Twilight received a surprise when she finally trudged through the door after a long day of being reintroduced back to work.

A big surprise.

A somewhat familiar looking woman was lounging on the sofa, brushing her jaw-length hair out of her eyes as she perused a book. While she sort of rung a bell, the woman was still strange to Twilight. And Twilight had been through enough lately to be very uncomfortable around strange women.

Was she somehow in the wrong house? No, this was Rainbow's huge home, she recognized it too well. But who was this? A new friend? But why would a stranger lounge on their couch like she lived there? What was going on?

Twilight wasn't sure, but wasn't sure she wanted to confront this. Strange women alone with her in the house were already red flags galore. She quietly came in, slowly going toward the stairs to try to make it up. At least without alerting the strange-

CREAK!

Twilight froze in place, wide-eyed. 'Of course the wooden floors always become the noisiest when I'm trying to be sneaky!'

The woman turned around, and raised an eyebrow, "Twilight, why are you sneaking around the house?"

Twilight's jaw dropped. It was Ascentia.

"...Kitten?" Twilight squeaked.

"Yes... did you hit your head on Pinkie's headboard?" Ascentia asked, looking concerned as she stood up and set her book down, approaching her.

"N-No!" Twilight cried, now coming to see why she was somehow unable to recognize her own wife. "Y-Your hair! Your hair! What did you do to your hair?!"

Ascentia reached up to touch her own hair, "I got it cut. I was out today and decided to treat myself," she smiled, "Do you like it?"

"I... I..." Twilight stammered, pointing at her hair, "Your hair... Your beautiful long hair....!"

Ascentia's smile faltered as she stepped closer, "Twilight? Is... is something wrong?"

"You cut your hair short?! But... why? You looked so radiant and beautiful with long hair!" Twilight pouted.

Ascentia's smile fell. It was clear that Twilight did not like her new look, "I... well, I just thought it'd be nice to change it up a bit... I haven't had short hair since I buzzed it back in junior high so..." she trailed off, shifting back and forth on her feet.

Drooping a little, Twilight sighed, "But Kitten... Long hair suits you best. Now you just look... older."

"I'm twenty nine, Twilight. I'm going to be turning thirty in a month," Ascentia said, her face falling, "I'm going to look older anyway."

Twilight was about to respond, but the front door opened, with Rainbow coming in, followed by Spectrum and Fluttershy. Each of them were carrying some grocery bags, and glanced toward them.

"Hey, there you guys are! Wanna come help us put the stuff a-" Rainbow was cut off short by seeing Ascentia's haircut, "Whoa! When'd you cut your hair, Asy?"

"This afternoon, when I went out to run errands," Ascentia said, somewhat dejectedly as she sat back down, picking up her book, "Thought I'd treat myself..."

"It's.... well, it's okay," Rainbow shrugged, looking her over, "I mean, not that I'm calling it bad or nothing! Eh, it's your hair."

Ascentia shrugged and rolled her eyes, frowning as she flipped a page rather vigorously and curling her knees up as she read, "Fine... whatever..."

"About time you guys came back!" Cielle came downstairs, "I got a meeting with Penthouse at four and I'm starved! So what's for-whoa! Asy... did you cut your hair with hedge clippers or something?"

"No, I just got a haircut. A simple haircut," Ascentia huffed, flipping another page.

Cielle made a face, "Simple haircut? I don't know, you look all...different for some reason."

"That's because my hair looks different," Ascentia rolled her eyes.

"Your beautiful hair..." Twilight lamented.

"Oh, what's going on here? What is all the fuss about?" Fluttershy asked as she came into the room.

"I got my hair cut and everyone hates it," Ascentia remarked, laying her book down and looking at Fluttershy, awaiting another round of insults.

Fluttershy studied her hair, then smiled, "Oh, but it's lovely! I think it really suits you, Ascentia. It's a bit of a drastic change since it went from so long to really short... But it still looks really good! I love it!"

Ascentia's face brightened, "Wow, really? T-Thanks, Shy!" she grinned, reaching up and wrapping her arms around her shoulders in an eager hug.

"Oh, you're welcome!" Fluttershy hugged her back, "I really do like it."

Ascentia giggled and kissed her cheek, "Well at least somebody likes it," she squeezed her tighter.

Giggling, Fluttershy kissed her cheek too, "I'm sorry... Well, I think what's most important is that you like it."

