Sunset Precedes The Dark

Sunset kept her breath steady as she focused, inhaling slowly through her nose and exhaling through her mouth. Her movements were swift and light, with every step and flick of the wrist harboring steely intent. Not a single twitch of the muscle was wasted as she pressed into her opponent, the two flashing blades filling the air between them. Sunset had the advantage, and they both knew it. Despite that, she was careful not to grow confident or careless. Even if this was only practice, Sunset treated every fight like a real fight, and receiving even a single wound was unacceptable.

Keeping her left hand close to her body, Sunset carefully maneuvered her right with quick and calculated parries and strikes. While holding a strong defense was imperative, Sunset knew that pressing the offensive was just as important. No battle was won without attacking the opponent, and with every step forward, Sunset placed even more pressure on the rapidly retreating woman in front of her. With cold calculation, Sunset waited for the perfect moment. A single mistake that she could use to settle the fight, and with a hawk-like gaze, she spotted one such opportunity.

Her opponent made a sloppy lunge forward, and overextended, leaving her side vulnerable. With finesse, Sunset twisted her torso to parry the incoming thrust aside, and in one single swift motion, guided her own rapier down along the length of the blade to not only ensure a successful riposte, but to prevent her opponent from defending herself properly. Surely enough, in the blink of an eye, Sunset's sword had found its mark in the ribs of her opponent, the blade bending slightly against the thick padded armor. Between the surprise of the jab and her already weak footing, Sunset’s opponent finally toppled to the ground in defeat.

"Match point to Sunset Shimmer,” announced the nearby trainer who was overseeing the duel, “That’s five to zero, in favour of Sunset Shimmer. Perfectly executed as always.”

Pulling off her mask, Sunset sheepishly smiled at the compliment from her teacher, her face flushed equally from exertion and embarrassment. “Thank you, sir, though I wouldn’t call it perfect.”

“I don’t know, Sunset,” replied Blossomforth between heavy breaths as she looked up from the padded floor, “I couldn’t find a single opening that whole match. You’re scary to go against as it is, so if that wasn’t perfect, I don’t want to see what is.” Although Sunset had managed to avoid exhausting herself too much, it was clear that her sparring partner was practically gasping for breath.

Sunset offered a hand to Blossomforth and helped her to her feet with a friendly smile. “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Blossomforth. You definitely made me work for the win, even if you don’t realize it. Your aggressive style really keeps me on my toes.”

Blossomforth pulled off her own mask before giving Sunset a skeptical look. “I feel like you’re giving me too much credit. I was practically flailing around at the end there. Trying to land a hit on you is like trying to stab a fly out of the air.”

Their instructor shook his head with a chuckle as he interjected on their banter. “Either way, that was one hell of a bout. Made for a great demonstration for the rest of the class. You two can go get cleaned up and head home, great work today.” As they left, he turned back to the class announcing to the dozen sitting onlookers, “Now that was a real duel! Who here can give five reasons why Sunset came out on top?”

The two women hung up their swords and protective gear along the back wall of the salle before making their way into the women’s locker room. Once inside, they started stripping out of their athletic clothing and getting back into their streetwear, a line of lockers separating them as they changed.

“I don’t know why the coach pairs us together. It’s like he’s trying to humiliate me. I know it’s good to have a friendly rivalry, but we’re totally on different levels, it’s not even fair.”

Sunset perked up at the voice of Blossomforth, shocked to hear her speaking like that. “Wait, are you talking about me? I didn’t know I made you feel that way.”

Blossomforth poked her head around the line of lockers, a confused look on her face. “I didn’t say anything. Who are you-” She paused, her eyes going wide. “Woah. Uh, Sunset? Is that pendant you’re wearing supposed to glow like that?”

Glancing down at the geode fragment around her neck, Sunset could see that it was indeed glittering with an ethereal light. Remembering the last time this happened in high school, Sunset realized with guilt that she had unintentionally read Blossomforth’s thoughts. Even if it was an accident, she couldn’t help but feel bad for the intrusion on her peer’s privacy.

It was at that moment that Sunset noticed that the geode wasn’t just glowing, it was getting brighter by the second. As it grew brighter, the range of influence of her empathic powers grew, and soon she was listening to the thoughts of everyone in the building, a swarm of voices now invading her mind. The geode only grew brighter still as a dozen voices became a hundred, and there was nothing but a shrill cacophony of commotion in Sunset’s skull, doubling her over in pain. So loud were the voices in her head that she couldn’t even hear Blossomforth’s voice as she called out to Sunset in alarm.

Then, it was all gone. Her geode stopped glowing as suddenly as it began, and as the magic left her, so did the clamour in her head. Sunset blinked a few times, the pressure behind her eyes slowly abating as she took several deep breaths.

