Entering the house, Twilight came upon her parents in the living room. Her father was watching the news, while her mother was doing some ironing.

“Mom, Dad?” Twilight spoke up, “I know this is kind of sudden, but… I wanted you guys to meet my girlfriend. You know, Ascentia? Who I was telling you about?”

The both of them looked up in surprise, but Night Light managed to quickly shake it off and got up to greet them.

“Uh… it’s nice to meet you, Ascentia,” Night Light said, extending a hand out, “Twilight’s told us an awful lot about you.”

“Oh that’s never a good sign,” Ascentia said flatly, shaking his hand.

Night Light chuckled, “Come in, take your shoes off.”

Twilight Velvet’s eyes widened, “You’re Ascentia?”

“Yes, I’m Ascentia,” Ascentia replied, holding a hand out.

Staring at her hand as if it were something else entirely, she stiffly shook it, “I see.”

“Something the matter, ma’am?” Ascentia asked.

“No, not at all,” Twilight Velvet shufffled off to the kitchen.

“Did I do something?” Ascentia asked, looking at the other two.

Night Light shook his head, “She’s a little old-fashioned, kiddo. Don’t let it get to you.”

“So are my parents,” Ascentia said venomously, sitting with Twilight and Night Light in the living room.

“So,” Night Light said with a serious expression on his face, “What are your intentions with my daughter?”

Twilight buried her face in her hands, “Daaaaaaaaad!”

Ascentia, however, was unphased as she crossed her legs and sat back on the sofa with a smirk, “Well sir, first I plan to pretend to be intimidated by my girlfriend’s father, even though I’m half a foot taller than him. Then I intend on showing her a wondrous first relationship, after which I shall woo and deflower her. Any questions?”

Night Light laughed, slapping his knee, “Ohhh! Good one! Haha! I like her, kiddo. Don’t you let her get away!”

“Dad! Come on!” Twilight turned away in embarrassment.

Ascentia smiled and pulled Twilight into her arms, “Oh come on, Twilight. It could be a lot worse.”

“Mmmmph…” Twilight pouted.

“Hey, I just told your father I intend to deflower you, and wasn’t chased out of the house by shotgun fire,” Ascentia remarked, nuzzling the back of her head, “I’d consider that parent of the year.”

“I know…” Twilight shook her head, “He just embarrasses me sometimes…”

Ascentia smiled and kissed her cheek, “They always do. There’s no escaping it. Like quicksand.”

Twilight frowned slightly in confusion, “But quicksand makes you sink slowly. It’s also easy to avoid sinking into if you step on it lightly. It’s not even as dangerous as most stories make it out to be.”

“...Is she always like this?” Ascentia asked Night Light.

Grinning, Night Light nodded, “Oh, yes. One time my son asked me why worms come up when it’s wet. I said it was because they drank the water, but Twilight-”

“Dad! I’ve told you before, that’s nowhere near the right answer!” Twilight cut in, “Earthworms have very sensitive bodies, skin if you will. Moisture allows them to survive in the outside environment, because otherwise they’d shrivel up and die from the heat. That’s why we find them a lot when it rains or there’s wet dirt around.”

“I see what you mean,” Ascentia snickered as she hugged Twilight tighter, “I don’t mind. I like smart women.”

Twilight blushed and placed her hands over arms, smiling, “Thanks…”

“Knock knock!” A young college-aged boy with two-tone blue hair poked his head in through the front door.

Grinning, Twilight ran to the door and embraced him, “Shining Armor! You’re home!”

Shining hugged her, laughing, “Of course I’m home. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“It’s just great to see you! You’re always out a lot,” Twilight pouted.

“I know,” he smiled, kissing the top of her head, “I missed you too little-who’s this?”

“Oh! Yeah… This is Ascentia Kortai… my girlfriend from school,” Twilight blushed, “Ascentia, this is Shining Armor, my older brother. I’ve told you a lot about him, actually.”

“Oh yeah, Soldier Boy,” Ascentia said disinterestedly, “Nice to meet you.”

Twilight’s face fell. Shining Armor, on the other hand, was undeterred and grinned, “Nice to meet you! Twiley’s been going on a lot about you!”

“Really?” Ascentia said, now looking up, “What have you heard?”

