like a lie.

“No matter what comes next,” Cadance whispered, “I love you.”

“Love you, too.” One last locked gaze, one last smile… “One last kiss before you go?”

Their lips met one last time, the sweet gesture turned salty by the presence of tears. Emotions told them to give this long, lingering goodbye before it was too late- in case it really was too late. Twilight loved the feel of Cadance upon her, that gentle love that had shone so brilliantly even when she’d been young- a beauty impossible to ignore.

And then they separated, Cadance remaining within the operating room as Twilight gave a wave and departed to a chair in which she would wait for many hours, knowing there was nothing more she could ever say.

Author's Note

And so we wait.

Epilogue on the way, eventually. Trust.

Keep reading, I guess.

Epilogue: For Now

She had never known just how difficult it could be to ignore an absence. When the lack of presence was enough to signal that the world was still amiss, the memory of what had been lost could not be ignored. She still felt it; saw it day by day, knew it by heart until it seemed that the very thought was all her mind could hope to contain within it. Even though the time between the memory and now was growing ever more distant, even still the grief of loss could be felt; raw, patently painful, still so full of fear when having stared into the face of it- but less often now that time had gone. It would never really go away, her gaze unable to avoid its raw emptiness.

But there could still be good things that could help fill the gap.

“Let me see… your hair is in the way, dear. If you wouldn’t mind brushing it aside.” The words of instruction were good medicine in times like this, simple commands always a comfort when it could be so easily to get lost in thought. To hear an order, and to heed it, helped keep the doldrums away more often than not.

Rarity was busy at work, deep into that subconscious thought that only came when she was totally focused on her work. Paying little attention to anything that was not a part of her here and now came so naturally to her, a brilliant skill that was something to be envied. Here she worked, pins and needles and a smattering of stitchwork at her fingertips as she made corrections to the neckline. The lace was lovely, soft and comfortable when pressed against the skin. There was no doubt that the one who had crafted it by hand was the greatest seamstress in the world, and she somehow had deigned to fit a dress for her.

The fashionista paused- hands pulled away from fabric and flesh as she stepped backwards to examine it from a distance. “Hmm…”

“Is- is it alright?”

Rarity’s confidence had never once faltered, even in the face of impossible odds. “More than alright, darling,” she whispered proudly. “Go on, take a look in the mirror. I know you’ll love it.”

Her weary model, even if there by her own choosing, turned to the side and saw herself in the reflection of the full-length mirror, struck softly into silence by the sight of snow-white garments that adorned her skin. It had felt like so long ago that she had once tried to achieve this very moment, a girlhood dream that had so easily been destroyed in the face of a bleak reality. Perhaps it was not exactly how she had envisioned it- but to say that such a daydream made the real disappointing would have been foolish. Standing there, the centerpiece of all thought and attention for all who witnessed it, she knew that there would never be anything better.

Cadance smiled. “It’s perfect,” she breathed. How else was she supposed to describe it? She was clothed in the purest white, a faint pattern stitched into the fabric. The gold that ringed the shoulder of the gloves gleamed with that brilliant glow of a darkened light, an intricate pattern made to enhance the pristine whiteness. Where she felt further was down below, the silken smooth dress fitting to her body perfectly. Just a hint of sensuality amidst the regality, a means by which to make the graceful all the more fascinating. She could not have asked for anything better, nor would she have dared to hope so. As the quiet Princess admired herself in the mirror, the only thing that could hope to distract her from the picture of beauty made right by Rarity was the concealing neckline, a simple trace of lacing pattern up the body and to the shoulder- and the absence to which it so obviously lead beneath.

She still didn’t think her clothes fit right. It had taken time to see them all done, but Cadance had worked her way through her entire wardrobe and seen everything altered properly, and all of them under Rarity’s strict supervision. It actually hadn’t been her idea; Twilight had suggested it as a means of coping, to help push away the mourning period. It had been beneficial, but there would not have been anything that could have helped her see the utter finality that was this, a long-awaited wedding dress altered to fit a body missing a particular piece.

“You look wonderful, darling,” Rarity said happily. “At least- I think so, but I may be a bit biased.”

“She’s not wrong at all, actually,” Adagio added, speaking out from her place in the corner to give her calm assessment. “Rarity did a great job, but you look great. Like one of my model friends, really.”

Cadance wanted to laugh, to scoff and heed it all as pitying words. She could dismiss Rarity’s glowing smile as sympathy, deem Adagio’s words as little more than compassion to help bolster her spirits, a way to ignore the obvious absence of her breast and the scars that had replaced it. But why should she? Was she not still loved, still considered beautiful by the only one that would matter? Why should she allow the dark blue world of grief rob her of this moment, when it had been awaited for so long? “I… I think you’re right. Rarity, you really did an amazing job. I couldn’t look better.”