“Holy crap, what was that? Are you ok?” Blossomforth was crouching beside Sunset with a hand on her back, the woman’s face plastered with concern and fear.

Sunset took one more deep breath before climbing back to her feet, pushing her hair back with a hand. She tried to keep her expression steely and cool, but her heart was racing. “Yeah… Yeah, I’m ok. Sorry for freaking you out, there. I think everything is alright now. But what the hell caused that magical influx? Did something happen to one of the girls? To Twilight? I need to get dressed and call her.

“You’re sure everything is ok? I heard from some of the other girls that you have some sort of magic powers… You’re not going to explode or something, right?”

Sunset couldn’t help but scoff at the notion. By now, most of the people of Canterlot were familiar with the notion that magic was real, especially with how public some of the events of her high school years were. It was still hotly debated beyond the borders of Canterlot, with many people online regarding the magical anomalies of the region as elaborate hoaxes to boost tourism. Even though most people in the city accepted that magic was real, many still hadn’t seen any first hand.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it, I’m ok now. My little pendant here has got some magic in it, but I haven’t used it in years. It kinda just flared up for some reason, and it caught me by surprise.” She paused, giving Blossomforth a reassuring smile before adding, “This has happened before. I’m not gonna explode.”

Clearly unconvinced, Blossomforth shrugged and started moving back towards her locker. “Alright, if you say so, I’ll trust you. I’m going to finish getting dressed and go. My girlfriend is picking me up, so I don’t want to keep her waiting. I’ll see you next week, Sunset. Take care of yourself, ok?”

“Yeah, totally. Sorry for freaking you out there. See you next week.” As much as she felt bad for accidentally reading Blossomforth’s mind, Sunset made a mental note to address the thoughts she overheard. She really didn’t want her sparring partner loathing her like that, especially when they use swords.

Turning her attention back to her own locker, Sunset pulled on her jeans, t-shirt, and riding jacket as fast as possible before slinging her bag over her shoulder and grabbing her helmet. Slamming the locker shut, she hurried through the locker room and outside through the studio’s back door. Once she was standing in the parking lot behind the building, Sunset fished out her cell phone and speed dialed Twilight. As the phone rang, she spotted a blonde woman leaning up against a car nearby, who Sunset assumed was Blossomforth’s waiting girlfriend.

There was a beep in her ear as Twilight picked up finally. She coughed loudly into the receiver before speaking, her voice raspy. “Sunset? Is everything alright? Did something happen to you?”

Sunset’s brow furrowed, her concerns feeling validated by her girlfriend’s seemingly injured voice. “I should be asking you that. I had a flare-up with my geode. What’s happening at the lab? Why are you coughing?” She overheard some muffled shouting from Twilight’s end and patiently waited for a response, trying her best not to jump to conclusions. Finally, she heard Twilight’s voice come through again along with the sound of a rapidly ringing bell.

“I’m really sorry about that, Sunset. We were running a test on my geode, and I forgot to call to warn you first. I know you wear yours all the time, and I hope you weren’t hurt.”

“Besides getting blasted by the thoughts of everyone within a square mile for a few seconds, I’m fine. What happened with your test? Why do I hear shouting and a fire alarm?” There was no response for a full minute before she heard Twilight again, thankfully without any more background noise.

“Sorry Sunset, I had to go outside to get away from all of that. Long story short, we hooked up my geode to a machine to try and draw power from it, with the idea being that we could maybe measure the magic and quantify it. Using that data, we would be able to find other sources of magic and maybe find a way to start to use it industrially, like a power source for other things.” Twilight stopped to breathe, which reminded Sunset of all the times that Twilight ran out of breath explaining nerdy stuff back in school. That enthusiasm was one of the reasons she loved her girlfriend so much.

“Alright, so I’m guessing this machine went out of control and blew up, huh?” There was a hint of sarcasm in Sunset’s voice, but Twilight didn’t seem to notice.

“More or less, yes. I managed to get my geode out of there before the whole lab went up in smoke, but right now they’re evacuating the building to deal with the fires. We got a lot of really useful data from this experiment though, so I don’t think it was a loss. The computers should have uploaded the readings to the backup cloud before shorting out, so I hope we don’t have to restart from scratch… Whenever we can start again, that is. We’re going to have to replace a lot of equipment.”

“Not out of your paycheck, I hope?” Right now, the two of them were perfectly financially stable between Twilight’s research grants and Sunset’s day job at the sushi bar, but replacing thousands of dollars of equipment would definitely put them in the red.

“No, no. Don’t worry about that. The lead researcher took full responsibility. This whole thing was her idea, so she offered to pay for the damages herself. We’re honestly lucky no one got hurt.”