“She’s been saying you’re this amazon-like kinda girl, really pretty and so smart, as well as pretty badass,” he said, chuckling. “It’s pretty funny how she gushes about you!”

“Oh come on!” Twilight blushed, embarrassed all over again, “Et tu, Shining Armor?”

Ascentia chuckled, “So I’m an amazon, am I?”

Twilight blushed and looked away, “I uh… might have said something like it…”

Ascentia sat up and waved a finger, beckoning her over with a smirk on her face. Twilight looked around, blushing as her father and brother laughed while leaving the room to give them privacy. She approached, as if awaiting some kind of dastardly result. Instead, Ascentia pulled her down and pinned her to the sofa, roughly kissing her as her hands found their way to her hair.

“Mmmm!” Twilight squeaked in surprise, wide-eyed. The initial shock wore off before she kissed back, reaching up clutch her shoulders. She dove her tongue into her mouth, eager to explore. Ascentia yelped and pulled back, wiping her lips.

“Did you just…” she said, trailing off.

“Sorry! Sorry….” Twilight crawled away, wide-eyed, “I didn’t mean to! I was carried away!”

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Ascentia said soothingly, “I was just surprised.”

“Oh…” Twilight looked downward, “Still, I’m sorry to take you by surprise like that.”

“That’s alright,” Ascentia smiled, “Why don’t we give that another go?”

“...Okay… I just hope I can do it right,” Twilight squeaked.

This time, Ascentia pulled Twilight back so she was on top and pulled her head down, locking lips with her and running her hand over her back.

Hesitating, Twilight gently poked her lips with her tongue. The first time it happened seconds ago, it had been instinct and she had barely realized she was doing it. Now that it was calculated, she wasn’t even sure she knew how to work it correctly. Ascentia parted her lips to let her in, curling a leg around her’s as she moaned softly against her lips. Reaching her tongue out, she tentatively brushed it against Twilight’s, feeling a thrill from the sensation of tasting the smaller woman’s mouth within her own.

“Twilight! Now really!” Came her mother’s voice.

Twilight squealed and pulled away, wide-eyed, “M-Mom!”

Twilight Velvet sighed, shaking her head, “Honestly, have some decency here. Now come and help us set the table for dinner. Especially since we seem to have an extra place needed.”

Nodding, Twilight pouted a bit, “Okay, Mom…”

“What’s her problem?” Ascentia asked, “We were just kissing.”

“It’s not just you,” Twilight said, shaking her head, “She did the same whenever she caught Shining Armor and Cadance together.”

“I’m still not seeing the issue,” Ascentia remarked flatly, “All that tells me is that it’s not just you your mother is a bitch to.”

Twilight wiggled away, “Never mind. Let’s just go.”

“Alright, if you say so,” Ascentia replied, following her to the kitchen.

Dinnertime was a fairly quiet affair, with the family plus one eating some spaghetti and meatballs. Ascentia and Twilight were seated next to each other, while Shining Armor sat opposite them. Twilight Velvet and Night Light at opposite ends of the table.

“So Ascentia,” Night Light said cheerfully, “What do you do outside of school?”

“Your daughter,” Ascentia said flatly.

Shining Armor laughed, as did Night Light, while Twilight blushed heavily. Twilight Velvet said nothing, she only stared at her plate with subtle nods or shakes of her head.

“Okay, seriously now,” Night Light laughed.

“I don’t do much,” Ascentia said disinterestedly, “I go to school, then I go home. That’s really it to be honest. I draw a little, but other than that I’m not that interesting.”

“Sounds like when I ground my kids,” Night Light joked.

“Oh yeah…” Twilight groaned, “I remember. Go to school, come home from school, do homework, do chores, go to bed.”

“Well in all fairness, that’s pretty much what you were doing without being grounded anyway,” Shining remarked, “Maybe this one can get you out of the house more often.”

“Oh I plan on getting her out of more than just her house,” Ascentia smirked.

Everyone sans her mother laughed, while Twilight buried her face in her hands, “‘Scentiaaaaa!! Stop it!”

Ascentia wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head, “Oh come on, Twilight. Do you know how rare it is to see a family that laughs at that? Especially a father with a teenage daughter? Or her older brother? I half expected to have something resembling a barrel at my head right now.”

