A Single Step

by Spell 25

Rating: mature
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Rarity, Fluttershy, Sex, Twilight Sparkle, Slice of Life
Length: 8474

Twilight, inexperienced in the ways of love and passion, finds another use for the mirror pool.

Twilight Sparkle is tired of being alone. She longs for love, passion, and intimacy, but she lacks the confidence to go out and do something about it. But perhaps the answer to her problems lies in the waters of a certain magical pool in the Everfree Forest.

Winner of the "Love Thyself" contest.

WARNING: Contains consensual sex between a mare and herself.

Published 2013-03-15 01:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-03-15 01:40:02 UTC

A Single Step

“Now, where was I?” Rarity asked as she exited the kitchen, carrying a kettle of still-steeping tea in her telekinesis. She set the kettle down on the table and took a seat, giving her forelock a graceful flick with her hoof. “Oh, yes! We had just left the restaurant. So, as I was saying, he walked me to my door, and then all but invited himself inside! Can you imagine? I would have been more than happy to extend the courtesy, of course, but such forwardness! It was most off-putting.”

Using her magic, she lifted the kettle and poured three cups of the herbal blend. “But I held my tongue. Far be it from me to withhold hospitality from a hitherto charming stallion.”

To the unicorn’s right, Fluttershy sat enthralled, barely seeming to notice the piping hot cup of tea that now cast its stream into the air before her wide, teal eyes.

“And t-then what happened?” the timid pegasus asked with a quavering voice.

“Why, nothing of course, darling,” Rarity assured her. “Though not for a lack of effort on his part, believe you me. He apparently regarded the grudging invitation as an overture, and wasted no time in making what can only generously be called ‘moves’. He put his foreleg around me, brushed his tail against mine, and gave me looks that left nothing to the imagination. It was positively juvenile.”

“Oh my…” Fluttershy squeaked with a blush.

The third cup of tea was presently the object of the most concentrated stirring to be seen in Equestria in centuries. Twilight Sparkle bent all her considerable powers of focus to the task of tuning out this conversation.

Few things truly filled Miss Sparkle with dread, most of them having to do with poor performance in her studies. But the topic of dating was definitely on that list. The mere mention of it was enough to make her calculate the logistics of tossing herself out the nearest window. But she had come to accept that the topic would come up from time to time, especially when Rarity was involved. No surprise there; the line of ponies waiting for a chance to take her out would stretch to Canterlot and back. And with this acceptance came a belief that the wisest course of action was to zip her lip, nod along, and ride it out.

“As if a lady would ever ‘put out’ on the first date,” Rarity continued, oblivious to the twitch in the other unicorn’s eye. “I enjoy a night of passion as much as the next mare, but I do have standards. It takes more than a decent dinner, moderate charm, and grabby hooves to get under my tail. So, as soon as we finished our coffee, I escorted him out of my home and bid him adieu.”

“Good for you, Rarity,” Fluttershy praised with a sweet smile and lingering blush.

The white mare gave a demure chuckle. “But enough about me…”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief.

“…How about you, Twilight? Has anypony caught your eye?”

Twilight’s sigh promptly changed its mind and retreated back down her throat.

“What?” she stammered. “Oh, n-not at the moment.” She hoped Rarity would simply let the matter drop. She should have known better.

“That’s what you always say, darling,” Rarity complained. “Honestly, you spend too much time in that dusty library. A mare like you: Young, attractive, intelligent – Why any mare or stallion would be lucky to have you. Surely somepony’s expressed interest!”

Twilight just fixed her eyes on her untouched cup of tea. Truth be told, she didn’t know if anypony was interested in her. Even if they were, she couldn’t trust herself to read the signals. She’d never been good at picking up on flirting.

She remembered one incident back at Celestia’s school. A colt had approached her and struck up a conversation. It had been terribly awkward. He had rambled on and on, giving her vague compliments and so forth. And all the while, Twilight had just stared at him, her expression blank. Under her oblivious gaze, the colt had begun to blush and stammer, shifting back and forth on his hooves. Finally, the poor thing was such a wreck that he had just thrown caution to the wind and leaned it to kiss her. And what had Twilight done? She’d assumed he was losing his balance, put her forehooves on his shoulders to help prop him up, and offered to escort him to the nurse’s office.

Upon telling Moondancer of the incident, her dorm-mate had burst out laughing and explained that the colt had been flirting with her. She’d been dumbfounded. That any colt would be interested in her tested the limits of her credulity.

“Now that I think about it,” Fluttershy chimed in, interrupting Twilight’s thoughts, “I don’t remember Twilight ever going out on a date.”

Fluttershy noticed Twilight’s perturbed expression and hastily added, “N-not that there’s anything w-wrong with that, of course! It’s not like m-my own love life is anything worth writing home about…”

“Perhaps not, Fluttershy,” Rarity interjected. “But even you, shy as you are, have had better luck than Twilight. I can’t believe it’s never occurred to me.”

By this point, some mixture of embarrassment and the dredging up of all her insecurities was edging Twilight close to the point of tears.

Rarity noticed this. “Oh darling, don’t be upset. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You’re just in a rut. It happens to the best of us. You just need to get back out there – back ‘in the game’, as it were. Trust me, you’d have ponies beating down your door for a chance to date you.”

