It was one week before Hearth's Warming Eve, and currently, everypony in Ponyville is getting everything ready for the holidays by purchasing gifts for their own foals, decorations, trees and the like. Similarly, inside the Castle of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, current resident and princess of Ponyville, is also getting ready for the holidays, albeit making a long list of items to purchase on the very next day, with Spike, her lovely dragon assistant, and her former student Starlight Glimmer helping her with the list.
They were about halfway done with the list when, all of a sudden, Rainbow Dash came barging in through Twilight's bedroom window with her shouting, "Twilight, guess who's here?!"
Of course, the pegasus's entrance startled the two ponies and baby dragon, causing them to knock the list, ink and quill off the table. Thankfully, the list is still intact.
"Rainbow, what was that about?! You startled the Tartarus out of all of us...again!" Starlight shouted to the cyan pegasus.
Rainbow, now realizing that she startled her friends, sheepishly apologized with a tint of red on her cheeks. "Hehe, sorry guys. Force of habit," she said to them before landing down beside Twilight and draped one of her wings over her withers.
It was actually a bit of a surprise when the pegasus and alicorn announced to their friends that they are now dating, and now, it has been six months since the announcement. They even planned on having their families together at the castle to break in the news that their daughters are dating.
Starlight saw the loving gesture and rolled her eyes a bit. The unicorn didn't have somepony to call a lover yet, but she has had some interests in some of the mares that she has met in the past.
Spike also rolled his eyes, but in a more silly manner as he also had a marefriend of his own in the form of Sweetie Belle, Rarity's younger unicorn sister with the curly purple and pink mane and tail, and she has a cutie mark of a purple shield with a musical note on the inside. She and her friends, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, also known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders, all had the same cutie mark of a purple shield, but with a different center design: Apple Bloom's was an apple, while Scootaloo's was a pegasus wing.
"Okay, you're forgiven. But please don't do that again, and use the door next time?" Starlight told the mare pegasus.
Rainbow also rolled her eyes in annoyance, and says, "Okay, fine. If it makes you happy, I'll use the front door from now on."
"Yes, and thank you," the heliotrope unicorn said with a smile on her face.
"So Twilight, are you still up for the date today?" Rainbow asked the lavender princess.
Hearing the pegasus say that, Twilight suddenly remembered that she and Rainbow are having a lunch date at a restaurant. She exclaimed, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot! Yeah, I'm still up for the date!" She then turns to Starlight and say, "Let's continue with the list later tonight, okay?"
"Yeah, sure Twilight! Go ahead with your date! We can do this later!" Starlight said to the bookworm princess.
"Sweet, thanks Starlight!" Twilight said before heading out of the room with Rainbow in tow.
Finally out of earshot of the two, the unicorn dropped her smile, knowing that she also needs to find a special somepony, but she was unable to find one. Her best friend, Trixie, had decided to do a Hearth's Warming magic tour across Equestria, so she had no one to talk or hang out with, considering that the others also had plans for Hearth's Warming.
She sighs at the fact that she will grow up without someone to call a lover. She then stands up, rolls up the unfinished list, and packs away the list and writing tools in a drawer before heading back to her own room in the castle.
Meanwhile, at the exact same time, in the library where the mirror to the human Equestria resides, the mirror suddenly ripples, showing definite signs that someone was walking through. A few seconds later, a pony walked through, her amber fur and fiery red mane and tail sticking out with the purple floor and crystal walls. The pony had a horn, indicating that she was a unicorn. She even had a saddlebag strapped on her back, changed from a backpack when she traveled through the mirror portal. The more prominent feature was her cutie mark, a red and yellow sun. The pony was none other than Sunset Shimmer, who had apparently decided to visit her hometown for Hearth's Warming.
She looks around the library, pondering where was everyon- err, everypony is. She really needs to remember that the terms change whenever she was in Equestria.
"Umm, hello? Twilight? Spike? Starlight? Anypony here?" Sunset asked, but received no response from them. After a while, she decided to walk out of the room to search for someone.
At the same time, Starlight was walking towards her room. She was passing by the library, still pondering about any potential lovers, when all of a sudden, the doors suddenly opened. Since she wasn't paying attention, her muzzle was unfortunately got smacked hard by the swinging doors, causing her to let out a painful yelp, as well as falling down on her haunches and used her hooves to ease the pain.