“We don’t even own a gun,” Shining Armor chuckled, “Nah, I know Twiley’s in good hands. She wouldn’t go for just anyone. When she was eight, one of the boys in her class tried to ask her out. But she told him she loved books more than any boy, since they couldn’t live up to books!”

“Oh come on!” Twilight whined, her face falling to the table, “I was a kiiiid… come on…”

“I could see why boys wouldn’t live up to books,” Ascentia smirked, “You’re a bookworm, and gay.”

Twilight halfway turned her face, “I was eight and unaware of gay even existing, Freud.”

“Anyway,” Shining Armor went on, “it’s like I said, She’s not about to just go for the next gal who bats her eyes at her. So I wasn’t worried she was about to drag over some drug-inducing college girl or start rebelling like that.”

“Me neither,” Night Light agreed, “The way she talked about you, it sounded like you were way too good to be true!”

“I didn’t exaggerate that much!” Twilight whined.

“Twilight I gave some kid a concussion yesterday for writing on a locker I don’t even own,” Ascentia smirked, “What did you tell them?”

“Nothing! Just that you’re… ya know, pretty, smart, really interesting to talk to, all that stuff…” Twilight looked away from her with a blush.

“‘Oh my gosh, she’s an amazon goddess! Wait until you see her! She’s gorgeous!’” Shining Armor mimicked in a silly, girly voice that sounded nothing like Twilight.

“I did not say that!”

“Yes you did, kiddo!” Night Light patted her head, laughing.

“Did you really?” Ascentia asked, “Be honest.”

“No!” Twilight turned away, “I am not going to dignify that with a response!”

Ascentia opened her mouth to retort, then stopped, turning back to her food as a blush tinted her cheeks.

“She totally did. I got it on tape,” Shining Armor winked.

“Stop it!”

“I am getting that tape,” Shining grinned, getting up.

“Shining, I don’t want to see it,” Ascentia said firmly, “It’s making Twilight more uncomfortable than I would like.”

Twilight turned back around, “Wait! I lied! I did say it! I’m sorry, I’m just not used to saying things like this! I said it! I said all kinds of nice things!”

Ascentia’s blush deepened and she gave her a one-armed hug, kissing her cheek. Giggles erupted from the table, while Twilight blushed, unable to stop smiling.

“I’m… flattered, Twilight,” Ascentia smiled, “I had no idea you were that enamoured with me.”

Twilight pouted, “I wouldn’t be with you if I wasn’t… Of course I am…”

“You should hear her through the walls at night,” Shining smirked, but this time Ascentia glared at him.

“I think that’s going farther over the line than you ought to be going,” she said harshly.

Twilight poked her side, “Actually, I can tell a lot more of what goes on behind his walls!”

“Twiley!”

“You started it!”

“Kids, don’t you start fighting now!”

“But Dad!”

“No buts!”

“DAAAAAAAD!” Both siblings shouted.

Night Light shook his head, looking toward Ascentia, “Welcome to the family. Don’t have kids, they’re monsters.”

“Dad!” Twilight pouted.

“Oh hush you, and come here,” Ascentia smirked, pulling Twilight over and kissing her.

“Mmph!” Twilight squirmed a little.

Ascentia stroked her hair as she pushed her tongue into her mouth to the adoring “Awwww”s of Night Light and Shining and an indignant huff from Twilight Velvet. Eventually Twilight gave in and returned it, falling limp against her. Ascentia pulled her into her lap, caressing her tongue with her’s and hugging her tightly.

Pulling away to breathe, Twilight blushed heavily and hid her face in her shoulder. Ascentia chuckled and snuggled her.

“You’re so cute,” she sighed, “I love you.”

The entire room went quiet.

Twilight’s eyes widened to the size of her own dinner plate, she looked utterly frozen, like a statue. The only sounds to follow were Night Light’s chuckling and Shining’s whistling.

“..I… I… I… huh?” She squeaked.

Ascentia looked confused, as if she’d done something wrong yet had no idea what, “What? What did I do?”

“Don’t worry, she’s just shocked since she never heard that outside of family,” Shining Armor said.

“...Eh? ...Love?” Twilight managed.