“No, Rarity,” Twilight said weakly. “I really don—”

“Nonsense!” Rarity interrupted. “I think your biggest problem is that you lack confidence. You don’t see what a catch you are! Normally I wouldn’t recommend this, but, in your case, I think what you need is a casual…well, ‘fling’, for lack of a better word. Why, you’re so wound up, I think a roll in the hay would do you wonders. I can’t even begin to imagine how long it’s been for you. Months?”

And there it was: The root of all Twilight’s stress about the topic of dating. She averted her eyes, cheeks reddening and ears drooping.

Rarity’s eyes widened. “Don’t tell me it’s been years?!”

Twilight merely hung her head.

Rarity stared at her a moment, realization dawning on her.

“Oh dear…” she almost whispered.

Fluttershy looked back and forth between them, completely lost.

“Twilight,” Rarity began tentatively. “Are you…a virgin?”

And with a squeak, Fluttershy was up to speed.

Tears came to Twilight’s eyes, and she gave a small nod.

“Oh, darling,” Rarity cooed, getting up from her cushion and walking around the table to Twilight. She gave her a hug and said, “Don’t cry. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I just didn’t know, is all. You’ve never told me. You’ve never said much of anything about this sort of thing, actually. Maybe that should’ve been a clue... Anytime the girls and I brought the topic up, you always stayed so quiet, and I suppose I thought you were just being modest. Do forgive me for putting you on the spot, Twilight! If it helps, it’s not a bad thing to be a virgin. Truth be told, I actually admire you. In this day and age, it takes no small amount of conviction to wait.”

“That’s just it, Rarity,” Twilight said, wiping her eyes. “I’m not ‘waiting’. It was never a conscious choice. It’s just…never come up for me. Back when I lived in Canterlot – well, you remember how I was about making friends! It was even worse with dating.” She took a shuddering breath and sipped from her tea. “I was so wrapped up in my studies that dating just wasn’t something I thought much about. I never learned how to date, or how to flirt, or how to be in a relationship. Much less how to…you know…”

Rarity gave a sympathetic nod, and Fluttershy listened with wide eyes.

Twilight sniffled and continued. “By the time I came to Ponyville, I was just…used to being single, I guess. And I’ve been riding the momentum of it all this time. It was easier not to think about it. I’ve come such a long way – made so many friends, come out of my shell, and become part of the community. But dating is so far outside my comfort zone by now that anytime I so much as think about going out with somepony, and about…well, you know…it just ties my stomach in knots.

“Part of me feels like I’ve missed my chance,” she went on, more quietly now. “Like I’ve waited too long. I’m know I’m still pretty young, but most ponies my age already know this stuff and have experience. And I haven’t even started. I’ve never even had a proper kiss before! And the worst part is, I don’t know how to change it…”

“But it’s never too late, Twilight,” Rarity insisted. “You have to believe that. Like I said, what you need is confidence. It’s my belief that such insecurities stem from a pony’s mistaken belief that they are not worth loving, or at least less deserving of it than others. You must accept yourself and – at the risk of sounding cheesy – you must learn to love yourself. Once you do, you’ll see that anypony would count themselves lucky to be courted by you. Or, dare I say it, to share their bed with you.”

Pop psychology aside, Twilight knew Rarity was onto something.

“And whatever happens,” Rarity continued, “know that Fluttershy and I, and the other girls, too, will always be there for you. So don’t hesitate to ask us for help.”

Fluttershy nodded sweetly in agreement.

“Thank you, girls,” Twilight said with a smile. “And you’re right. I’ve been complacent for long enough. I want to date, darn it! And maybe meet my special somepony someday. And that’ll never happen so long as I avoid my problems and let my insecurities steer my life. It’s just…the hardest part is actually starting…”

“A journey of a thousand miles, as they say…” Rarity opined.

Twilight nodded, feeling more determined than she had in quite some time to do something about her situation.

The conversation soon turned to lighter topics, and the three ponies chatted and drank their tea contentedly. Finally, as the afternoon wore on, Twilight excused herself and returned to the library, leaving her two friends alone in the Boutique.

“Poor Twilight,” Fluttershy said quietly as the door to the shop closed behind the librarian. “I had no idea she was keeping all that bottled up.”

“Nor I. And I’ve been wondering if there isn’t something we can do to help.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you heard her: The hardest part is starting. Maybe we can do something to make that part a little easier. I say we set her up with somepony!”

“I don’t know, Rarity. If she wanted our help, she’d ask for it. I wouldn’t want to do something like that if it would only make her uncomfortable.”

“I understand you concern, Fluttershy, but we’re her friends and she needs us! We’d be remiss if we didn’t try to help.”

“Well, maybe you’re right,” Fluttershy mumbled, not sounding very convinced.

Rarity casually glanced up at the wall clock and gasped. “Oh, where does the time go? It’ll be dark soon.”

“Oh dear, I’d better get back home and feed the critters,” Fluttershy said, finishing the last of her tea and getting up from the table.

“Alright. But we’ll need to discuss this some more. Meet me in the park tomorrow morning at seven, and we’ll talk strategy. Until then, try to think of some potential candidates for the date, and I’ll do the same.”

With a conspiratorial nod and smile, Fluttershy departed.

Carrying the empty kettle and cups back to the kitchen, Rarity began running through a mental list of all the eligible mares and stallions she could think of.