"Yeah yeah, but still," Ascentia pouted, "I still want my wife to think I'm pwetty..."

"Nuuuuuu! You cut your hair! You're still pwetty, but it's short! Nuu!" Twilight cried.

"Now Twilight, don't be such a baby," Fluttershy said sternly, "Be nice. I know you don't like it, but that's no reason to be so shallow."

Twilight pouted, saying nothing else.

Ascentia smiled and nuzzled Fluttershy's cheek, "See everyone? Flutters still loves me without long hair," she stuck her tongue out at them.

"What next? You gonna dye it?" Cielle pointed to her own blue hair, "That's what I did!"

Ascentia shrugged, "Maybe. It was offered, and I was given a coupon. I was thinking of dying it black or brown. Seems like it'd look nice."

"Dye it?!" Twilight uttered, "But, but why? You have beautiful red hair... why would you change its COLOUR now?"

Ascentia shrugged, "I dunno... just thought I'd try it?"

"It would be an interesting look," Fluttershy remarked.

"Twilight, why is this such an issue for you?" Ascentia asked.

"I just.... I don't know!" Twilight sat on the floor, "I just... well I... I don't know! I liked it better when your hair was longer. Seeing it short is just... weird to me."

"It'll grow back, Twilight," Ascentia frowned, "For now I'll just have short, brown ha-" she was cut off when Twilight grabbed the front of her jacket.

"Please don't dye it," Twilight cut her off, pouting slightly.

Ascentia leaned back a bit, but didn't quite pry herself out of Twilight's grip, "Why not?"

Twilight let go of her, "I like your red hair better, okay? I also like it better when it's long. It was gorgeous and so part of your signature appearance. Seeing it different is really jarring."

Ascentia's face softened as she took in the distress on Twilight's face. Laying her hands over her's, she leaned in and kissed her forehead, "...Okay sweetheart. I won't dye it."

"Okay," Twilight sighed with relief and nodded slowly.

Ascentia took her by the hand and led her back to her chair, sitting down and pulling her wife into her lap, "Goodness, you're shaking..."

"I'm fine," Twilight relaxed a little bit, "Please don't cut it so short next time, Kitten."

"Okay, sweetheart," Ascentia cooed softly, snuggling her close and kissing the top of her head, "I'll keep my hair long from now on, okay?"

Reaching up, Twilight tried to run her fingers through her hair, but had barely any to work with. She pouted a little, "Okay."

"So Ci, you were saying something about Penthouse?" Ascentia asked as she snuggled Twilight in her lap as the smaller woman tried in vain to curl her hair around her fingers.

Cielle came back into the room, holding a fajita in her hand, "Hell yeah! I'm meeting with them to go over the contract they drew up. If all goes well, we start shooting next month's issue first thing on Monday!"

"Nice! What'cha gonna be doing?" Rainbow asked eagerly, coming around behind Cielle and cupping her rear.

"They're gonna have me pose with some sex toys, and also doing the cover," Cielle winked, licking her lips, "And that's just the solo shots!"

"What about the non-solo shots?" Ascentia asked, perking up.

Biting into her snack, Cielle swallowed and grinned, "Well, they were really thrilled to hear that I was as pansexual as they come! But I did tell them I was more used to women, so they're gonna start me off with some shots of orgy goodness with other women they've got for the shoot. I've seen their portfolios, they're drop dead gorgeous!"

Ascentia perked up even more, "Ooh! Can you get me a copy?"

"You bet I can!" Cielle nudged her suggestively, "I'll be able to share the samples with you guys before they go to print!"

Ascentia bit her lip and mewled in appreciation, "Nice! Can't wait!"

"Oh yeah! So want!" Rainbow grinned widely, reaching her hand into Cielle's pants.

"Well, good to know!" Cielle purred and grabbed her arm, edging her hand deeper inside, "I'll make sure you gals see 'em first!"

Ascentia giggled at the two of them and nuzzled Twilight's hair, "Sounds great! Thanks Cielle!"

"Are you alright, Twilight?" Cadance asked as they sat at the largest table in the banquet hall with Luna and Celestia, an entire hall of nobles and dignitaries chattering around them.

Twilight placed her soup spoon down and shuddered a bit, trying not to look at anyone, "No. I'm not."

"Whatever is troubling you, Twilight?" Luna asked, peering up from her salad.