“Yes,” Ascentia said matter-of-factly, “What about it?”

“...I uh… had no idea… you felt that strongly…” Twilight murmured, biting her lip.

“I agreed to go out with you, didn’t I?” Ascentia asked, “I was making out with you right in front of your family.”

“...Well, yeah…” Twilight blushed even more, “Gosh, I … I don’t know what to say…”

Shining started coughing harshly, “Tellheryouloveher!”

“Oh! Well, okay….” Twilight squirmed a bit, “...I.. I think I love you, too…”

Ascentia smiled and kissed her again, squeezing her tightly. This time Twilight wasted no time and kissed back, running her fingers through her hair. This time, Twilight Velvet was having none of it.

“Okay the two of you, break it up,” she snapped, “Lord, you two are all over each other. What’s wrong with you?!”

“Mom! Jeez! We’re not shooting up heroin and having sex on the table!” Twilight protested.

“Is that second one an option?” Ascentia asked, much to Twilight Velvet’s disgust.

“Dear, they’re just kissing,” Night Light said calmly.

“No they’re not, they’re practically grinding each other,” Twilight Velvet said venomously.

“Mom, come on,” Shining Armor interjected, “I understand why you were worried with me and Cadance. But what are you worried about with Twilight? She finally has a girlfriend, someone she likes, so what’s the problem? They can kiss if they want to. They’re not doing anything wrong here.”

“There’s a thing called decency, though you always had bad manners,” Twilight Velvet said with a huff, “But Twilight was always a good girl, and now she’s… devolved into some sort of animal once she started seeing you.”

“Do you take a pill to get that stupid, or do you do it naturally?” Ascentia asked.

“Mom….” Twilight uttered, hurt. “W-Why would you say that…?”

“What the hell, Mom?!” Shining Armor stood up in anger, “What did Twiley do that was so wrong? She’s still your daughter and she hasn’t changed!”

“Dear, you can’t mean that,” Night Light chided, “That was cruel.”

“I want you out of my house, now!” Twilight Velvet snapped, pointing Ascentia to the door and ignoring the other three.

Everyone fell silent, stunned.

Twilight stood up, grabbing her bag, then Ascentia’s hand, “Fine! Then I’m leaving too! Come on honey, we’re going out for a walk or something!”

Without waiting for any response, she dragged her out the back door and slammed it behind her. Ascentia simply allowed herself to be dragged behind her, contemplating what just happened.

“Mommy has issues, does she?” Ascentia asked.

“Urgh! It’s like she’s stuck in the fifties or something!” Twilight ranted angrily, “Jeez! You’d think I walked in dressed as a punk with a drug needle stuck to my bicep!”

“Was she always like this?” Ascentia asked.

“Kinda. Cadance is… yes, the same Cadance who’s the Princess of the Crystal Empire. She was my babysitter when I was a kid. When Shining Armor started dating her… It was messed up,” Twilight sighed, “You’d think that it’d be a good thing, right? Well, she fired Cadance and I didn’t see her for years. Not until a couple years ago.”

“Does your mother just hate the idea of her kids having girlfriends, or what?” Ascentia asked, pulling Twilight into a hug.

“I don’t even know… It’s like she wants us to marry who she approves,” Twilight returned it.

Ascentia ran her hands through Twilight’s hair, dotting her face with kisses, “I’m sorry, Twilight. You don’t deserve that.”

“It’s okay…” Twilight gave a little smile, “I’m not about to stop seeing you because of it. Besides, Shining Armor snuck behind her back, too. If I have to, then I will.”

Ascentia smiled and pushed Twilight back a bit to look at her with half lidded eyes, “In that case, how about we go piss off Mommy?” she said, running her finger along Twilight’s belt.

“No, no,” Twilight batted her hand away with a giggle, “Let’s go get ice cream.”

Ascentia relented and let her lead the way, “You know I’m going to get you out of those jeans eventually, right?”

“Nope!” Twilight giggled, winking at her.

Ascentia laughed and ran after her.

“Ack! I don’t even know which one I should wear! Too elegant? Too casual? I can’t decide which is better or worse! Oh, I should’ve asked Rarity…” Twilight moaned, throwing another dress onto her bed from the closet.