Sunset breathed a small sigh of relief, when an idea occurred to her. “Wait, so the lab is totally ruined, right? Does that mean you’re going to be off from work for the foreseeable future?”

“I suppose so, why? I’m guessing you’re about to propose a silver lining to this situation.”

Sunset started subconsciously smiling, her excitement palpable. “Maaaaybe. But first, meet me at home, because I want to talk about this in person. You’re ok to drive, right?”

“A little smokey, but I can drive. I’ll have to clean my glasses first, though. I guess I’ll see you then?”

“Sounds great, babe. Love you lots, I’ll see you soon.”

“I love you too, Sunset. I’ll see you at home.”

And with that, the call ended, leaving Sunset standing in the parking lot with a big, goofy smile on her face. Pulling on her helmet, Sunset climbed onto her motorcycle and started it up, giving a glance at the car in the parking lot. Sure enough, Blossomforth was now chatting with the woman beside the car. Sunset gave a wave, and got one back from the pair before she peeled away from the parking lot and out onto the Canterlot streets, headed for home.

Sunset arrived home at four o’clock, judging by the time on the clock hanging in the kitchen, and before Twilight based on the lack of a second pair of shoes by the door. Kicking off hers, Sunset immediately started for the bedroom, but stopped by the couch, to see Spike transfixed by the TV, which was still playing the anime he started this morning.

“Hey Spike, I’m back… How’s the show been treating you?”

He pawed at the remote to pause the DVD before peeling his eyes away to look at Sunset, his eyes glassy and staring far past her. “It has simultaneously been enlightening and maddening, like staring into the depths of the abyss. I feel like the more I watch, the more I lose myself. Yet I cannot bring myself to stop, an instinctual compulsion driving me to see it through to the end, even at the cost of my sanity.”

Sunset gawked at him before glancing at the paused frame of the show, to see what appeared to be a human brain connected to a computer with a woman apparently trying to hack it from a laptop. She recoiled in abject horror and looked away from the disturbing sight back at the small dog in front of her.

“Maybe you should stop watching this show, Spike. I don’t think it’s healthy for a cartoon to make you feel that way.”

He blinked twice, the blank stare disappearing in an instant, replaced with an amused expression. “Wait, what? This show is great. I can totally see why Fluttershy recommended it.”

Stealing another glance at the screen, Sunset grimaced again before nodding and deciding to change the subject. “Yeah, ok. I’ll take your word for it. I couldn’t really get into it earlier anyway, so at least one of us can enjoy it. Though before you start it up again, can I talk to you real quick?”

“Yeah, totally. What’s up?”

“Well, long story short, Twilight’s lab burned down-”

“Of course it did,” Interrupted Spike with a sarcastic eye roll, “You were planning a special occasion with her. Something has to burn down.”

Sunset paused to glare at Spike before continuing. “Like I was saying. Her lab burned down because of reasons completely unrelated to me, and so it seems like the vacation I was planning just got pushed forward. Because I wanted to take her out for at least a week, we’re going to have to get you a sitter. Have any preferences?”

Spike put a thoughtful paw to his chin, debating his options. “Well I definitely don’t want some random person looking after me for a week, and although Fluttershy is always a first pick, I know she’s super busy with running the animal shelter nowadays.”

Sunset pulled out her phone from her jeans pocket and started scrolling through her options, before stopping on one such potential candidate. “How about Flash Sentry? You get along with him, right?”

Spike gave a small huff, but waved a paw dismissively. “Yeah, sure. We get along fine. At this point, you might as well invite him to move in with how often you call him over these days.”

Sunset could feel her cheeks heat up at Spike’s low jab. “Hey, Twilight and I are adults. What we choose to do with whom is our business. Don’t make it seem like he comes over that often.” She tried and failed to hide her redness behind her hair as she turned away to look at the nearest and most interesting wall.

“Call him up then. Not like you two are gonna be around to jump his bones or anything. Maybe I can convince him to play O&O with me and Mac sometime.”

Without giving Spike an annoyed glance, Sunset thumbed the speed dial for Flash Sentry. After a few rings, she was greeted by the somewhat surprised sound of his voice.

“Hey, Sunset! What’s up? Haven’t heard from you in a bit, how are you doin?” She couldn’t help but smile at his upbeat attitude. He always seemed to have his head on straight.

“Hi, Flash. I actually wanted to call you up for a favour, if you’re available for the next week or so.”

“No offense, but I’m hoping you’re not asking me to uh… join you and Twilight again. Because I’m pretty sure I can’t go for days on end, even if it’s for you two.”

Sunset audibly groaned aloud in frustration, earning a stifled chortle from Spike. She glared daggers in his direction before answering Flash. “No, it’s nothing like that. I was hoping to take Twilight out on a trip, and I was looking for someone to watch Spike and the apartment while we’re away.”