Taking a breath, Twilight wrung her fingers nervously, holding them against her lap, "What else? I haven't been to an event like this since I was committed. I haven't been Princess Twilight Sparkle in almost six years. And since it's my first time since I was publically announced as an abuser, aiding and abetting a pedophile and her family-yeah. You can imagine I'm not exactly popular around Canterlot right now."

"Twilight, that's exactly why I asked you to come here," Celestia wiped her mouth on a napkin and smiled, "This is your chance to put an end to all this bitterness. And I'm sure you will," she leaned over and laid a hand onto her shoulder.

Looking up at her former teacher, Twilight sighed and placed her hand over Celestia's, "I hope so, Princess Celestia..."

Celestia patted her back and motioned out to the crowd, "Go. Mingle. Show everyone you're the same Princess we coronated twelve years ago."

"I'll try..." Twilight looked out to the crowd nervously, swallowing hard.

One noble at a far table glanced up, and noticing that Twilight was scouting out the room, quickly turned back to his plate. A few seconds later, his friends started laughing.

As Twilight walked around, plastering on what she hoped was a pleasant smile, she met the gazes of some of the nobles. However, they either quickly glanced away from her, or gave her a disgusted sort of look, or sneered. This was not going off to a good start at all. But what could she do? It was going to be hard to change their minds about her. Especially in her position.

She took a deep breath again, keeping her chin up and her composure intact. 'Princess Celestia's right... It was going to happen sometime. This is my chance to work my way back into being Princess Twilight again. I just have to try my best.'

One woman made soft 'tut' noises as Twilight walked past, and another rolled his eyes. Twilight retreated to the outer edges and paced around the hall until Celestia called for the end of the meal, and everyone made their way into the conference hall, where drinks and soft music were playing.

As Twilight followed, she tried to weave her way into a conversation, with little to no success, one noble even barking at her to leave and return to her hospital cell.

"My apologies..." Twilight said hastily, going back to walking around.

"You know, I don't know how you managed to work up the nerve to show your face here," came the voice of one of the nobles that followed Fancy Pants around everywhere, "After such a scandal. And that poor woman you dared to call your wife."

Twilight froze in place, having to bite back the urge to make a snide retort. But she kept her composure, facing the woman with a polite expression, "Well, I don't expect it to work overnight. But I'm working to get my life on track, as I have been for the past five years and since my release."

The noble scoffed and moved closer to her, tapping her neckline with her finger, "If I were you, I would move countries and not bother Equestria with any of you nonsense ever again. Your dear mother worked very hard to give your family a good name, and all you do is tear it down whenever you have the chance."

This made Twilight's gaze harden slightly, "With all do respect, Miss, you're a little misinformed. That may be true, but you're also forgetting that my mother was also an abusive pedophile. She also raped me on the day I was discharged from the hospital. But that's not important, either. Tonight, I'm going to enjoy myself and hopefully present a good night to all of you. I won't be offended if you wish to leave and be away from my presence."

"I won't stand here and listen to you spread lies about dear Twilight Velvet like those tabloid rabble," the woman huffed, "I don't believe for a second that you've made some kind of turnaround, and neither does anybody else here. You're a violent, cowardly rapist and-"

"There you are, sweetheart!" came a familiar voice from behind Twilight as she felt a pair of soft, firm arms wrap around her and a pair of lips on the top of her head, "I lost you back there! I swear you're so tiny you could hide in Sunny's stuffies!"

"A-Ascentia?" Twilight uttered in surprise, completely taken aback by this. She had so many questions, not least of which how and when she got here.

"Of course!" Ascentia said sweetly, nuzzling the top of her head, "Who's your friend?"

Twilight blinked a few times, "Uh... I-I didn't catch her name..."

"Uh... no matter, Ms Kortai, I was-"

"Mrs Sparkle."

"Of course... Mrs Sparkle... I was just leaving anyway," the woman stammered, smiling nervously as she made a cautious retreat.

"Was she bothering you, sweetheart?" Ascentia asked with a smile as she hugged Twilight from behind.

Twilight nodded a bit, "Yeah... just, telling me all the nonsense I already knew and being a bitch about it. Still... what are you doing here? How did you manage all of this?"

Ascentia let go of her, letting Twilight turn around to look at her, "C'mon Twilight! You can't go to a royal gala without arm candy," she giggled.