“Does this mean I can go now?” Shining Armor asked as Cadance grabbed one of the dresses out of his arms.

“No,” said Cadance, shaking her head, “Twilight needs her support system more than ever! It’s her first dance, after all!”

“What makes you think your girlfriend is doing the same thing?” Shining asked, “She’s been here three times and worn the exact same thing every time.”

Twilight pouted, “Well then I’m going to feel overdressed!”

Cadance, on the other hand, glared at him, “First dates are supposed to be special. I’m sure Ascentia is going to wear something nice as well.”

“Can you imagine a girl that tall in a dress?” Shining chuckled.

“Aunt Jenny is six two, she wears dresses,” Twilight pointed out.

“Aunt Jenny doesn’t look like she can bench press a person,” Shining remarked.

Cadance stepped between them again, “Come on now, you two, let’s not get off track here! I think I know just the dress for you to wear, sweetheart.”

“Which one?”

With a grin, the older girl went and selected a frilly, ruffled, strapless dress made for her by Rarity.

“This cute little number! Oh, you’re going to look adorable and like the belle of the ball!” Cadance grinned.

“Really? Strapless?” Twilight cringed, “She already wants to get my clothes off, I don’t think I should be showing more skin…”

“Twilight, it’s about time you stepped up a little and showed some skin!” Cadance encouraged, “It’s still tasteful, but it pushes the envelope a little. That’s part of the fun!”

Twilight blushed and hid her face, “O-okay…”

“Atta girl!” Cadance gave her the dress, patting her on the back, “Now go and change! Let me see how you look!”

Twilight stepped behind a changing screen and started to strip, throwing her clothes over the edge and pulling the dress on.

“So… now can I go?” Shining asked.

Giggling, Cadance slapped his rear playfully, “Go ahead, cutie. This is going to be girl time, now.”

“Thank Celestia,” Shining sighed, throwing the other dresses onto the bed and leaving, shutting the door behind him.

“Cadance, I don’t think this is a good idea…” Twilight said from behind the screen.

“Why not?” Cadance asked, approaching it.

Twilight stepped from around, showing how the dress squeezed her chest, “I have… cleavage!”

“Twilight, that’s the point! It’s meant to show off your cleavage,” Cadance told her.

“But… whyyyyyyyy?!” Twilight grimaced.

Cadance giggled, bringing an arm around her, “Twiley, you’re so cute. Come on now, it’s a time to be daring, to just have fun and not care about what others are going to think. It’s your first dance, your first dance with a girlfriend, and you’re going to take it down! Nothing’s going to stop you tonight.”

“But… what if things go further?” Twilight asked, “What if… she wants to go all the way with me?”

“That will depend on how you feel,” Cadance said seriously, “If you want to, if you feel ready, then go for it, If you’re not ready, you tell her so. It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing, it doesn’t give her or anyone the right to act on temptation. If they can’t control themselves, that’s not your problem. I’m not saying you should deliberately tempt anyone or her, either. It’s just about having fun and being more… daring, like I said. But again, if you don’t want to, you stop her.”

Twilight took a deep breath, and sighed, “Okay Cadance. I think I can do this.”

“Twilight!” came Shining’s voice from downstairs, “Ascentia’s here!”

Twilight shrieked, “I was wrong! I can’t do this!”

“Yes you can!” Cadance held her shoulders, “You can do this, Twilight! I know you can. If you put your mind to it, you can do anything. Now, go for it! Go out there and show them what you’re made of! Knock ‘em dead!”

Twilight took several deep breaths and stood up, “Okay… okay… okay… let’s go!”

Taking her hand, Cadance led her out the door and to the stairs, “Miss Kortai… your lady awaits!” She stepped aside to allow Twilight to descend.

Nervously, Twilight did so, unsure where to even look, so she settled for her feet, her cheeks a bright pink.

Ascentia had her back turned to them, inspecting a painting as she heard the footsteps come down the stairs.

“I was wondering what was taking you so lo-fucking hell!” she balked as she turned and watched Twilight come down the stairs, her mouth hanging open.

“S-Sorry, I was-oooohhh,” Twilight blinked, surprised to she that she was indeed wearing a dress. “W-Wow! Hey… you look nice! I’m not overdressed! Yes!” She danced a little, looking like a silly dork.