“Choices, choices…” she mused under her breath. “Well, if there’s anypony who knows a thing or two about finding the perfect fit, it’s me.”

As Luna’s moon rose high into the night sky over Ponyville, a gentle breeze danced its way among the leaves of Golden Oaks Library. All the great tree’s windows were dark, and not a sound could be heard within, save perhaps the soft snoring of a young dragon. It was the very picture of a peaceful home at rest.

The same could not be said for the bed of Twilight Sparkle, which was currently the scene of quite a lot of activity. One hoof, between her teeth, stifled a faint moan as the other disappeared under her sheets and between her thighs. With a practiced touch, she ran her hoof in circular motions over her slick opening, occasionally grazing her clit with her hoof’s edge and sending waves of fiery fuzziness through her body and down to the end of each limb.

Her hind legs squirmed about restlessly, as if searching for something to wrap themselves around. Her tail flicked reflexively. Her eyes were clenched shut as images, fantasies of things she had never done and feared she would never do, tumbled their way through her dizzy mind.

Her hoof was now slick with her excitement, and the sound of wetness against wetness joined the chorus of her heavy breathing. She was getting close now, the warm tingling in her body building towards a crescendo that threatened the burst the seams of her mind. And with a final virtuosic flick of her hoof across her clit, she began the plunge, her back arching as a low gasping moan found its way around her hoof. Lightning struck her body and Twilight lost all sense of time and space.

There was nothing. Nothing but sensation, surging through her body like the echo of thunder in the mountains.

All too soon, the wave receded, and the world returned to focus around her. Her breathing was still labored, and the muscles in her legs still twitched in the aftermath of her orgasm, but she was back. Back from a place she had only ever traveled to alone.

And as the delicious pleasure faded, it was replaced by a familiar hollowness. Her bed had never felt so big and empty before.

She stared at the ceiling for a while before getting out of bed with a sigh and making her way to the bathroom to wash up. As she walked, she glanced over at Spike’s basket, in which the dragon was still sleeping soundly. The little guy was such a heavy sleeper that any fear Twilight had once had of waking him during her ‘activities’ was now all but gone. Of course, that didn’t stop her from trying to keep the noise to a minimum. Getting caught doing that by her assistant was not high on her list of fun things to do.

After cleaning up and answering the call of nature, Twilight returned to bed and resumed her scrutiny of the ceiling.

Just like any other pony, Twilight had urges. Needs, even. And she had no problem relieving herself of these urges, as she had just done. It was a natural, healthy thing to do. And maybe it was just that day’s conversation setting her wheels in motion. But regardless, she felt lonelier in that moment than she had in a long time.

She looked at the empty space in the bed beside her and imagined that another pony was lying there, bathed in moonlight, their face flushed with post-coital bliss as they gazed at Twilight with loving eyes. She imagined hugging that pony, cuddling them, kissing them goodnight and then waking up beside them in the morning.

She wanted it all so badly, but it seemed so out of her reach. She felt trapped, stuck in her little cycle of loneliness.

She thought of what Rarity had said that afternoon, and knew it was true. And no matter how hard it was, she knew it was time to start, to make that change. If she didn’t do it now, she suspected she never would.

A journey of a thousand miles, she thought idly. But how do I make that first step? How do I begin that journey?

Again, Rarity was right. Twilight needed confidence. Until she had that, every step she made would be a step back.

If only there was a way to get some…I don’t know, practice! Just a night of sex – no judgment, no strings attached. Something to get the ball rolling. Something to get me…’caught up’ to where other ponies are, experience-wise. I think that would take a lot of the stress and pressure out of it. Then I could just date like a normal pony and not have this piano hanging over my head.

But finding somepony willing to agree to such an arrangement was another matter altogether, and it didn’t take away the actual stress of approaching them. It was still the same mountain to climb. If only there was somepony she knew and was comfortable with.

Naturally, she thought of her friends. Rarity and Fluttershy had agreed to help, though this probably wasn’t what they’d had in mind. Applejack would likely be a no-go, but she figured Rainbow would probably be open-minded. And she couldn’t imagine Pinkie Pie having too many inhibitions, either. Maybe she could…

No, she thought while groaning aloud. No, that wouldn’t work. I wouldn’t want to take advantage of or jeopardize our friendships. It would be too complicated.

She sighed. Back to square one.

She imagined herself spending the rest of her life alone, with nopony to love her, hold her, or kiss her. Nothing to pleasure her but her own two hooves. If only that were enough. Masturbation was nice when there was no other alternative, but there was just something missing.

Oh, if only I didn’t feel so lonely. She closed her eyes. Why can’t I just be happy by myself? Why do we need other ponies so badly?

Despite her addled mind and frayed emotions, sleep began to creep upon her. Her mind began to wander into the frontiers of dreaming, and strange, barely understood thoughts began to wisp over the border between conscious and subconscious. Suddenly, unbidden, a memory surfaced. An instant later, her eyes flew open.

“Maybe…” she whispered aloud, “just maybe…I don’t need other ponies. Not for this, anyway.” She lifted her hooves out from under her sheets and looked at them. “Maybe my own hooves will suffice after all.”

A smile on her face and butterflies in her stomach, she began formulating a plan. And as all the pieces fell into place, she began to feel, for the first time in years, that her problems would soon be over.