Twilight's jaw dropped when she finally turned around to look at her wife. Ascentia had put in hair extensions to stretch her hair down to her back, and had somehow managed to put makeup on for probably the first time since their prom. She'd also donned a dark green dress that stopped at her thighs and thin, pointed dress shoes. To top it all off, Rarity had put the glitter in her hair that Twilight loved so much.

"Kitten..." Twilight gasped, completely taken aback by all of this even moreso, "You... look amazing..."

Ascentia giggled and snaked her arm underneath Twilight's, "Thanks. Took me four hours, and I think Rarity's out of glitter."

Finding herself at a loss for words, Twilight simply opted to walk around with her. Like when she first got here, it brought back a lot of nostalgia. Not just for her first time attending an even like this as a Princess; but also for the times Ascentia had been with her. The Princess and her wife. Like nothing had changed. Everything around her felt the same, yet a bit different in a way. It felt as if she'd never missed a beat. Like she never stopped attending these events.

"Wow..." She murmured to herself, looking all around once more, "I never thought we'd be here like this again..."

Ascentia simply smiled and kissed her cheek, "Mmhmm, it's nice, isn't it?" She tightened her grip on Twilight's arm, tugging her closer.

"I guess it is..." Twilight said, glancing at her, "At least now you and the Princesses are here for moral support. It hasn't been the best evening so far."

"I know," Ascentia pouted, kissing her cheek again, "I heard what the horrible woman was saying to you. I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner."

Twilight looked up at her again, "But... I wasn't expecting you.... I-I came here alone... I didn't want to bother you or any of the girls about it. I wanted to... to be able to do this on my own. Not that I'm not happy to see you! I just... didn't expect this."

"Yeah, Shining told me where you went," Ascentia said with a chuckle, "And no way is my wife facing these jackals without me."

Giving a smile, Twilight hugged her tightly, "...Thank you, Kitten... I-I feel better with you here."

Ascentia squeezed her and sighed happily. Throughout the rest of the night, she hung off Twilight's arm, doing her best to look pretty to leave a good first impression on the incredibly shallow nobles. Many of them were surprised to see Ascentia happily snuggling up to the woman who reportedly raped her for so many years, and yet here she was.

"So Princess Twilight," Fancy Pants asked, "We haven't seen you around Canterlot since you were reinstated. Where have you been hiding all this time, dear?"

"Oh, just back in Ponyville..." Twilight managed a little smile, "I'd been working out the right time to settle myself back here."

"And how is that little girl you have running around?" Fancy Pants asked, giving a tiny chuckle as Ascentia nuzzled up into her neck.

"Sunrise? She's doing very well, actually. Very healthy, vibrant, and just such a joy," Twilight's smile grew, in a combination of talking about her daughter, Ascentia's presence, and feeling a lot better since being here. Then again, if there ever had been something pleasant about Canterlot besides her family and the Princesses, it was Fancy Pants.

"Excellent. My my, someone certainly is affectionate," Fancy Pants chuckled as Ascentia mewled into Twilight's neck, dotting her collarbone with kisses.

Twilight giggled a bit, "Yeah... she does that a lot. One time she was clinging to me all day, even when I was running errands. It was...definitely something."

"And the two of you have been married for how long?" Fancy Pants asked, with a smile to Ascentia as she nibbled Twilight's ear.

"About..." Twilight did the math in her head, "Fourteen years, fifteen next November."

"Goodness, and the two of you still act like you're newlyweds," Fancy Pants chuckled, "If only more marriages could be like your's."

Twilight smiled bashfully, "Well... we've been through so much, and I guess you can say it made our relationship stronger. She's really put up with so much when it comes to me, and I just... can't even begin to describe just how much it means to me."

Ascentia curled her arms around Twilight's shoulders and kissed her cheek, "I love you too, Lilac," she said softly, sucking her earlobe.

One of the women giggled, "Oh to be young and lively again," she said sweetly.

"You two are sweet," said one of the other women, giggling too.

Ascentia giggled, "Thank you, ma'am," she twirled her fingers in Twilight's hair and pouted, "My poor little Lilac's been having it so tough. It's nice to get out and enjoy ourselves."

Twilight blushed a bit, shifting her weight on her feet.

"Awww... well, you two should have a lovely time!" Said the first lady, smiling brightly, "And why not, indeed? I think it's very brave of you two to come out like this."