Ascentia looked down at the simple green garment that the shop owner had very sarcastically called a ‘dress’ and smiled, “Thanks… you’re… fucking gorgeous.”

“Hey, come on… I look okay…” Twilight demurely brought her arms behind her back.

Ascentia bounded forward, meeting her on the stairs and pulling her into a kiss, running her hands along her bare shoulders. Twilight shuddered a bit, but kissed her back sweetly.

“Awwww,” Cadance cooed, “Shining, get the camera!”

“Way ahead of you!” Shining grinned, taking a photo of the two.

Twilight squirmed and cooed in Ascentia’s grip, while Ascentia just hugged her tighter, biting down onto her lip. After a few more moments, they parted and looked into each other’s eyes.

“Wow…” Twilight giggled.

“Doesn’t matter how many times we do that, you always act like it’s the first,” Ascentia snickered, and motioning toward the door, “Shall we?”

Nodding, Twilight took her clutch and jacket, draping it over her arm, “Yep!”

“Have her back by one!” Shining Armor quipped.

“Before breakfast, you mean!” Cadance giggled, “Have a good time, you two!”

Ascentia waved as she and Twilight shut the door behind them.

“So, do you prefer to walk or drive?” Ascentia asked.

“Well, I do have heels, so I’m going to need a little help,” Twilight said, indicating her heeled boots.

Ascentia took her by the arm and led her down the street, “Why are you wearing heels? That doesn’t seem very comfortable.”

“Actually, these are really comfortable! The heels are great support,” Twilight grinned.

“Well they are sexy,” Ascentia smiled, looking down at her legs.

Blushing, Twilight averted her gaze slightly, “Thanks…”

The school dance was being held in the gymnasium, where loud and funky dance music was heard from the surround sound speakers all over. Further adding to it were some flashy, colourful lights pointed at the designated area that was the dance floor. Many students danced, while some were off to the sidelines in their own groups.

Twilight could not believe how loud and very colourful it all was. She stood to the side, almost hidden in the shadows, with Ascentia alongside her.

Rocking back and forth on her heels, she scanned the crowd for any of her friends, considering they had said they would be coming to the dance this evening.

“Gosh, I wonder if I really was missing anything…” Twilight remarked, feeling a little cold all of a sudden.

“What do you mean?” Ascentia asked, “Is everything alright?”

“I feel weird… out of place… like I really shouldn’t be here…” Twilight looked around again, “Wow. How nice. I ask my first ever girlfriend to the dance, our first ever dance together… and here I am griping because I’m not used to it. Making it sound like I don’t even want to be here. How nice! Great… Now I’m a wuss.”

Ascentia took her hand and pulled her out into the crowd, “Come on, let’s get you moving before you start overthinking everything.”

“I am not overthinking!” Twilight pouted, but otherwise didn’t protest.

Ascentia spun around and looked at her, “Alright, how do you want to do this?”

“Do what?” Twilight asked, puzzled.

“Dance, what else?” Ascentia smirked, “I always had ideas, but they never really fit well with music that sounds like someone is smacking themselves in the face with a studio mic.”

“...I can’t dance,” Twilight confessed, looking down.

“Then why come to one?” Ascentia said warmly, “You know what, hold on a minute.”

Ascentia threw a discarded shoe up behind the MC bench, who turned to look at her. She made a few committal gestures and he nodded. Fiddling with some settings, the thumping music faded out and changed to something slower and more intimate.

Ascentia turned back to Twilight and hugged her, “This is piss easy. Just rock back and forth.”

“Okay…” Twilight brought her arms around her neck, nervously moving about, “Yeah… Yeah, this is easy… I can do this… This is nice…”

Ascentia nuzzled her head as she swayed her around, holding Twilight tightly against her, “See? There we are, you got this.”

“Yeah…. Yeah! I got this!” Twilight giggled, nuzzling her back, “Wow!”

She looked all around her as they danced, watching some other couples dancing together. Her eyes then fell on, to her surprise, Rainbow and Fluttershy dancing together. Really close. Really really close. They looked more like a couple than two friends sharing a dance, especially with the way Rainbow was leaning on her shoulder, looking blissful.