The delighted seamstress gave a squeal of joy and leapt into the air, a sharp contrast from the smug grin that came from her beloved. “Oh, I knew it! Twilight will think you’re straight out of a fairytale, darling, she’ll have never imagined you could look so wonderful!”

“And you still won’t-”

Rarity had been expecting the query to come forth eventually. “And no, I won’t tell you how she looks!” the beautiful woman said firmly, “It’s a surprise, and you’ll be glad to keep it unspoiled!”

“Pinkie and Sunset couldn’t stop screaming,” Adagio added helpfully.

“Dagi!” Rarity admonished her love with a single word, though unable to wipe away the teasing smile that sat on her face. “It would have made a marvelous story at the reception, but you just had to ruin it!”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Adagio continued to tease, “and here I was thinking I was adding to the excitement!”

The two women continued to bicker, sounding more akin to an old married couple than a pair of newlyweds who’d tied the knot out of the blue only a few months prior. Their argument was teasing words and irritation turned light by levity, even if only a few would know it. Cadance did not mind enduring the sounds in the slightest, always happy to let the two overflow, all societal pressures cast aside in favor of being themselves. Out of all things, Cadance knew she enjoyed the real.

“So- Cadance, darling,” Rarity said, forcing herself away from her wife and attending to the bride-to-be, “you’re certain the dress is comfortable for you?”

“Yes, I’m sure. You did a wonderful job, as always!”

Rarity tried not to bask in the praises, but still couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll go get the packaging for it,” she said, “Adagio, if you wouldn’t mind hanging it properly when she’s free of it-”

“Of course I don’t,” Adagio said promptly, rising to her feet to give her beloved a small caress in response. “Go on, we’re alright here.”

Cadance admired them both. Professionals to the end, even now. She couldn’t have been any happier for either of them, even if the elegant superstar was still someone she did not quite yet fully know. The tired, happy bride was more than willing to let a friendship start small, especially after the long months that had crept slowly, painfully by.

“Here, I’ve got the zipper,” Adagio offered, coming behind the casual model and helping her be free of the magnificent garment. “Looking forward to it?”

“Dreaming of it,” Cadance said fervently, and meaning it. She had awaited this day for so long, and what came next was to be even better. She hadn’t really thought it would come, ten months of surgeries and physical agony in between her old life and the one she knew now. It would never be quite right, and never quite how she’d imagined- but it would be even better because of it all.

“Here’s your- oh, sorry, something slipped.” An envelope, stained and crumpled from constant use fell aside from its place beside Cadance’s purse.

“It’s fine! I must have not put it all the way back,” Cadance replied gently, bending down to bring forth the deeply-wrung letter and finding herself hesitating. Was now a good time to actually see its contents, read the words put upon its pages? She’d had it secure in her keeping for a while now. Maybe there would never be a better time. Perhaps with a sigh, a single iota of restraint, she dipped her fingers in and unfurled the small paper within for her eyes to see:

Cadance,

Congratulations to you both. Apologies for not being there, dealing with hospice staff for my mother has been difficult. I wish I could say it all in person.

Take care of her. And thank you for not leaving her there all alone.

~ Velvet

It was small. Short and simple, but more than enough to be the first stepping stone in a repair long-needed, especially for someone who needed it far more than she. Cadance smiled in the midst of her blurred vision as she put the now-read letter aside. It was to be alright.

And only a few days later, she had never imagined anything in the world could be better. Perhaps it wasn’t official, a make-up day for one that had nearly been lost, but it was the girlhood fantasy at last turned real, and so far better than anything imagination could have hoped to conjure.

Did she know any feeling better than Twilight’s lips? Any gesture more desired than the gentle stroking of loving hands across her skin? Was there any sound more wonderful than the cheers of friends and family who had found a way to be there and see them unified in the most desired way at last? Cadance could have been there in little more than a t-shirt and it would have been worth it, simply glad to know that the woman she held in her heart was Twilight. Her beautiful bride, more perfect and sweet and wonderful than she ever dared to hope. And Cadance was considered lovely; Twilight, the pristine, unblemished vision of perfection in that wedding dress was more than she could have imagined.

The happy couple heard every single cheer, every clap of hands that came to wish them well. Eyes that shone in pride, in love, was theirs for the relishing. It was better than the day it had been made official, the ceremony the long-missing piece to make it all better. They could relax now, be at peace and enjoy it all. There would be dancing and songs and good company to make it all the sweeter, and loath were they to wait any longer.