This early on a Saturday morning, Ponyville’s town park was nearly deserted. The sun was low in the east, and most ponies were sleeping in.

But Fluttershy was not most ponies. Being Ponyville’s resident animal caretaker required her to wake up before dawn every day, except during the winter. And so, it was a simple matter for her to get out of bed, feed her animals, and take a leisurely stroll to the park with time to spare. She sat on one of the benches that surrounded the park’s fountain, scattering bread crumbs for a flock of birds, breathing in the fresh morning air, and doing a mental triple-check of her list of candidates for Twilight’s date.

The peace was suddenly disturbed by a most unladylike yawn, loud enough that it startled most of the birds away from the bench. Fluttershy jumped and turned to see Rarity raising a hoof, all too late, to stifle to embarrassing sound.

“Sincerest apologies, Fluttershy,” the fashionista said once she regained the proper use of her mouth. She trotted over and sat beside her friend on the bench.

She looked as fabulous as ever, mane and tail perfectly coiffed, coat clean and brushed, makeup impeccably applied. But no amount of maintenance could hide the redness in her eyes or the stiffness in her movements.

She sipped from a cup of coffee held in her magical grasp and said, “I very nearly overslept. I was so excited about today that I simply couldn’t get to sleep last night. It’s not everyday one gets to christen the ship of a dear friend’s foray into the dating world.”

“What do ships have to do with dating?”

“It’s just a turn of phrase, darling,” the unicorn explained with a slight roll of her eyes. “Now, to business. Did you think of any good candidates?”

“Well…a few,” Fluttershy muttered, hiding behind her mane a little.

Rarity waited for a moment, and then coaxed, “Yes, Fluttershy? Let’s hear it.”

“Oh, okay. Well, I thought maybe…Caramel?” the pegasus suggested, her voice barely audible. “He’s always seemed like such a friendly stallion.”

“He’s the one that works part time at Sweet Apple Acres, yes? Hmm. He does seem nice, but I’m not sure they would have much in common. Besides, I believe he’s dating that pegasus, Wind Whistler.”

“Oh…”

“Don’t be discouraged, Fluttershy. There are plenty of ponies in this town. Oh, and speaking of pegasi, what do you think of Raindrops?”

“Oh, well, she’s a very nice pony. I knew her in Cloudsdale. But I think she’s only interested in stallions.”

“Yes, that would be our luck.” Rarity sighed.

“How about…um…Berry Punch?”

“Oh, heavens no! Don’t get me wrong, she’s a sweetheart, so long as she’s…well, let’s just say, between you and me, that she’s a bit of a lush. I went out with her once myself and she made a most mortifying scene.”

Rarity rubbed her chin. “Do you know that one earth pony with the brown coat and an hourglass cutie mark? I believe he’s a physician or something of the sort?”

“Yes, I know who you mean,” Fluttershy said, lowering her ears.

“Well, how about him?”

“I don’t know, Rarity. He’s always seemed very…eccentric to me, almost like he’s not all there. I mean, I-I’m sure he’s a good pony! But, well, I remember this one time in the market, he was passing by the pear stand and the vendor offered him a sample…and he just ran away screaming.”

“Hmm, yes, certainly want to avoid that.”

“W-what about Big Macintosh?”

“Oh, at least try to be original, darling.”

“Sorry…”

It went on like this for quite some time. Little did a full third of Ponyville’s population know that they were being analyzed like lab specimens by two mares in the local park.

“Wait, Fluttershy,” Rarity said suddenly. “Look!”

At that moment, a stallion roughly their age was ambling through the park, a book held open before his handsome, intelligent face by the telltale glow of telekinesis. His cutie mark was a quill and a piece of parchment.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Rarity blurted.

“I don’t think I’ve seen him before.”

“Nor I. Come, Fluttershy. Let’s go investigate!”

She got up and trotted towards the stallion, a nervous Fluttershy hot on her heels.

A cavernous tunnel was suddenly stricken with light as the boulder blocking its entrance was removed in the caress of violet magic. The head of a small purple unicorn poked its way into the entrance and eyed the tunnel skeptically.

Come on, Twilight, she mentally chided herself. Don’t chicken out now.

She had spent the better part of that day preparing for this expedition, poring through books, studying maps of the Everfree Forest, and thinking of some excuse to get Spike out of the library. Even aside from what she hoped to gain from this trip, she didn’t want all that work to have been for nothing.

So, with slightly trembling steps, she made her way into the tunnel, casting a magical beam to illuminate her path when the late afternoon sunlight became too faint. It wasn’t long before the tunnel opened up into a wide cave. Strange fungi growing around the sides of the cave cast an ethereal glow, and an opening in the ceiling allowed a single beam of reddening sunlight to shine on a small pond in the cavern’s center, its surface as smooth as glass.

A ramp led down to the cave floor, and with one final glance at the eerie chamber, Twilight began to descend it. Her hesitant hoofsteps reverberated off the stone walls, punctuating the incomprehensible silence that haunts the deep places of the world. The air itself seemed alive, tingling with ambient magic of an ancient and nameless sort.

Finally, Twilight arrived at the floor of the cave and approached the pond. She looked down into the water, her reflection returning her uneasy gaze.