“Oh! Well in that case, yeah, I’m totally free. I’m in-between jobs right now, so I’m flush with time to kill. I can totally look after Spike while you two are away, he’s cool.”

“I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Spike’s cool,” Sunset said, emphasizing the word with a snarky sneer at the dog, who stuck out his tongue in response, “I really do appreciate the help, though, especially last-minute like this.”

“Hey, it’s no problem, really. I’m always happy to help out, Sunset. When should I be there?”

Sunset stopped to think. If all went according to plan, they would leave at eight and return in a week’s time. Of course, there was always the possibility that something comes up and forces them home sooner or later than that, but she wasn’t going to worry about those kinds of hypotheticals right now.

“Let’s aim for eight o’clock, how about that? Twilight’s out right now, but she should be home soon. Do you want us to make you something to eat?”

“Don’t worry about that, I can eat something before I come over. I’ve gotta pack a bag and get a few things together before then, but I’ll see you later, Sunset!”

“Yeah, I’ll see you later!” With a small beep, the end called, and Sunset sighed in relief. Glancing at Spike, she smiled brightly. “Alright! That’s one loose end tied!”

He couldn’t help but smirk in response to her optimism. “Maybe call your job next? You still need those days off.”

“...Right. Can’t celebrate just yet.” She sighed again, flipping back through her contacts to call up her boss. After a few rings, she heard the familiarly monotone voice of her employer.

“Sunset Shimmer. Is something the matter?”

She chewed on her lip for a second, and took a steady breath before speaking. “Good afternoon, Flashy Fillet, sir. I was wondering if I could maybe get this week off? I know it’s short notice, but-”

“This week, you say,” he interrupted, “What for?”

Leaning against the counter to steady herself, Sunset tried her best not to sound nervous. Although he was always a fair man, she couldn’t help but always feel intimidated by his deadly serious demeanor, especially after seeing his knife work in the kitchen.

“I wanted to take my girlfriend out on a surprise vacation. I know it’s very sudden, but the opportunity only arose today, and-”

“Alright, fine. You get the week. Do you need anything else?”

Sunet blinked twice before she realized what he said. “Wait, just like that? Shouldn’t I find someone to cover for me or-”

“I’ll take the shifts. I’ll just subtract it from your vacation days.”

“I don’t know what to say, sir.” Sunset allowed the tension to roll off of her as she gave Spike a thumbs-up and a wink. “Thank you so much for this, you don’t know how much this means to me.”

“I know what it’s like to be young and in love. Always make sure to enjoy it while you can.” He paused for a second, and without a change in his voice, added, “You never know if something might happen to tear you two apart.”

Sunset paused for a second to swallow his words and the weight that they carried. She felt a ball of sadness settle in her stomach as she properly digested his meaning. After several seconds of silence, Sunset nodded to herself and responded finally.

“Thank you again, sir. I’ll remember that.” The beep she heard told her that the conversation was over. She wanted to feel happy that she got her vacation days, that last, grim note left her feeling uncomfortably numb.

“What’s wrong, Sunset? What did he say?” Spike recaptured her attention, and was looking at her with worry. Waving her hand, she dismissed his concern.

“It’s nothing Spike. I got the vacation days sorted. My boss just said something sad is all.”

“Alright, then. Last person you should probably check with is the Pony Princess. I know you spoke with her earlier today, but you should definitely double-check that she’s ready to receive you and Twilight.”

Sunset allowed an amused grin to cross her face. “I can really see why Twilight calls you her number one assistant. Keeping to-do lists is second nature to you by now, isn’t it?”

Spike raised an eyebrow, clearly unamused. “Yeah, that tends to happen when your owner is an OCD nerd with social anxiety. So excuse me for trying to make sure we tick off all the boxes on the ‘Making sure Sunset and Twilight’s anniversary goes well’ list.”

“Alright, alright, point taken. I’ll go message her now.”

Sunset made her way past the couch where Spike was sitting and into the bedroom. Right where she left it was her journal, resting on her nightstand. Sitting down on the bed like before, she picked up the journal and flipped it open to the most recently inked pages from their discussion earlier today. Written there was a full vacation agenda proposed by Princess Twilight this morning, carefully planned for maximum enjoyment in the smallest allotted time. Three different possible schedules based on a single day, a week, and a month scrawled hastily but diligently across three pages.

Sunset traced the magically inked words with a finger delicately, smiling at the thought of finally seeing her mentor again after so many years. Not just that, but finally being able to return to Equestria and see how much has changed since she was away. Taking a pen in hand, she began to write out another message on the next blank page.

“Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle. I know we were just talking earlier this morning, but there have been a few lucky developments today, and I think that I can come by for a visit sooner than we thought. Would it be alright if we pushed the vacation plan forward to tonight? I know it’s very last-minute, but I’m not sure when I’ll have another opportunity like this to visit Equestria with my girlfriend. Please respond as soon as possible, and let me know when it’s ok to cross through the portal.”

Sunset took a deep breath and exhaled, hoping for a response before Twilight got home. Just as she closed the book to set it aside, it immediately began to vibrate and glow, nearly making her drop it. Flipping it back open to the newest page, she saw that the Princess had already replied with a short, but concise message.

“Dear Sunset Shimmer. I already took the initiative and made sure to have everything on standby and ready for your arrival. Because I’m still busy in Canterlot, Starlight will greet you in Ponyville. I’m going to send her this journal, so that when you’re ready, you can just message her and she’ll open the portal for you. I look forward to seeing you and your special someone soon!”

Sunset was impressed by the swiftness of the Princess’ action, but was pleased nonetheless. Everything seemed to be going her way tonight. The last thing she needed to do was convince Twilight to come with her to Equestria, which may be either the easiest part of the plan, or the hardest. That was unfortunately a reality she would have to immediately deal with, considering that she heard the apartment’s front door opening followed by the voice of Twilight calling in.

“Spike! I’m home! Is Sunset back yet?” Sunset opened her mouth to answer, but Spike beat her to it.

“Hey, Twilight. We’re both home. Sunset’s in the bedroom, but she’ll be back out in a moment I think.”

Sunset closed the journal and set it back on her nightstand before rising from the bed and out into the living room to greet her girlfriend. As expected of someone who escaped a large fire, she was absolutely covered in soot, but that didn’t stop Sunset from giving Twilight a big, happy hug. Twilight tried to fight it at first, not wanting to get Sunset dirty, but quickly gave into the affection and hugged back just as tight.

“Welcome home, Twilight. I’m glad to see you’re alright, and you’re just in time too. I wanted to tell you something exciting-”

Twilight peeled herself away from the hug in order to kiss Sunset on the lips, effectively silencing her mid-sentence. She held the kiss for several seconds before taking a step back, leaving the latter looking rather dazed.

“How about you tell me after I’ve had a shower and a fresh change of clothes?” She paused, looking up and down at the now similarly soot-ridden Sunset in front of her. “And maybe you should change too, while we’re at it.”

Sunset shrugged playfully, before giving a wink at Twilight. “Hey, I don’t mind getting dirty with you, especially if it ends up with us both losing clothes.”

From across the room, Spike groaned in frustration, hiding his head in his paws. “I think I preferred it when you two were arguing, hearing you two flirt is so much worse.” Rising to his feet, he hopped down from the couch and headed for his room. “Just let me know when you two are going to leave, I’m going to take a nap.”

Twilight cocked her head to the side, looking at Sunset. “Leave? We’re going somewhere together?”

Sunset gave an exasperated sigh, her initial surprise ruined by Spike. She turned back to Twilight, with a small smile on her face. “Yeah, I figured that since you’ll be out of work for a while, we can take that anniversary vacation we talked about this morning. I already got my days off, a housesitter lined up, and the whole trip planned for. I just needed you to agree.”

Twilight blinked a few times in shock. Her expression quickly changed to one of sheer joy as she pulled Sunset into another hug. “Of course! How could I say no? I knew you had something planned!” She loosened her hug enough to face Sunset again, her dirty glasses failing to hide the excitement glittering in her eyes. “You never fail to make the most of a bad situation, do you know that, Sunset? That’s one of the many reasons I love you.”

Sunset’s small smile broadened as she beamed in response to her girlfriend’s own glee. “I love you too, Twilight.” They continued hugging for several more moments before Twilight managed to pry herself away from Sunset, adjusting her glasses and finally beginning to take off her jacket.

“So don’t leave me hanging here, tell me where we’re going. How did you afford this last minute vacation of yours?” She shot Sunset an incredulous glance, her eyes narrowing as she spoke. “You didn’t plan out a super expensive trip, did you? Did you take out a loan or something?”

Sunset put up her hands defensively, shaking her head. “No, no! Nothing like that! I just had to get in touch with an old friend and ask for a favour, that’s all. In fact, this whole trip is going to be totally free.”

Twilight’s skeptical expression didn’t improve hearing this. “A favour? From an old friend? You do realize that sounds even worse than you just taking a loan, right? What aren’t you telling me?”

Sunset sighed in defeat before smirking at her girlfriend’s intuition. “Alright, Twilight. I’ll come clean. I spoke with Spike about possible vacation ideas, and he convinced me to take you to Equestria. I found my old Journal that I used back in high school to keep in touch with Princess Twilight, and I used it to message her. Turns out she’s super excited to see us both again, and she offered to pay for the whole trip, no strings attached. A castle to stay in, fancy food, and tours of all the most important historical landmarks. One full week in Equestria as royal VIPs.”