Meanwhile, Sunset just slammed the library doors open when she heard a feminine yelp of pain right beside her. Looking around, she saw her friend Starlight on her haunches and rubbing her now reddened muzzle.
"Oh my gosh, are you okay? I didn't see you there!" the amber unicorn exclaimed.
"Yeah, I'm okay. My mind is a bit jumbled at the moment," Starlight said. A second later, she realized that the voice talking to her sounds familiar. When she looked up, she saw the familiar face of Sunset and her face lit up. "Sunset!" she yelled, standing up and hugging the unicorn, forgetting her pain at the moment. Sunset, having her lungs knocked out of air for a second, recovered and hugged Starlight back.
After a while, the two unicorns broke their hugs. "What are you doing here, instead of being in the human Equestria?" Starlight asks Sunset.
"Well, I wanted to surprise you by coming here, so surprise!" the amber unicorn exclaimed.
"Well, you definitely did surprise me. But, have you told our friends there that you're visiting here?" the pinkish unicorn asked.
"Don't worry, I already told them of my plan since last week, and they even said that they are all over it, and that they understand that I was feeling a bit homesick, especially since it's gonna be Hearth's Warming soon. Plus, I have been wanting to visit my parents again. It's been a while since my last visit," Sunset told her.
It is true that Sunset had actually gotten into contact with her parents again after a long time of not being able to get back home due to her hatred of her former mentor, Princess Celestia, whom she has now amended her relationship with. Last year, she had actually asked the princess if she can get into contact with her parents again, to which she agrees. A few days later, tears were definitely shed when Sunset was finally reunited with her parents again after so long. She and her mother, Sparkle Shimmer, couldn't stop crying and just hold into each other's embrace for what seems like an eternity. After that, the two, alongside Sunset's father, Shimmering Skies, talked all night about her misadventures during her time residing in human Equestria. Despite her mentioning that she had her ups and downs during her stay, they didn't mind it as their daughter is finally back home, even if she can only stay for a few days at most.
Now, Sunset is feeling homesick again, and she misses her parents. So, last week, she contacted all of her friends from the human Equestria to let them know that she's going to be visiting her parents for Hearth's Warming back in her hometown, and all of them didn't mind it. They have some plans of their own as well, so that makes sense.
"Oh yeah, that's great! I have been planning on spending Hearth's Warming with my dad, but he said he had plans with Stellar Flare, Sunburst's mother," Starlight said. Sunset already knew of her long forgotten crush with the unicorn stallion, so she only smiled a bit.
"Oh, really now? Did they mention anything about, you know, 'getting it in the bed'?" the amber mare said, wiggling her eyebrows at her friend.
Hearing Sunset's words made Starlight's face broke out into a big red blush with her eyes wide open. She then exclaimed, "Sunset! Don't say that! It's weird enough that my dad wanted to try to date again, but that?!" The mare couldn't throw out her words as she was too speechless to comprehend her dad doing it.
She then proceeds to go to the bathroom to dunk her head in cold water, with Sunset following close by, giggling at her reaction. About a few minutes later, Starlight's face was no longer red, but she's still a bit flustered from the question Sunset asked earlier.
"Are you okay, Starlight?" the amber unicorn mare asked.
"I am now, no thanks to you," Starlight said with a bit of disdain in her voice.
"Heh, sorry, didn't know you were that sensitive when it comes to...you know what," Sunset said, still with a sheepish smile.
"Yeah, you think?" the pink unicorn asked.
"Still though, I'm really sorry. Hey, where are Twilight and Spike anyways?" Sunset asked Starlight.
"Well, Twilight is having a date with her marefriend, Rainbow Dash, and Spike is-" Before Starlight can finish, the amber unicorn interrupted.
"Wait, wait, wait. Hang on a second. You mean to tell me that Twilight is going out with Rainbow Dash on a date?! I never would've thought her having a boyf- I mean coltfriend, or even a marefriend at that!" Sunset exclaimed in shock.
"Oh yeah, trust me, I'm actually in shock too when they announced that they were dating six months ago," the ex-student said.
Sunset had her jaw nearly on the ground after hearing that Twilight and Rainbow have actually been dating for a while now. She managed to pick it back up, though and said, "Wow, so it's been a while now, huh? Man, I'm missing a lot here." Then, she remembered asking about Spike's whereabouts and asked, "Say, what about Spike though? Don't tell me he also has a marefriend."