This place was creeping her out. She just wanted this trip to be over with. Digging into her saddlebag, she produced a slip of paper, onto which was copied a bit of verse found in one of the books in her library, the sole one to mention this place. She cleared her throat and began to read:

“And into her own reflection she stared
Yearning for one whose reflection she shared
And solemnly sweared
Not to be scared
At the prospect of being doubly mared.”

There was a sound of water being disturbed, and Twilight looked up from the paper. Her eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. Before Twilight’s very eyes, a pony, an exact copy of herself, was rising up out of the water’s surface, like a reflection stepping out of a mirror and into the world of tangibility.

Twilight’s trembling right forehoof reached out and grasped its exact replica, pulling the duplicate mare the rest of the way out of the pool.

“I don’t believe it,” Twilight muttered, walking around her dripping clone and eyeing her from hoof to horn. She was a perfect copy. Her mane, her cutie mark, the features of her face, everything was identical down to the smallest detail. “It worked.”

“What worked?” the clone asked with a raised eyebrow, her gaze alternating between the circling unicorn and the strange cave around them.

“The Mirror Pool. I mean, I knew it worked, in theory. A friend of mine used it not long ago. Caused quite a mess, actually. But it’s another matter altogether to actually see it work, and to converse with one’s own clone. I have to say, it’s really a quite fascinating bit of magic. I’ve never encountered anything like it in my studies. I mean, there are duplication spells, which are usually fairly advanced, but even then, the duplicates aren’t actually sentient. Though, hypoth-”

“Sorry to interrupt, but why exactly did we feel the need to come out here and make a clone in the first place? Apparently the Pool’s magic isn’t very good as replicating knowledge.”

“Well, I need help with an experiment of sorts,” Twilight began as she turned to make her way out of the cave, motioning for the clone to follow. “Let’s just call it a…self-help exercise.”

Night had fallen by the time Twilight and her clone approached Golden Oaks Library. Being Saturday night, there were a fair number of ponies out and about, on dates or hanging out with friends. And so, the matching set of unicorns had been forced to take side streets, and even teleport a few times, to avoid the more the crowded areas.

The journey back from the Everfree Forest had given them time to talk. Twilight discovered that while the clone was physically identical to her and shared her overall personality, she had none of Twilight’s memories and knew no specifics, such as the names of her friends, the layout of Ponyville, details of her foalhood, and so forth. This intrigued Twilight, and she was considering doing some serious research on the Mirror Pool and how its magic worked at some point.

But first things first.

“Here we are,” she said with a sweep of her hoof. “Home sweet home.”

“We live in a tree?” asked the clone, whom Twilight was quite pleased with herself to have named Twolight.

“Sure do. It’s the town library. I live here with my assistant, Spike.”

“And how will that affect things?” Twolight asked.

“What do you mean? Oh, Spike? We won’t have to worry about him. I thought up some crazy errand for him to run in Canterlot, so he’s staying with my parents tonight. I figured privacy was ideal for this sort of thing.”

Twilight opened the door to the library with her magic and the two mares stepped inside. As she crossed the threshold, Twilight heard the crumpling sound of paper under her hoof and looked down to see a note that somepony had slid under the door. After closing the door and lighting some candles, Twilight levitated the note and read:

Dearest Twilight,

I hope you don’t mind, but, in light of yesterday’s conversation, Fluttershy and myself have taken the liberty of arranging a blind date for you, with a stallion whom I am sure will be to your liking. The two of you have a reservation at Horte Cuisine’s café tomorrow night at 7:30. He’ll have a Trotstoevsky novel with a rose tucked between its pages.

If this arrangement is not your liking, or if you have prior plans, then, by all means, simply let us know and we shall cancel everything.

But we do hope you’ll consider. And if you do, we wish you the best of luck. Perhaps this will help get the ball rolling, so to speak. A journey of a thousand miles, as they say.

Sincerely and with best intentions,

Rarity

P.S. – Please don’t be offended; it was all Rarity’s idea. –Fluttershy

“Oh, for pete’s sake,” Twilight grumbled, tucking the note into her saddlebag.

“Okay, so, let me make sure I understand,” Twolight said, studying her surroundings. “You made a clone, because you want to have sex with yourself?”

“Well,” Twilight said, lowering her ears, “it’s not so much that I want to have sex with myself, per se, so much as I want to have sex, period. I think getting that part out of the way will make the whole dating thing a lot less stressful for me. If I can just get some practice, I’ll be a lot more confident and comfortable with the prospect of doing it again with somepony else. And who better to practice with than myself? Or, more specifically, a copy of myself. That’s the idea, anyway.”

“I suppose,” Twolight said, sounding a tad unconvinced.

“And you’re sure you’re okay with doing this?”

“Well, we’re the same pony, so if you’re okay with it, I guess I am, too. And it’s in the interest of self-improvement, so…”

Twilight smiled, and then blushingly pointed to the stairs with a hoof. “So, shall we move this up to the bedroom, then?”

Twolight nodded, and began leading the way up the stairs, Twilight following behind her. An awkward silence draped itself over the pair as the prospect of what they were about to do prodded at their minds. Twilight was surprised at how nervous she was, and felt a tad silly. This other mare was a clone of her. For all intents and purposes, it was her. There was no need to be embarrassed or shy.

It’s not so different from masturbation, she told herself. Just strange, magical, vaguely kinky…really, really fancy masturbation.