Twilight’s face had lost all trace of suspicion, replaced entirely by shock and awe. “Wow. I’m not sure what to say. That’s… Wow.”

Sunset bit her lip, unsure of what to say next. “You’re not mad, are you? I know maybe suggesting a trip to Equestria may be in poor taste after this morning, but Spike told me that-”

For the second time now, Twilight interrupted Sunset with a kiss, grabbing her by the face and pressing their lips together hard. This time she held it for even longer, and when she finally did pull away, Sunset looked to be about ready to topple over, with a dumb look on her face.

“I don’t know what world you’ve been living in, Sunset Shimmer, but a fully-paid trip to an alien world full of magic to study and history to learn is pretty much the perfect vacation for me. This morning’s spat wasn’t about you physically leaving me alone, I’ve been worried about you ending the relationship because you’re obviously homesick. You’ve always been free to visit Equestria whenever you want, Sunset. Though I would prefer it if you took me with you when you did, I also don’t mind if you just take some time away for yourself.”

Sunset shook the stars out of her eyes, leaning on the kitchen counter to steady her shaking legs. Smiling apologetically, she nodded her head. “Ok, I get it, I’m a big dumb idiot who totally misread your feelings on the matter. And you’re right, I’ve been really itching to visit Equestria for a while, I just thought you didn’t want me to leave you alone. Again, totally just me being stupid.” Here’s hoping that’s all this is. Homesickness.

Twilight gently tapped Sunset on the head as she moved past, making her way towards the bathroom for her shower. “You’re not stupid, Sunset, you’re just a little too selfless at times. Next time, just talk to me about it, ok? We’re adults.”

Sunset gave one more affirmative nod before moving to the couch and sitting down to take a moment’s rest. It had been a long day for her, and a lot had happened. That said, she felt quite satisfied with how things turned out. She was going over the plan in her head, making sure she wasn’t forgetting anything. Time off, check. Housesitter, check. Don’t really need to pack for the trip seeing as everything will be provided, and there’s not really a need to worry about clothes in Equestria… Is there anything I’m forgetting?

Her mental monologue was interrupted by a tap on her shoulder. Turning around to see what else Twilight needed, Sunset was blindsided by the naked body of her girlfriend in front of her. Her face immediately turned a bright red as her breath caught in her throat, unable to speak. It certainly wasn’t the first time seeing this sight, but it never ceased to stun her.

Twilight’s eyes glistened playfully behind her glasses as she spoke, “I was wondering, do you want to join me in the shower, Shim-Shim? I did get some ash on you, after all.” Without hesitation, Sunset stood up and started to pull off her clothes.

“If I ever say no to that question I want you to shoot me, because only my evil doppelganger would ever refuse that offer. Hell yes I want to shower with you.”

Once the two women washed themselves, dirtied themselves, and washed themselves again, they got dressed and worked on dinner together. Sunset spent much of the time explaining the details of the vacation to Twilight. They would be meeting Starlight Glimmer on the other side of the portal and spending time in the Ponyville Castle of Friendship before going to Canterlot for tours and meeting Princess Twilight. There, they would spend a few nights in Canterlot Castle, before returning to Ponyville and coming home. Flash Sentry would be watching Spike and the apartment while they were away, and they would be back one week from now.

With it likely being their last opportunity to eat meat before they spend a week in Equestria, they decided to have chicken parmesan, and by the time they sat down to eat their food, it was already seven o’clock. With rumbling bellies, they happily dug into their food, with Spike joining them for dinner. At first, the only sounds at the table were the sounds of satisfied munching, but as Twilight was plating her second serving, she finally spoke up with a question posed to her girlfriend.

“Hey, Sunset, I was wondering something that I forgot to ask earlier. You said that the Princess was excited to see us, but you did tell her that you were dating me specifically, right? Because I feel like that would be a bit of a bombshell to drop on her without warning.”

Sunset nearly choked on her chicken in surprise, having hoped to avoid this line of questioning. As usual, she couldn’t slip anything past Twilight, and she couldn’t bear lying to her love either. Taking a moment to properly chew and swallow her food, she managed to come up with a believable enough excuse that wasn’t exactly lying either.

“Well you see, I might have kinda sorta never mentioned you by name. To be fair, she never asked, and I totally love calling you ‘the love of my life’ to anyone who will listen to me gush about you.”

Twilight shook her head in disappointment. “Listen here, flatterer. If the Princess kicks us out of her castle because you forgot to mention that you’re sleeping with her alternate universe’s counterpart, I’m gonna be pretty peeved myself.” Despite the warning, she couldn’t help but giggle at the absurdity of it. She couldn’t blame Sunset for hiding that fact, though, because it’s definitely a hard topic to discuss.