Cadance danced with everyone who asked, from the smallest child to Twilight and everyone in between. She watched as happily married couples wound their way across the floor, the love between spouses seeming to radiate as they came closer to the joyous brides. There was not a soul present that couldn’t feel it, could possibly hope to ignore the glow that came forth so naturally. It was a day of celebration, and nothing could hope to withstand it.

It was fall instead of spring. A cool day tinged with an early evening rather than the still-straining glow of warm sunlight. It was not as they had planned, but she wouldn’t have wished it any other way. This was Twilight, her wife- how could she possibly hope to ask for more? Even as the night reigned and the lights grew soft, as well-wishers and friends said their goodbyes, as the reception that dwelled in the orchards dwindled to only the brides themselves, still they rejoiced. They had no reason not to, as far as they were concerned. Twilight could not kiss Cadance enough, Cadance could not hold Twilight too closely. This was their day, and it would be their night also- even if no one knew it just yet.

When their time came to rest, they did little more than to sit there in the comfortable arms of a nearby tree, still giggling and happy to hold one another close. Nothing could hope to stop them, not even that small niggling fear of when it would all come to an end. Another bad day would come, the inevitable march of the unforgiving years seeing that old poison return and make its work finished. It would only be a matter of time, no matter how much they tried to ignore it. Or maybe not; maybe this really would be the day they left their troubles behind, nothing less than endless joy ahead of them as they walked into the rising dawn. Cadance didn’t know. And as she sat there with Twilight resting comfortably against her, she could not be bothered to care. She would rejoice in the moment, for however long it lasted.

Because it really might not last forever.

Author's Note

No such thing as a happily ever after. But for now, there's a happy time.

Keep tossing suggestions. Hope you enjoyed.

... Hmm. Real talk, would anyone like to see these two continue on? I know this kinda bombed in terms of views, but I do like writing them. They feel far more real than most.

Prologue: Reminiscence

There were so many ways this could go wrong, and Twilight was intelligent enough to know every single one of them.

This wasn’t a good idea. In fact, it was a terrible idea. It was one thing that she was going to meet Cadance in the hopes of confessing a long-time attraction to the woman who was over ten years her senior, not to mention the ex-girlfriend of her brother and her former babysitter. Adding in that she was going into her old high school to meet with said woman –who was now the principal, as if to make matters worse- only added to the mountain of potential issues that were very, very likely to arise.

Not to mention she didn’t even know if Cadance even liked her back. There was also that.

As Twilight pulled into the parking lot, about ten minutes before her scheduled appointment… “God help me, did I really make an appointment for this? What is wrong with me?” she breathed, finding her demure body absolutely trembling from head to toe as the nerves really began to take hold. This was a reprehensibly awful idea. There actually weren’t words to describe how bad of an idea this was. Cadance surely wouldn’t reciprocate, their friendship would be ruined forever, the whole thing would be beyond the realms of normal awkwardness. “Twilight, you thoroughgoing idiot!”

But she was here. Pitiful trembling thing that she was, Twilight was indeed here and desired to actually release the long-held burden from her shoulders. But what would she even say? If she were honest, she wanted to run in and beg Cadance to stick her tongue down her throat and let the fiery kiss turn into a bout of magnificent lovemaking right there on the desk. Another part of her, the one that remained terrified, wanted to just go back home and forget she had even wanted to try.

“Come on, come on, remember!” Of course she had made a speech. How else would she hope to get through this? It’s not like she had the genuine courage to achieve this. “Alright, deep breaths, girl,” she whispered. “Now, one last time.”

She closed her eyes and let the speech that had become a mantra flow through her thoughts like water: “Cadance, I wanted to talk with you because I need to confess something to you. Ever since I was little, I thought you were the most beautiful person in the world, and in my childish mind, I found myself enamored by you. I kept telling myself that I’d someday grow up and marry you because you were always so kind and beautiful, and genuinely wonderful in every way. Even when I started growing up and realized that it would never happen, I never really let go of that silly thought and it continued to stick around. I found it even harder to ignore when I was here at Crystal Prep because I was around you all the time, and all I found myself thinking was of how you were still the most beautiful woman in the world. I know it’s the norm, but when I was dating my boyfriend I still found myself wanting to be with you instead- especially after I kissed you. Once I felt your lips against mine it was over because that’s when I knew I liked girls. In particular, I liked you. No, I love you. And I still love you, Cadance, and I want to be with you. I know it’s different and strange especially since we’re so different and you’re older than I am, but please- if you feel the same, please just tell me. I can’t just sit here and not know anymore.