But no amount of rationalizing would still the butterflies in her stomach, or keep the blush from her cheeks each time she glanced at the swaying purple flanks in front of her, at eye-level due to the incline of the stairs.

She was about to have sex. Logic was out of its element here.

They entered Twilight’s bedroom, lit only by the moonlight pouring in through the large window on the far wall.

“Just make yourself comfortable,” Twilight said. “I’ll be just a moment.”

Twolight did as instructed and sat on the edge of Twilight’s bed, watching as other unicorn began to unpack her saddlebag, filing each object in its proper place. She noted the frown on Twilight’s face when she removed the note that had been waiting at the front door.

“Who’s that from?” she asked. “If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

“Not at all. It’s from Rarity and Fluttershy. They’re two of my…our friends. They’ve set us up on a blind date.”

“And I take it that’s a bad thing?”

“Well, right now it is. I can’t believe they just took it upon themselves to meddle like that. I mean, I understand they were just trying to help, but… I don’t know, I can’t think about that right now.”

After placing the note on her night stand and stowing her empty saddlebag in the closet, Twilight joined her clone on the bed. The two of them sat there for a while, their hind legs dangling off the mattress, each avoiding the other’s gaze as their forehooves toyed idly with the covers.

“So…” Twilight began nervously. “I guess this is it.”

“Y-yep.”

“How do we start?”

“If you don’t know, how would I?”

“Oh, yeah…”

Another bout of silence, more awkward than ever now.

Finally, Twilight’s anticipation and resolve overcame her embarrassment, and she swallowed down the last of her second thoughts. Scooching over until their flanks were touching, she placed a trembling hoof on her clone’s thigh. She jumped a little when she felt Twolight’s foreleg wrap around her waist. She looked up and met Twolight’s eyes – her own eyes, essentially – staring into them, and felt her nervousness recede.

“Should we kiss, maybe?” Twolight suggested shyly.

Before this moment, such a question would have terrified Twilight. But this moment was different. In this moment, she was in good hooves, familiar hooves, hooves she could trust. In this moment, her old fears and insecurities were fading away, becoming little more than echoes in the back of her mind.

She nodded slowly, closed her eyes, and began to lean in. And slowly, almost cautiously, their lips met. And when they did, even those echoes were drowned out by sudden thrum of her body coming alive.

She was about to have sex. Thinking was out of its element here.

Gradually, their lips began to move, clumsily at first, but then, like dancers in sync, they found their rhythm and melted into the sensation of it. Twilight felt something prodding at her lips and parted them slightly, allowing her clone’s tongue to slip inside, warm and slick and hungry. She shyly stroked it with her own tongue, the two muscles dancing and twisting around each other. She was a little surprised to find that Twolight’s saliva had a discernable flavor, and idly wondered if she tasted the same to the other mare.

As they continued to make out, Twilight absently stroked her clone’s thigh, and then moved down to massage her cutie mark, a place that had always been quite sensitive on her own body. She was rewarded with a moan, the vibrations passing through their kiss. Encouraged, Twilight traced her hoof, slowly and sensually, up Twolight’s side and up to her chest, drawing circles in purple fur.

Twolight, for her part, tightened her grip on Twilight’s waist and brought her free hoof up to cup her cheek, all the while exploring the depths and features and haunting flavors of Twilight’s mouth with her eager tongue.

Without a single word being spoken, the two mares moved as one to lie back on the bed. In a move that surprised even her, Twilight threw her right hind leg over her clone’s lap and positioned herself above her, never breaking the kiss. The hoof that had been on Twolight’s chest moved, as if on its own accord, down and between her duplicate’s thighs, and slowly, hesitantly, delicately made contact with moist folds that were so familiar and yet so foreign.

A gasp cut its way into the dance of their tongues, and neither mare complained.

Finally, they broke the kiss, a strand of saliva bridging their panting mouths. They looked into each other’s eyes again, something new passing between them now – a heat, a hunger. Then, as quickly as it began, the gaze ended as Twolight’s eyes fluttered closed under the continued ministrations of Twilight’s hoof on her lower lips.

If Twilight’s mind had been a little more alert, it might have marveled at its own inactivity. She was practically on autopilot at this point, too caught up in the sensations and the desire and the drive of instinct to even register the unusualness of the situation, much less her prior reservations. All that mattered was her and this mare beneath her and the pleasure that surged over both of them like the primal bite of a waterfall. She hadn’t known that this much arousal was possible. She felt as though she might combust from it at any moment. But even better was the arousal she was bringing to Twolight, whose face contorted in pleasure from her touch. It was a feeling she had never known before. Perhaps this is what masturbation had always been lacking. Receiving pleasure, after all, is only half the equation.

She removed her hoof from the warmth between Twolight’s legs and held it up in front of her face. It glistened with her clone’s nectar. Slowly, she extended her tongue and took a tentative taste, a tangy sweetness tickling her taste buds. She licked her hoof clean as Twolight watched desirously.

“How am I doing so far?” Twilight whispered with a smack of her lips.

Twolight nodded dizzily, her eyes glazed over a little. “Just fine.”

“You know what’s weird? This doesn’t feel weird.”

“Enough talking,” the duplicate said, throwing her hooves around Twilight’s head and pulling her into another kiss.