Grabbing another piece for herself, Sunset waved a hand dismissively. “I’m pretty sure she’ll be alright with it. Hopefully she’ll just crack a joke or two and leave it at that. She’s never really been the type to overreact, at least as far as I’ve known her.”

“Well if this magical pony goddess is anything like our Twilight, I can definitely imagine that any freak-outs she’s ever had would be pretty legendary.” The two women frowned at Spike, who continued chewing on his chicken, ignoring their looks. Still, they couldn’t help but giggle.

“Alright then, Sunset. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. I’m sure you’re right and I’m just a little anxious. She seemed really nice the last time I met her, so I guess it’s no stretch to believe she would be ok with us dating.”

“Don’t worry about it, babe. We’re gonna have an awesome time, you’ll see. I even already packed a bag with some essentials, so don’t worry about that. Toothbrushes, notepad and pencils for you, spare glasses, our geodes, and some room to spare for souvenirs. We don’t need clothes or anything like that since we’ll be ponies, so we get to pack light.”

“Good point. Well let’s finish eating so we can get going then. Last time I was in Equestria, I spent a good portion of that time hiding from the townsfolk, so it’ll be nice to finally walk around and enjoy the scenery.”

“Yeah, we’ll do it right this time.” Sunset reached over to Twilight and gave her hand a small squeeze, paired with a loving smile. Twilight smiled back, and then they refocused on eating.

While they were doing the dishes, Flash arrived, and they welcomed him in while they finished final preparations. After sending a heads-up message to Starlight, Sunset left the journal in Flash’s care, instructing him on its use in case he or Spike needed to get in touch with them while they were in Equestria, as well as to let them know when they were returning. With a few final goodbyes, the two women left their apartment and rode the elevator downstairs before leaving the building.

Once outside, they took a bus to Canterlot High, and with it being long after school hours, they found it pleasantly empty. Although it was Summer, the cool evening air was beginning to chill them both, so they hastily made their way to the large monument in front of the school, not wanting to be any colder than they already were.

The large equine statue had been replaced last year after Sunset and her friends had all graduated (likely to avoid it being destroyed again by them), and it was nice to see it back after spending so much time in school with it missing. The front of the school always felt slightly naked without it to her. She reached out to the glassy surface of the portal, and found that her hand sunk into its surface like water. It was already open and waiting for them.

“Are you ready, Sunset?” Twilight held out her hand towards her girlfriend, who took it in her own without hesitation.

“Of course I am. Let’s go, Twilight.” With one final nod, the pair stepped through the portal together. Their vision went white as Sunset finally returned home, and Twilight left hers behind.

“Welcome back to Equestria, Sunset! And you must be- Woah. No way.”

Sunset’s vision returned to her just in time to see Starlight’s expression of disbelief. She realized a second later that she wasn’t holding Twilight’s hand anymore. Then, in a flash of relief, it occurred to her that it wasn’t because Twilight was missing, it was simply because they didn’t have hands anymore.

Scrambling to remember how to stand as a pony, Sunset’s forehooves thankfully fell forward and landed strong, some long-lost muscle memory returning to her after several years away. Unfortunately for Twilight, she lacked such experience, and tumbled down onto her face. Fortunately, Sunset was fast to react and helped her girlfriend back to her feet… Or hooves, as it were the current case.

Once she was standing, Twilight reached up to massage her snout while looking around the room. Following her gaze, Sunset let her eyes wander, and it suddenly struck her that they were standing in the Ponyville Castle, specifically the library. A sensation of nostalgia swept over Sunset as she took in the crystalline architecture, but her thoughts were interrupted by Starlight noisily clearing her throat, drawing the attention of the two lovers.

“So Sunset, I take it this is your marefriend, huh?” Her eyes scanned Twilight up and down a few times, still wide with surprise.

Sunset similarly cleared her throat with a cough, blushing profusely. “Yeah, this is Twilight Sparkle. My… Girlfriend. Remember Twilight?”

Starlight’s puzzled expression slowly shifted into amusement as she stifled a snicker. Looking back and forth between the two unicorns in front of her, Starlight’s laughter began to build until she couldn’t contain it anymore, finally bursting out with a loud howl of hilarity.

Twilight raised an eyebrow as she watched Starlight’s reaction, trading a glance with Sunset who only offered a confused shrug. Finally, Starlight’s cackling died down to a point where she could speak again.

“Sweet Celestia, that is the funniest thing I’ve seen in years. I can’t believe you're dating Twilight Sparkle. Not our Twilight, of course, but still. That’s gold.” As she wiped a tear from her eye, the pair continued to wait for an explanation for the uproar. Finally realizing that this situation isn’t nearly as funny to them as it was to her, Starlight explained further.