It was rehearsed, pristine and perfect. At least, as perfect as Twilight could figure out. Maybe a confession of love wasn’t the best plan, but it was all she could think of. Now, she’d have to say it out loud- to Cadance.

The reality began to set in when she entered the hallways of her old school. It fell upon her bones, dragging her down and making her feet feel like they were entrapped within boots of steel. Her heart was beginning to hammer in her chest madly, virulently; she half-wondered if her ribs would not be able to withstand the pressure and would crack as the rattling organ inside reeled madly within its prison. It was horrible, and she hadn’t even made it to Cadance yet!

When she found Cadance’s office and alerted the secretary of her arrival, all of her youthful senses had gone into overdrive: terror was stark, nausea was so potent that she wondered if she might vomit, beads of sweat were starting to dribble down her chest and soak through her shirt. And you deliberately didn’t wear a bra or underwear, you fool! What were you thinking?!

“Miss? You can go on in,” the older woman said, rousing Twilight from her desperate monologue and back into the world. She was actually having to do this.

“Th- thank you,” Twilight said, trying to stop her voice from squeaking. I’m going to die. I’m going to have a heart attack and die. She put a hand on the door and took a breath that rattled. Now or never.

Twilight opened the door and found herself greeted by a sight she hadn’t expected to see in the slightest: Cadance was there at her desk, her face speaking to emotions of distress and grief. Eyes watery, face tight as she bit her lip. What was wrong? “Cadance? Are you alright?” For a split second, Twilight’s concerns about love and romance were put aside.

Grief turned to shock on the beautiful woman’s face in a heartbeat. “Twilight!” was her cry, eyes swiftly turning red now held wide. “What- what are you doing here? It’s still school hours, shouldn’t you be back at Canter-”

“Early day,” Twilight answered. “We did rehearsals today, that’s all. I’ve been free for a while.” Guide the conversation to it. Go on, now.

“Well- well that’s great! Twilight, you didn’t have to make an appointment with the office to see me, you know that!” Cadance replied. “What’s the matter, what can I help you with?”

Twilight tried to recall her well-memorized speech and failed in spectacular fashion. Oh DAMN you, how can you screw it up at a time like this? This is crunch time, time to be clutch! Start talking, you lovestruck freak! “I- I don’t-”

Whatever had upset Cadance had been pushed to the wayside completely, the perfect creature leaning forward in concern. “Twilight, are you OK? Are you in trouble?”

Talk. For the love of God, talk. “Cadance, I’m… I’m really sorry, but…”

Cadance appeared sympathetic. Twilight, it’s alright. Did they say no or did your nerves just give out? It’s going to be OK, either way-”

Oh my gosh, she actually thought I was meaning someone else. “No, it’s- it’s not that, I promise,” Twilight forced out, sounding more like glass being shattered than any semblance of fortitude. “I- I, umm…” Oh come ON.

Twilight felt the temperature of the room change, and in a way she hadn’t at all expected. The place was not frigid. In fact, the coolness had lessened if she were to be honest. Cadance was now rigid in her seat, eyes held in an emotion she couldn’t quite name. But if Twilight were certain, and she felt that she was… Cadance’s gaze was poring over all her body, to include the sweat-soaked shirt and skirt that adorned the young girl’s form.

Cadance was undressing her with her eyes.

She had to do it. Now, before she could lose her nerve again. “I don’t know how to start,” Twilight said, more ashamed she had lost her prepared speech than she could say in words. It had been her key to success.

A gentle presence against her hand and Twilight felt a thrill as Cadance took her hand and squeezed it. “Take your time, I’m listening,” she said warmly.

“Umm… Cadance, did I ever tell you why me and my ex broke up?” THAT’S what you start with?!

Cadance’s expression instantly fell flat. Of course it had, what other reaction was there to have? “Only a little bit, why?”

Salvage this. “Well, it just sort of happened,” she began, “and it did, it really did. But… well, on my birthday. I said I thought he was going to kiss me, and- he did, but it wasn’t all- all that great.”

“OK…”

You’re losing her. You have to keep pushing forward, come on now. “We kept going for a little while, and he got jealous about something, and we talked it out. I just didn’t- didn’t find him that attractive anymore, and I admitted I didn’t like how he felt when we kissed.” How could you possibly say all of this worse?

“Alright. And why is that?” Cadance sounded almost bored, the thought nearly pushing Twilight to tears.