Twilight chuckled a little into her clone’s mouth, but obliged…for a moment, at least. Her inner strategist was devising a new tactic, and it made her tingle.

Setting her plan in motion, she pulled away from Twolight’s lips and began kissing along her jaw and down to her neck. The duplicate unicorn drew a sharp gasp when Twilight’s tongue found a particular spot on her neck, and Twilight lingered on that spot for a moment, the other mare writhing beneath her.

Twilight soon resumed her downward journey, kissing and licking and occasionally nipping down the clone’s chest and belly as moans of pleasure poured from Twolight’s throat. Finally, Twilight arrived at her destination, gently parting Twolight’s hind legs with her hooves and staring at the swollen lips, glistened in the faint moonlight.

It was a little surreal, seeing her own vagina like this and knowing that she would soon be feasting on it. But strange as it was, or maybe because it was strange, it made her tingle. The musky smell of her clone’s arousal filled the air and made Twilight’s heart race. But she was reluctant to dive right in, instead kissing and licking at the purple fur of the mare’s inner thighs.

“Please…” Twolight moaned. “Just do it.”

Twilight smirked a little, but then eyed the opening, a tiny part of her nervousness returning. With a deep breath, she fought through that nervousness and continued. She raised a hoof and began stroking the duplicated vagina, using the same circular motions that worked so well on the original model. Collecting a bit of the fluid on her hoof, she took another taste, reminding herself of how intoxicating and oddly delicious it was.

“Twilight, please…” the clone complained, her tone becoming desperate.

Realizing she’d stalled long enough, Twilight leaned her head forward, slid her tongue out of her mouth, and dragged it up Twolight’s vagina in one swipe, scooping up a mouthful of the juices. Encouraged by the gasp it drew from the clone’s mouth, Twilight dove in, closed her mouth around the opening, and buried her tongue in its depths, Twolight’s inner walls grasping at the long, equine tongue now probing inches deep insider her. Twolight called out vocally now, her back arching off the bed, forehooves raking across the surface of the mattress.

Yes, Twilight was certain now that this is what she’d been missing. Looking up along Twolight’s body and seeing her face stricken with an expression of euphoria, a euphoria that she was giving her, gave Twilight a feeling of joy and contentment that she had never experienced before. It was as exciting as being pleasured herself.

As she continued to work on Twolight with her mouth, her ears were met with more moans, progressively heavier breathing, building and building. The clone’s tail thrashed beneath Twilight’s chest. As she ate, she ran her hooves over Twolight’s legs and cutie marks and up across her belly and chest, layering sensation upon sensation. Her nose would occasionally brush against Twolight’s swollen clit – unintentionally at first, but then with furious resolve – each instance of contact sending lightning through the delirious mare’s writhing body.

Unsheathing her tongue from the quivering vagina, Twilight began to assault the clone’s clit with it instead, even carefully nibbling on the nub here and there for variety. Twolight was whimpering now, her tone almost pleading, as if the pleasure was almost too much and she was becoming desperate for release. Twilight decided to oblige her, closing her lips around the button and giving it a simultaneous nibble and suck.

It was enough. A scream tore its way through the air, and Twilight could have sworn that the clone’s body completely left the surface of the bed for a moment. The opening at her chin became a fountain, and Twilight moved down, slurping up the cum and swallowing as much as she could, the rest coating her muzzle. Twolight’s spasming legs closed tightly on either side of Twilight’s head, the fur of her inner thighs brushing against Twilight’s cheeks and ears.

Finally, Twolight, completely and utterly spent, fell limp against the bed, panting for breath. After licking the vagina clean, Twilight extricated herself from between Twolight’s legs, climbed up next to her copy, and lay beside her on the bed. Twolight cuddled up to her, licking her own juices off Twilight’s face and giving her a kiss.

They lay there a moment in silence, almost stunned at what had just happened, the air still tingling in the wake of their lovemaking, as well as the smell of it.

“Heavens to Betsy,” Twolight said finally, causing Twilight to giggle. “Are you sure that was your first time?”

“Does that mean I was good?”

“Good? Are you kidding? ‘Good’ doesn’t even begin to describe it. Granted, I have nothing to compare it to, but if it were any better, it’d kill me.”

Twilight smiled at the ceiling, feeling as though a weight was lifting from her shoulders. She, Twilight Sparkle, had just rocked somepony’s world...even if that somepony was herself.

Then, every thought flew from her head as Twolight began to kiss and nibble at her neck.

“What are you doing?” Twilight moaned. “You want to keep going?”

“I think you’ve earned a turn,” the clone uttered between kisses.

“Oh, right.” Twilight had been so focused on honing her technique and giving pleasure to the other mare that she had almost forgotten that this was a chance for her to be pleasured, too. Not that she had any objections, of course.

The clone rained kisses over every inch of Twilight’s face and neck, even nibbling on the unicorn’s ears – a sensation that Twilight enjoyed very much – before proceeding to kiss her way down the original mare’s body, much as Twilight had done. She did stop at one point to lick and suck at Twilight’s teats, rolling the nipples gently between her teeth and massaging Twilight’s cutie marks with her hooves, creating a sensation powerful enough that, were her mind capable of forming a coherent thought, Twilight would’ve kicked herself for neglecting that particular body part.