Twilight snorted, giggling, “Just friends my foot…”

Her eyes turned further and fell on Rarity, who was seated at one of the tables, watching everyone else dance. She had a big smile on her face, which made sense as a lot of other students had bought dresses from her. It seemed she was having just as much fun watching her dream business become more and more of a reality as everyone else was dancing.

Moments later, she was joined by Applejack, who was saying something to her. Whatever it was, Rarity was then smiling wider and laughing. Deciding to ask her later, Twilight turned her head back and laid it on Ascentia’s shoulder.

“Mmmm,” Ascentia moaned softly, “This is lovely, Twilight.”

“You bet it is...” Twilight agreed, closing her eyes, “It’s great.”

Ascentia closed her eyes as well, hugging Twilight tightly to her and nuzzling her, “I love you, Twilight.”

“I…. I think it…. Oh, screw it. No more of that. I love you too,” Twilight beamed.

Ascentia chuckled softly and rocked her on the spot, kissing her hair.

“Woohoo!” Twilight cheered, laughing a bit.

Lifting the girl up, Ascentia spun her on the spot before setting her back down, a movement that drew attention from the slow moving crowd.

“PARTY!!”

Pinkie appeared in the middle of the dance floor, dancing and looking like an immense dork, which drew everyone’s attention almost immediately.

Twilight giggled in relief, “Oh, Pinkie… don’t ever change…” She murmured.

XXX

“So, you two look like you’re getting pretty serious,” Rainbow laughed as the seven of them sat around the table.

Twilight snorted again, hiding a smile behind her hand, “Yeah... you can say that!”

“Hey, remember three weeks ago when you were all maddy-pie at her?” Pinkie said gleefully, “And you didn’t want to talk to her and then we all made you go talk to her?!”

“Yes, I remember…” Twilight playfully rolled her eyes, “You guys remind me of it every other day.”

“That’s because you were being all nervous-nelly!” Pinkie grinned.

“But really, darling, I’m glad it all worked out,” Rarity smiled, “You seem so lively now.”

Twilight blushed a bit, giggling, “Oh, come on. If any of us made it along, that’s Fluttershy. The hardest thing I had to do was just work up the nerve to ask. I can’t exactly top gathering nerve, getting rejected, and then getting back up again!”

Fluttershy smiled a bit shyly, “Well… it helped to have such supportive friends, and Rainbow promised to go with me in his place. That’s all.”

“I still think that kid has the dumbest name in the world,” Ascentia quipped, “I’m glad I knocked him out.”

“He’s no Dick Grayson!” Twilight nudged her side.

“Was never really fond of him either,” Ascentia retorted.

“Shut up, no one cares,” Twilight stuck her tongue out at her, “So! You girls enjoying the dance?”

“Of course, Darling,” Rarity exclaimed, “Everyone is wearing my designs! Oooh, I wish I could do this for a living!”

“The dresses are all lovely…” Fluttershy smiled, “I think you could make a nice living off it one day.”

Rarity grinned, “I’d only wished you two had let me design your’s,” Rarity pouted, “I could have made the two of you look absolutely stunning!”

Fluttershy blushed and giggled, patting her arm affectionately, “Next time.”

“I can’t believe I still had this one you made me last year,” Twilight remarked, fiddling with the skirt of her own, “If Cadance hadn’t found it, there’s no telling what I’d be wearing.”

“If I had my way, you’d be wearing nothing at all,” Ascentia smirked, kissing her hair.

Their friends all snickered.

“Will you guys just do it already?” Rainbow quipped, winking at the two.

Twilight snorted, “Hello Pot, I’m Kettle.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rainbow asked, looking baffled.

“You’ll figure it eventually, darling,” Rarity giggled.

“Well, point still stands. You two have been getting all close and intimate,” Rainbow smirked, “When are you two just gonna screw already?”

“Okay, as tempted as I am, I’m not rushing anything here. The last thing I want is to go into it blindly,” Twilight said, blushing a bit, “I just don’t feel ready yet… You know?”

“Oh, that’s okay, Twilight,” Fluttershy smiled and patted her shoulder, “It’s understandable you’re not ready yet. There’s no need to rush anything.”

“Speak for yourself,” Ascentia smirked, “You’re not the one whose lap she flops that cute ass onto all the time.”