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but he also did have a marefriend. In the form of Sweetie Belle, of course," Starlight answered.
Before Starlight can go any further, Sunset exclaimed, "Wait, Sweetie Belle? I thought he had a crush on Rarity."
"Yeah, that's just it: a crush. Now, he's hanging out with Sweetie Belle and taking her out on dates and such. By the way, he's gotten over his crush on Rarity, so we should be good," the pinkish unicorn said.
"Heh, amen to that," Sunset prayed. Then, she remembered that she needs to be on the train to Canterlot soon. "Oh shoot, I have a train to catch! I'll see you-" Before she can finish, she saw Starlight's face and how her smile turned grim again. She really didn't want Starlight to be left alone in the castle, but at the same time, she's also running a bit late on getting onboard the train in time. She then thought of something that'll make her really happy. " Say Starlight, why don't you come with me to meet my parents? That way, at least you won't be alone all the time."
Starlight was genuinely a bit surprised that Sunset was willing to have her visit her parents in Canterlot. But then again, she hasn't gotten any message from Firelight that he wanted to see her back in her hometown in Sire's Hollow. So, she has come to a decision.
"You know what, I don't mind coming with you. I have been wanting to meet your parents ever since you reunited with them last year," the mage said to her friend.
"Awesome! I'll meet you at the train station! Bye!" Sunset said before she teleported out of the castle towards the train station.
"Right, now I just gotta make sure that Twilight and Spike knows that Sunset is here and that I wanted to follow her to meet her parents," Starlight said, proceeding to write a letter to both alicorn and baby dragon before packing up for the trip and the possible stay in Canterlot.
About 25 minutes later, Starlight finally had her suitcase ready. She wasn't really sure what to bring, but she made sure that she brought the essentials, alongside some board games for her and Sunset to enjoy. With that, she teleported straight towards the train station, nearly bumping into the amber unicorn.
"Woah, you're right on time," Sunset said to the just arrived unicorn.
Starlight, realizing that she almost made her fellow unicorn jump from her teleporting so suddenly, was about to apologize, but Sunset assured her that she was okay and wasn't mad about it.
"Anyways, is the train here yet? Or am I a bit too late?" the mage asked.
Right on cue, the telltale sound of a train whistle sounded over the distance. Sunset then said, "Nope, you're right on time."
As soon as the train arrived and the doors opened, that's when the two mares encounter their first obstacle: a group of ponies heading out of the train to be with their families in Ponyville. Sunset and Starlight got separated quite quickly, and the two tried to enter the train to Canterlot as quickly as they can through the sea of ponies. It felt like an eternity, but it only lasts for a minute before the station is clear of ponies.
The two unicorns managed to see each other again after a while since they managed to enter the train in different entrances and met in the middle of the train with their suitcase/saddlebag in tow.
"Wow, that was really crazy huh? Who would've thought that there were so many ponies that actually have families here?" Sunset asked her fellow unicorn.
"Yeah, I have no idea. And besides, it's not like it's gonna get worse, right?" Starlight told her.
Little did she knew, they are gonna have the time of their lives getting out of the next encounters that they are gonna endure once they reach Canterlot.
45 minutes of train ride later, Starlight and Sunset have finally reached the latter's hometown of Canterlot. As soon as they boarded off the train onto the station, Sunset sighed and said, "Wow, it almost feels like yesterday since I haven't been here. I really miss the hustle and bustle of this town. Well, I didn't really miss the stuck-up nobles, but still."
"Yeah, the nobles here can get really full of themselves, but there are some that can be very friendly, especially if you knew them long enough," Starlight said.
"Heh, amen to that. Now come on, my parents' house is this way!" the amber unicorn said with excitement, heading off out of the train station and turning left towards her old house.
No sooner than they left the train station, the two unicorns can clearly see that the town is getting ready for Hearth's Warming by putting up the decorations, ornaments on pine trees, and the foals running around in the snow having a snowball fight. Some of the foals even helped their parents on decorating their own houses, and for once, the nobles aren't even pretty stuck-up as the mares know it.