Finally, Twolight positioned herself between the other unicorn’s haunches. Twilight could feel her replica’s breath on her slit, making her tingle all over. And then, contact was made. She squirmed as the clone lapped at her marehood, feeling as though she might catch fire from the dance of Twolight’s mouth against her. She had never felt anything like it before. Her hoof simply couldn’t match the warmth and dexterity of a mouth and tongue. Twilight’s hooves found their way down to her clone’s head, burrowing themselves in her mane, as if holding on for dear life. Her eyes rolled back, her tongue lolling out as she panted in delight.

Twilight managed to raise her head from the pillow and look down along her body at the mare between her thighs. Even after everything they had done, it was a little strange to see herself being eaten out…by herself. She had heard of ponies who were flexible enough that they were able to pleasure themselves orally, but right now, her own lack of flexibility was a small issue.

Through her foggy musings, she happened to notice Twolight’s hoof making its way down between her own legs to rub herself as she continued her meal between Twilight’s thighs.

Still want more, huh? Twilight thought, her twitching lips forming a smirk.

Twilight thought for a moment – not an easy task, considering the wonderful things being done to her at the moment – before having an idea.

Her horn began to glow and a violet aura surrounded her clone, whose eyes widened as she was lifted into the air and turned around. She set Twolight on top of her, but turned the other way so that each mare’s face as positioned at the other’s nethers. Realizing what Twilight had in mind, Twolight gave an approving grin and continued to eat Twilight out. Twilight, for her part, looked up at her duplicated vagina like an old friend, and went in for a second helping.

The two became lost in pleasure, which coursed through each of them, out through their mouths and into the other’s body in a heavenly cycle that built momentum with each revolution. The room was filled with the sounds of moaning and licking and slurping and quick intakes of air between mouthfuls. As they ate, their hooves groped and caressed at legs, flanks, and tails. It was as though they were one organism…which they were, in a sense.

Both mares began to feel themselves cresting, skin tingling and insides burning. They redoubled their oral ministrations, almost to the point of frenzy.

And then, as one, their bodies erupted with scorching ecstasy and the sound of throats single wild, animalistic music older than any instrument. Their snouts were coated in their simultaneous release, and both drank greedily from the fountainous flow of juices that they had purchased with their passion, nourishing a part of their collective being that had starved for far too long.

The world still spinning around them, Twolight shakily turned herself around and collapsed on top of Twilight. They licked each other’s muzzles clean of their own juices and then kissed, their nectars, unity in duality, mingling into a testament to the night’s successes. And then, they simply lay there, holding each other. Their twitching, drained bodies began to calm, and their breath returned to them. And soon, silence returned to Golden Oaks Library.

Twilight didn’t know how long they lay together like that, and she didn’t care. They held each other, legs and tails intertwined, basking in each other’s warmth and presence. Neither of them said anything for a long time. They didn’t feel the need to. This was a perfect moment, a moment of wholeness and rightness.

But they had to face reality sooner or later.

“I guess you’ll need to send me back, huh?” the clone said quietly, pointing out the elephant in the room.

Twilight looked at her sadly. “I’m sorry. I wish I didn’t have to.”

“No, I understand…”

“How do you feel?” Twilight asked after a heavy pause.

“A little sad, I guess, though I don’t know why. It’s not like I’m dying or anything, because there’s no me to die. I mean, we’re the same mare, really. Any distinction between us is an illusion created by the Mirror Pool. It’s the illusion that’s ending, not me, because as long as you’re alive, I’ll be alive, too. We’ll just be one pony, one being, again, like we were before. I don’t know, it’s…it’s hard to explain.”

“No, I think I get it,” Twilight said, hugging her clone tighter. “I’ll never forget this night. If it weren’t for you… You’ve helped me so much. I already feel so much more confident. I feel…ready. The idea of dating and having sex doesn’t fill be me with dread anymore. It’s…actually kind of exciting. Especially the sex part,” she added with a kiss to Twolight’s forehead. “I feel so much more comfortable with myself.”

“Maybe that’s why this really needed to be done,” Twolight said, looking up at Twilight’s face. They gazed into each other’s eyes, locked in a moment of shared understanding. In that moment, they were already one again.

They held each other a little longer, and then, without a word, they moved as one and sat up on the bed, facing each other. It was time. They could both sense it.

Twilight’s eyes moistened. “I know you mean now. I know it’s silly, because we’re the same pony, but I still feel like I’m losing a friend.”

Twolight raised a purple hoof and wiped away Twilight’s tears. “Just remember: Everything we are is right here,” she said, placing the tear-dampened hoof over Twilight’s chest. “And you deserve to be loved – by yourself, most of all. And you are.”

“Ditto.” Twilight smiled in spite of her sniffling.

They shared one last kiss. And then, Twolight closed her eyes. A breathless moment hung over the bedroom, still and precious and fragile as glass.

Then, with a flash of magic, Twilight was alone again. And yet, not alone. She felt something new inside her, a sense of completeness that was foreign to her. In that moment, she knew herself better than she ever had before, and nothing tomorrow could bring would take that away from her.

With a contented sigh, she got under the covers and lay down, hugging herself tightly with her forehooves. Her tired eyes wandered to Rarity’s note, sitting there on the night stand. Upon first reading the note, she’d intended to scold her friends for their meddling and have them cancel the date. But now, she reconsidered. And smiled.

The second step is never as hard as the first.