The young girl forced herself to look into the eyes of the resplendent woman she loved and say her peace. “Well- whenever we did, he just- kept coming up short. To- to the kiss I had with you. And I realized that I liked kissing you more. And I wanted to kiss you again.” Almost there now…

Cadance’s eyes were as wide as saucers. There was nothing in this angelic creature’s mind that could have prepared her for such a statement. Twilight, the nerdy little girl with hardly an ounce of social skill within her, the child she had once babysat, had just said she wanted to kiss Cadance- again. “Twilight..?”

Now. Do it now! “I- I have a crush.” Words failed her and she struggled to recover what would be a monumental fumble. “I have a crush on you, Cadance. I think you’re really attractive and I want to go out with you. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met, and I can't help it.”

Cadance seemed like she could hardly believe what she was hearing. She had barely moved, hardly even reacted. “Twilight, I…”

“I know it’s crazy, and you’d probably get in trouble if we started dating,” Twilight said in her continued plunge to failure, “but I kept dreaming about kissing you one more time. And maybe… doing more. I just wanted to say in case you felt the same way.” There it was. All out in the open, where nothing could retrieve it. She had actually done it- horribly, painfully, but she had done it.

The young girl regarded Cadance and saw, if only for a moment, a subtle change come over her. Small, miniscule, but distinct. A decision had been made.

“Twilight,” Cadance said at last, “listen to me very carefully. I feel the same way. I think you’re beautiful and wonderful and I enjoyed kissing you, too.”

Oh my God. Twilight could hardly believe she had heard that. “Really?!” She practically leapt out of her seat in delight from the sound of those melodious words ringing in her ears- only for the feeling to flit away just as quickly. “But…”

Cadance was struggling now too, rising from her seat behind the desk and starting to pace. A stricken expression on her face, a pained one, growing in strength. “But Twilight, it’s too risky,” Cadance said, speaking to the exact reality that Twilight so deeply feared –and knew- she would have to face regardless. “I think you’re gorgeous and sweet and wonderful, I really do.”

But Twilight had to try. Even if it was just for one more time, one last, briefest meeting of lips that she so desperately wanted- no, needed, hungered for with an overwhelming might that seemed to chew away at her insides. “Cadance, please, just- just one-”

Cadance was in absolute freefall now, simultaneously trying to both be near and oh so far away from the young girl she had just confessed her attraction to. “I want to, Twilight, oh heaven help me I want to, to feel you against me and- and all of it, but I just am scared that- what if we get caught, or- or something goes wrong or someone starts asking-”

Twilight at last couldn’t take it any longer, unable to bear being near such perfect majesty and beauty for which she so deeply longed to feel against her own flesh. “Oh will you just shut up and kiss me?!”

And then Twilight found her happiness in the most wonderful, passionate, beautiful kiss she would ever know in her entire life.

“… Twilight? Twilight, are you there?”

The cloud of old memory that had so thoroughly enwrapped her brain was disappearing now, pushed away by the breath of the here and now as word and thought took form where the reminiscent haze had dwelled. Where was she now, with all the years and memory that had passed by before her eyes?

“Ms. Sparkle, wake up there!” The voice was firm, but not cruel in its calls to her consciousness, and the effort was enough to gain the woman’s attention away from days gone by and back to the day before her. Twilight turned around and saw Vice Principal Luna standing there at the door the small closet of an office, the smile on the older woman’s face one of humor and mild concern rather than consternation. “Earth to Twilight.”

“Luna! Sorry, I guess I dozed off for a minute,” Twilight said, rising from her overly comfortable seat and giving herself a small shake to hopefully cast aside the deepening slumber that had nearly entrapped her. “Sorry about that. What can I do for you?”

“Staff meeting, Miss Twilight,” Luna replied. “Tia just wants to do a quick overview for the exam period once Thanksgiving ends. She was hoping for you and Dr. Mendel to make an appearance in case your opinions were needed.”

“Of course, I’ll be right there,” Twilight replied, reaching for a small folder of papers she kept for such matters and began rifling through to ensure the materials she wanted were present. “Lead the way. Teacher’s lounge, I’m guessing?”

“As always.”

Twilight nodded and made to follow her superior, but pausing as she heard a gentle series of Thrums! come across her desk as her phone received a text. She knew that pattern

One quick press of the screen was enough to reveal its contents: Just in case I forgot to say it this morning- I love you!

Cadance loved her. Even after all these years. Twilight gave a smile as she let the faintest strain of memory flow through her mind, even if only for a heartbeat. The years they had shared together, despite all the shortcomings they held together, had been good.

Better than good, if she was honest.

Author's Note

Guess who's back, bitches?

Yeah, it got a sequel. I had an idea.

Others are coming. Trust.

Keep reading, if you want.