However, that's when their second obstacle comes around. After the mares made their first left turn to head towards Sunset's childhood home, they were suddenly bombarded by another group of ponies who are apparently heading towards the nearby post office to send packages to their families and loved ones, causing the two to get separated again.
Once the coast is clear, Starlight and Sunset are now on different parts of the street and, thanks to their bright coats, managed to find each other again.
"Well, twice in a row now. That could've been worse, right?" Starlight asked her friend.
As soon as she said that, their third obstacle comes out full steam. This time, there were four pegasus ponies, two stallions and two mares, who are trying to transport a huge delivery of heavy items, but unfortunately, they lost their balance and one by one, all of the heavy items started falling down. To make matters worse, the delivery seems to be heading towards the direction of the two unicorn mares!
Sunset looked towards her fellow unicorn and, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, said, "You had to jinx us, didn't you, Starlight?"
The mare in question sheepishly giggle with a blush on her cheeks just simply said, "Sorry..."
She then got serious and decided to just barge right through the falling items due to her being really agile despite being a unicorn. With Sunset's help, the two mares managed to dodge every single item flawlessly without any injuries.
The two took a breather after the whole ordeal was done with. Sunset then went on to said, "Well, this turns out to be a fun time of a holiday, isn't it Starlight?"
"Yeah, it kinda is. But let's keep going to your old house. We should've been there by now," Starlight persuaded.
"Oh yeah, it's actually like six blocks away from here, three straight ahead, then a right turn, and then three more blocks, and my house is on the right," the amber unicorn/human high schooler said, giving out directions heading towards her childhood home.
The other mare had her mouth wide open on how far Sunset's house actually is. She snapped back quickly and exclaimed, "That's how far away your old house is from the train station?! That's almost really close towards the castle!"
Now it was Sunset's turn to blush with her foreleg behind her head, scratching an invisible itch, and sheepishly explained, "Well, actually, my parents and I used to live pretty close to the train station. But after I became a student at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns and having Princess Celestia as a mentor, we moved out to live closer to the castle since that's where most of my lessons were held, with the occasional trip to the school for more lessons."
"Huh, never knew how much sense that actually make. Anyways, let's just continue. Let's hope that last one was really the last mishap of the day," Starlight said before continuing the trek towards Sunset's old house through the snow covered roads, with the other mare following pursuit.
Oh how wrong was she going to be.
Later on, they actually encountered four more of these mishaps. The first was nothing out of the ordinary, just a bunch of foals running around in the snow, apparently playing freeze tag and the two mares got caught playing the game as well. They decided to book it once they were unfrozen by some other foals.
The next one was also nothing unusual when they encounter another set of foals singing carols to them in the middle of the street. Whenever they tried to move away, the foals are always in front of them, so they had no choice but to sit there and wait until the foals are done with their carol singing. It was at this time that the two unicorns realized that they are actually really close to each other that they were practically hugging like two lovers in the snow.
After the foals are done with their carols, the two thanked them before booking it out of there. They soon reached the third block and took a right turn. But, as soon as they took the turn, that's when they encountered their third mishap in the form of a snowball fight. There were two groups that are fighting at the moment. One of the groups consists of only foals, while the other seems to be full of teenagers or young adults. One of the adults, a pretty looking purple coated unicorn mare, spotted the two and decided to open fire at them. The others saw it and joined in with the mare to throw the snowballs towards the unicorns.
When the mares saw that, Starlight instantly put up a shield around herself and Sunset so that they didn't get hit by the crossfire and continued walking towards the latter's old childhood home, even walking with their bodies touching like lovers.
The last mishap they stumbled upon was quite bizarre when they felt a sudden mini earthquake that was getting bigger and bigger. When the mares looked up, they instantly knew why: a herd of cows are suddenly stampeding in their direction!
In no time, the two quickly maneuvered around the cows in quick succession. They soon got to the other side of the stampede, but they didn't stop running until they actually got to the front lawn of Sunset's childhood home.
As soon as the unicorns made it to Sunset's home, they finally stopped running to catch a breath. Then, they started giggling, before it turns into full blown laughter. The two had a really good laugh for a while before they composed themselves.
"Oh wow, I never would've thought that this year's Hearth's Warming is gonna be that hectic," Sunset exclaimed.
