A Bright Night

After Sunset had shown her the basics of walking with not as much tripping as Wallflower had expected from herself, and the basics of learning how to pick things up with her hooves, the two had moved on from the library spaces, albeit still with the blankets resting on their backs.

While Sunset seemed more at comfort with the whole idea of being naked… it was still such a foreign concept for Wallflower. Even with her fur, which seemed to tingle even more every time she focused on feeling how fur feels like (a weird concept altogether), it was more comfortable to be under something for the most part.

So when she found ‘Rarity’ and ‘Twilight’ together in the main room with two dresses, Wallflower had been more than relieved. Yes, it was a little weird seeing Sunset’s friends as ponies. Yes, it was even weirder for Twilight, who she knew to be a science geek that had nearly been as antisocial as her at one time to be a princess of friendship.

Everything was just a little crazy, and Wallflower wasn’t sure what to make of it stiil.

Even getting on the dresses that Rarity had made them was a struggle, though thankfully helped by the three unicorns around her. It was a beautiful yellow gown - and it almost looked like it had faux wings attached. Not in a garish way - or so Wallflower hoped, she had never been the best at fashion - but in a way that seemed to compliment the design.

Sunset’s own dress was a mix of turquoise and sea blues, matching her eyes and making her look like she had rose from the ocean herself. While it was a bit hard to know what to feel towards Sunset as a unicorn, Wallflower had to admit that it matched her girlfriend’s color scheme quite well.

“Now, you’ll both be off to have an early start to Canterlot, tonight, just after I finish this...” Rarity said, red glasses on her face as she marched around the pair, seemingly looking for any last-minute changes she could make. On top of the dresses, Rarity had also tied Sunset’s hair back into a bun style, and tied Wallflower’s into a ponytail of sorts - or whatever the Equestrian term for it was, Wallflower wasn’t entirely too sure.

“You’re not coming with us?” Sunset asked, looking over at Princess Twilight, who was at a crystalline desk that Wallflower could only imagine how pricey it must have been, a bunch of papers placed out upon it.

“Not yet. We’ll be headed there soon, but I need to take care of a few more things, and then me and the girls are going to be taking a carriage of our own up with a few others. Our party’s been growing larger and larger each year, and planning both the actual gala and me and my friend’s times there has been challenging. But doable also, naturally.”

“Makes sense,” Sunset said with a shrug, before frowning. “So what will me and Wallflower be doing before the gala officially starts?”

“Meeting with Princess Celestia privately beforehand.” Princess Twilight said off-handedly, as if that was news to be taken lightly.

Wallflower could only stare at her before looking at Sunset, a spike of anxiety quickly settling in. Yes, she wanted to meet with her girlfriend’s mentor figure - but privately? Before a big event like this?

Oh, this was not to be taken lightly at all.

And it seemed at least Sunset agreed with Wallflower’s assessment based of the subtle scowl on her face. “Twilight…”

“Sunset, she asked for it. And I know you wish to meet with her too. Plus it works out perfectly scheduling wise!” Twilight said, beaming at both Sunset and Wallflower as if not noticing the expressions on their faces at all.

“Yeah… I guess it should be done sooner than later.” Sunset sighed, causing Wallflower to cast a glance at her. For a moment, Wallflower opened her mouth to ask another question before closing it. Maybe she’d ask when they are in the carriage alone. Not now.

“And… done!” Rarity’s voice rang out, before she straightened up, her glasses lifting off her face with a swish of magic. “Now you dears better be off - your carriage is awaiting outside.”

“Right now?” Wallflower said, glancing at the door - and wishing there was some kind of clock in the room for her to tell what time it was.

“Yes, yes, right now. Come along and follow me to the entrance.” Rarity said, already trotting off outside the main room.

Glancing at Sunset for confirmation, who made a shrugging gesture in response, the two of them followed the other unicorn out the doorway, and through the main hallway. Wallflower’s eyes darted around, taking in every detail. Sunset had told her that while this was a castle in the town of Ponyville, it was the smaller of the two castles of Equestria.

Wallflower couldn’t help but think that if this castle was small however, then the castle in Canterlot must have been huge. This one already made her feel small enough - hopefully the gardens would balance out the unease caused by the castle though.

Soon, the trio got to the front door of the castle, which Rarity deftly opened with her magic. “And here we are! Your carriage is just down the steps, being pulled by two gentlecolts.”

Pulled? Wallflower looked outside to see a silver carriage being - yes, pulled by other ponies. What a strange concept. While Sunset knew that technology was limited - the idea that transportation was pulled by other ponies made it a bit weird. It made sense in her world - for horses to pull people. But ponies pulling other ponies…

“I know, it’s probably a bit hard to grasp,” Sunset chuckled at Wallflower’s perplexed expression. “But that’s just how it’s done over here. Think of it like an uber.”

“Huh…” Wallflower said, simply staring at the carriage for a few moments more - before following Sunset’s lead as she took the first steps down the flight of stairs.

“I’ll see you two at the Gala later this evening!” Rarity called from behind them, before Wallflower heard the door shut behind them.

As Sunset reached the bottom of the stairs, Wallflower watched as her girlfriend’s horn flared to life with a burst of red magic that opened the carriage’s door. “Ladies first,” Sunset said with a grin at Wallflower, causing the latter to feel a bit of heat underneath her green fur.

“R-Right.” Very carefully, Wallflower climbed up the steps of the carriage before getting inside, and carefully taking a seat. There was enough room for both Wallflower and Sunset to comfortably sit inside without.

After Sunset got in, and alerted the ponies at the front that they were ready to go, the carriage with a small jerk took off, starting to roll onwards. Wallflower felt her eyes drawn to one of the carriage’s windows, using a hoof to jiggle with the controls awkwardly for a moment before lowering one of them to see out. While the castle had been the castle - this was going to be her first real look at her girlfriend’s homeland. And as nervous as she was, she wanted to see all of it.

“Excited?” Sunset asked, making Wallflower glance back at the amused smile on Sunset’s face.

“A bit, actually.” Wallflower admitted, looking back at the window with a smile on her face. Not that she was uncomfortable with Rarity and Princess Twilight or the castle - well, she had been, in her own way - but being alone with Sunset in the carriage and being able to look out at the world from a bit of a distance was a welcoming sort of change.

But that didn’t distract her from the question that she had wanted to ask from before. “Do… Do you think Princess Celestia will like me?” Wallflower asked carefully, not yet moving her gaze to see how Sunset reacted.

She did hear her girlfriend shift in her seat, making the cushions beneath her squeak for a moment before she replied though. “Celestia… she has a hard time opening up to ponies a lot of the times. So she may seem distant. But I know she’d love you.”

When Wallflower looked away from the window once more at Sunset, and saw the brilliant and hopeful gaze on her girlfriend’s face, she smiled in kind despite the anxiety still plaguing her. “I hope so.”