Eyes wide, Fluttershy cowered and squeaked, saying nothing else.

“Hey, give her a break,” Rainbow said crossly.

“Girls, girls, calm down,” Twilight spread her arms between them all, “Look, it’ll happen when it happens, okay?”

“Oh I’m calm, Twilight,” Ascentia smiled, “I was just making a joke.”

Twilight nodded, “I know. But sometimes… Fluttershy feels like no one takes what she says seriously and is making fun of her when they respond with jokes.”

Ascentia shrugged and said nothing, taking a sip from a solid metal water bottle.

“So then, sugarcube,” Applejack spoke up to break the silence, “Since it’s yer first dance an’ all, how’s it been holdin’ up?”

“You know, it’s turning out a lot better than I expected it to,” Twilight grinned, “I mean, I eventually got to dancing, and here I am with you girls and my girlfriend too! I’m glad we decided to come here.”

Ascentia kissed her neck, squeezing her a little, “I’m glad you’re having fun, sweetheart.”

“Me too,” Twilight giggled gleefully.

“Hey, I heard from a friend of Shining’s that your mother flipped out at you two the other day,” Pinkie said, hanging a spoon from her nose, “What happened?”

“Urgh… I don’t even know anymore… I swear Mom’s stuck in the middle ages or something,” Twilight muttered.

“Whatever do you mean?” Rarity asked, “What happened?”

Twilight explained to the others about what had occurred, and even in how things had been tense ever since then. It became more and more apparent to Twilight that she was feeling like she had no support from her own mother. As a teenager, that made it even harder and confusing to face up to issues she would eventually see more of. Without her mother’s support, it was beginning to feel like she had an emptiness within herself.

By the time she was done, she was leaning over the table, staring disdainfully at the tabletop.

“So I don’t even know what to do, now.”

“My goodness… she really called you an animal?” Rarity balked.

“What a bitch!” Rainbow said angrily.

“What about your parents?” Fluttershy asked Ascentia, “How do they feel about you and Twilight?”

“They don’t know,” Ascentia said flatly.

“Now I wish my parents didn’t… My dad’s been nice and supportive, but my Mom… come on, she’s my Mom…” Twilight moaned, “I can’t turn to anyone like her anymore. Cadance is too busy and I don’t want to bother her… Princess Celestia has been the only thing close to a mother I ever had aside from Mom. And I can’t bother her, either. If I can’t turn to my own Mom, who can I turn to?”

Ascentia held a hand out and waved to the five women seated in front of her.

“Of course you still have us, silly!” Pinkie said eagerly with a grin, “We’re not gonna turn our backs on you!”

“Never, dear,” Rarity agreed, “I do not know where your mother had the idea that love is conditional, but we surely don’t live by that.”

“We’re still here and we’ll help however we can,” Fluttershy smiled.

“There, see?” Ascentia smiled, “You’ll be fine.”

“Thanks, girls…” Twilight smiled.

“Don’t ya worry none about it, sugarcube,” Applejack squeezed her shoulder in assurance, “You’ll always have us.”

Rainbow squirmed, looking a little uncomfortable and uncertain, “Yeah… Yeah, definitely. I… urgh, sorry, I’m no good at this mushy stuff. Just… what you guys said, ‘kay?”

Fluttershy smiled and nuzzled her, causing the rainbow-haired teen to blush, “You tried, Rainbow.”

Ascentia looked at her watch, the display reading that it was nearing midnight and the dance would be over soon, “Should we be heading out, Twilight?”

“Huh? Oh! Right, yeah, it is a little late, isn’t it?” Twilight realized, smiling sheepishly, “Yeah, we’d better go.”

“Do you want me to take you home, or would you like to go somewhere else?” Ascentia asked.

“Let’s go home. Mom’s out of town for the weekend and she left this afternoon,” Twilight said, getting up.

“Going to my girlfriend’s house at midnight?” Ascentia asked, “Sounds fun.”

Twilight nudged her side, “Don’t get ideas, Catwoman.”

“Too late, already have ‘em,” Ascentia smirked.

While they dispersed to go their separate ways, Twilight blew a raspberry. Next Chapter: Sorry, Not Into Mother And Daughter Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 32 Minutes