"Yeah, me too, especially if it's a city like Canterlot. And I'm pretty sure the other big cities are dealing with the same song and dance too," Starlight agrees. She then realized that their saddlebag and suitcase is still near them and later realized that she must've used her telekinesis without herself knowing that she used it so that her suitcase is near her at all times. "Okay, I still can't believe I still have my suitcase even after all of those slip ups that happened to us," she mentioned to her fellow unicorn.
Sunset then also realized what she was talking about and, after feeling around that she still has her saddlebag strapped to her side, said, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot that we actually had something that we carry with us. Those slip ups happen so fast that I didn't even recall that I had my saddlebag on until now."
"Heh, you got that one right," the heliotrope unicorn said. She then looked at Sunset for a while, and despite everything that has happened to them, she still looks pretty in her eyes. Everything that they have went through together just to get to Sunset's childhood home has been nothing short of action packed adventure and she even realized that she became closer and closer towards the amber unicorn.
Little did Starlight know that Sunset was also thinking the exact same thing about her. Then, their faces got so close to each other that their noses were inches away from touching.
"Well, this has been one heck of an experience. I really wish we get to do it again some other day," Sunset told the mage.
"Me too," was all Starlight said before the two closed the gap between their faces and kissed right in front of the former's childhood home for the first time.
As of now, nothing else matters between the two friends now deemed lovers except for each other and the warm hugs that each unicorn received. After a while, the two new lovebirds broke up their kiss and leaned their foreheads against each other, their horns nearly touching and looked at the other without knowing that their horns sparked a bit to show the romantic connection between them.
The two mares then have a small laugh about it. Sunset then said, "Well, that just happened."
"Yeah, it kinda is," Starlight said before continuing to ask, "Hey, I have been looking for somepony to call a lover, so do you want to be my girlfriend?"
"Well, I have also been looking for a while too, so yeah, I can be your girlfriend." With that said, the two unicorn mares kissed again, but this time the kiss is more reserved and more loving than their first abrupt one. The two broke up seconds later and rubbed their muzzles against each other, giggling all the while.
"Well, we're at my house now. Ready to meet my parents?" Sunset asked her new girlfriend.
"Yeah, let's do this," Starlight said and the former knocked on the door. After a while, the door finally opened and Sunset's parents were elated to see their daughter again.
"Sunset! Welcome home, sweetie!" Sunset's mother, Sparkle Shimmer, who was an amber furred unicorn mare with a purple mane and tail, exclaimed before she went out to hug her daughter before turning towards Starlight. "And who is this lovely mare you brought along with you?"
"Hello there, ma'am. My name's Starlight, and Sunset really spoke highly of you on the way here. Also, I'm her-" Starlight started, but stopped before she can finish the sentence. She looked at Sunset, who just nodded and tilted her head towards her mother with the intention that she wanted her to know of their relationship. The mage smiled, and continued, "-new girlfriend."
Sparkle and her husband, Shimmering Skies, who was a brown furred unicorn stallion with a fiery red mane and tail, were in a bit of a shock when they realized that their daughter is now seeing somepony. Alas, they were more excited to know that Sunset has a marefriend in the form of another fellow unicorn.
Her mother then said, "Oh really now? Well, I'm just glad that our daughter finally found someone to be with, especially in a time like this. Well, come on in. You girls must be freezing out there. I've got some hot chocolate with your names on them!" She then went back inside the house with her husband, after giving a quick hug to Sunset and Starlight, in tow.
"Wow, your parents are...something to say the least," Starlight exclaimed.
"Yeah, they can be. Now come on, let's get inside. There's a hot chocolate waiting for me, and I'm not wanting it to be cold!" Sunset told her before going inside to warm up.
The heliotrope unicorn giggled at her new marefriend's antics before following her inside with her suitcase. She then hoped that she had more happy days with Sunset in the near future.
And let's hope that the two unicorns ended up married and have a happily ever after in the end!
Author's Note
So, okay, regarding Sunset's parents, this is actually my headcanon of how they look like and what their names are, so if you thing that they do have canon names, feel free to let me know down in the comments as well as whatever mistakes or something else you wanted to add or remove.
Phew, this is officially my longest one shot I've ever done on this site! Also, Bandy, if you're reading this, I just wanna say this: Happy Hearth's Warming! Well, that it for today and I hope that I get to see you all soon in my next story. Until then, goodbye!