“Sorry, I was just imagining the Princess’ reaction to this. I’m not sure how it’s going to go down, but I definitely want to be there to see her face. It’ll be totally priceless.”

Finally, Twilight spoke up, asking, “You don’t think that she’ll be upset, do you? I really don’t want to cause a tizzy.”

Starlight waved a hoof dismissively as she started walking towards the door. “Nah, it’ll be fine. She’s seen stranger things by now. I just bet that her jaw is gonna hit the floor when she realizes the implications. That’s later though, let me show you two your room. I’m sure you want to get settled in, it’s really late.”

Shrugging at Twilight again, Sunset started after Starlight, with Twilight in tow. While they walked down the hall however, Sunset couldn’t help but ask about something. “Just for clarification, Starlight. When you said ‘implications,’ what did you mean by that?” She narrowed her eyes at the unicorn, wondering if Starlight meant what she thought she meant.

Starlight glanced at the pair and blushed, before averting her eyes straight forward. “Oh uh… Just a little joke, don’t mind me. Nothing important.”

Trotting forward, Twilight placed herself between the pair, and smirked at Starlight. “I think you were implying that Sunset knows how the Princess tastes now, weren’t you? You’d be right.”

Both Starlight and Sunset halted dead in their tracks as they toppled over in embarrassment, their faces beet red. Twilight tittered at them, impishly swishing her tail at them as she continued ahead. Starlight looked away from the sight while Sunset stared straight ahead, mesmerized.

In her daze, all Starlight could sputter out was, “I’m not used to such a… confident Twilight. I’m not sure if I should congratulate you, or pray for you.”

All Sunset could do was dumbly nod in response. For the last few years, she had been questioning whether or not she was actually capable of being attracted to other ponies, because she only ever had eyes for Twilight, a human. Now the answer was fairly clear to her. She could be attracted to anything as long as it was still her Twilight.

“Hey Starlight, I don’t mind if you sleep in the hallway, but I still don’t know where the guest room is.” The pair scrambled back to their hooves as Twilight called over her shoulder, snapping them out of their shared stupor.

“Right, sorry! Please follow me, you two.” Retaking the lead, Starlight led the couple to their room, a few doors down from her own. Along the way, she pointed out the bathroom as well as the locations to the dining room and main hall. She avoided Twilight’s gaze as she ushered them inside their quarters, and excused herself for the night.

With one final goodnight and goodbye, Sunset closed and locked the door, turning back towards her girlfriend who had already flopped onto the king-sized bed, sprawling out across it.

“Shim-Shim! You have got to lay on this! It’s so soft! I didn’t know beds could be this comfortable!” Twilight rolled around on the bed, enjoying the feeling of her new coat against the plush sheets.

Dropping her saddlebag by the door, Sunset laid her geode down on the nightstand beside the bed before she laid herself next to Twilight, smiling at her girlfriend. “Trust me, everything is comfier in Equestria. Just wait until you try some of the food. You’re a great cook, don’t get me wrong, Twi. But even your culinary skills can’t match up to anything made with Earth Pony grown ingredients.”

“I’ll just have to wait and see for myself.” Putting on her best pompous voice, Twilight rolled onto her back and waved her hooves around melodramatically as she spoke, “I fully expect you to lavish me with the finest cuisine in Equestria. ‘Royal VIP treatment,’ right?” She added a wink at the end, before snorting dorkily at her own joke.

Sunset giggled and tilted her head at Twilight with a smirk. “We’ll see, your highness. Though I’m curious where all this confidence is coming from. You’re not usually so… Bold.”

Twilight paused to look up at Sunset, smiling apologetically. “I guess I’m just really excited to be taking some time off from work to finally see your homeland. The fact that it’s an entirely alien world full of magic is a pretty big bonus too. I almost feel like Daring Do on some epic adventure, seeing uncharted lands.” Blushing sheepishly, she tried to hide behind her hooves as the weight of her previous actions in the hallways finally caught up with her. “I suppose some bravado comes with the territory. Sorry if I embarrassed you earlier.”

Sunset waved a hoof before nuzzling past Twilight’s hooves and tenderly kissing her on the nose. “Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you’re having fun with this. If nothing else, you’ve ensured that Starlight is going to be giving us plenty of space going forward.”

Feeling relieved, Twilight’s courage swelled back up as she smiled mischievously at Sunset, bringing their muzzles close enough that they could feel each other’s breath. “Well then, if we’re going to be left alone, why don’t you help me ‘study up’ on my Equestrian anatomy tonight? I’m thinking of pulling an all-nighter.”

Sunset’s eyes went wide at the realization that Twilight didn’t seem to care what species she was either. As their lips met, she mentally resigned herself to the fact that she wasn’t going to be getting much sleep tonight.