"...You really think so?" Twilight asked.

"Oh goodness yes," Fancy Pants nodded, "Not that I believe such garbage, but Cantelot tabloids have been having a field day with you for the past four months."

"Yeah, it was part of why I wasn't feeling good to come back here," Twilight admitted, shaking her head, "My mother's death and my friend's own.. tribulations being broadcasted didn't help."

"We felt bad," said the second lady, "Especially when we saw that conference video! It was amazing."

"Yeah! It was really brave of you both," the first woman agreed.

Twilight blushed, "Well, thank you..."

"I must say, in retrospect, it's hard to believe such forceful words came from... well," Fancy Pants indicated to Ascentia, who was currently mewling into Twilight's hair as she nuzzled her, "The human kit-"

"Don't call her that," Twilight said quickly, "Only I call her that, anyone else does and she'll lose it."

Fancy Pants paused for a minute, "This lovely fluffball here."

Now Twilight laughed, "Fluffball! I like that... it works so perfectly!"

Ascentia pulled back and pouted, "Don't call me a fluffball, Twiley," she mewled.

"I am immune to your pouts!" Twilight stuck her tongue out playfully.

Ascentia giggled and leaned in, kissing her softly as she squeezed her shoulders closer.

Laughing, Twilight returned it for a moment or two, then pulled away, "Oh, no fair."

"How is it not fair?" Ascentia giggled, kissing her nose.

"You know what that does to me!" Twilight pouted.

"And what does it do to you, Princess?" Ascentia said with a smirk as she nuzzled her again.

"Need I spell it out?" Twilight pouted more, but was unable to resist. She looked to her left, seeing a few women approaching them, "Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh? Uh-oh what?" Ascentia asked, looking where Twilight was looking.

"Those women... they, uh, never liked me when they found out what I did," Twilight cringed, "I bet they're coming to chew me out."

The three women strode over in a huff, stopping at their table, "How dare you show your face in this city," one of them growled, "After the disgrace you've made of Canterlot!"

Twilight sighed a little bit, giving them an indifferent look, "Ma'am, I'm going to have to kindly ask you not to make a scene."

The woman glared down at her, "Make a scene? Make a scene?! I don't know who you think you are, Princess Twilight, but here in Canterlot we have standards. And we do not allow filth like you to freely degrade our lovely city!"

Sighing again, Twilight stood up, "Ma'am, would you like to direct your complaints to Princess Celestia? She was the one who invited me to this function, as to reinstate my position. If you'd like to blame someone, she's the one responsible for asking me here. I have nothing to hide. You can ask her yourself."

"Did somebody call for me?" came Celestia's sweet tone as she approached from the royal table, "What seems to be the trouble, ma'am?"

The three women gaped in shock, completely speechless.

"Come now, that was quite a racket the four of you were making not two minutes ago," Celestia smiled, "Is something the matter?"

"We... We were... concerned about Princess Twilight's appearance..." One of them stammered.

"Oh? Why is that?" Celestia asked, sitting down at the table.

"W-Well... She's... She's a convicted felon and mental patient..."

"There's no telling when her abusive... tendencies may arise..."

Princess Celestia nodded, "All reasonable concerns. But, if you don't mind me saying, Ascentia is right here. If there were anybody to raise a serious objection, it would be her."

She looked over to Ascentia, who had wrapped her arms back around Twilight's shoulders and was in the process of settling herself into her lap.

"They seem quite happy these days," Celestia smiled.

"Yeah, but..." The first woman uttered, still at a loss for words, "Princess Celestia, why is she even here? All she seems to do is put a taint on Canterlot's good name!"

"I fail to see how she taint's Canterlot's name," Celestia retorted kindly, "She is a kind, generous, family woman. She has gone above and beyond for all of Equestria. Frankly if there is anybody to blame for her past transgressions, it would be me for laying far more responsibility and stress upon such a young woman than I ought to have."

Twilight looked at her with shock, "Princess, no! Don't blame yourself for that, you didn't mean to... If it's anyone's fault, it's my own for making those choices... As a Princess I should have handle the responsibilities a lot better."

Celestia held a hand up to silence her and continued, "It would not be the first time my own neglect had led to someone else's fall," she explained kindly, glancing back to her sister, who waved eagerly, oblivious to the conversation at their table.

"I..." Twilight had no words, but couldn't help giving her former teacher a hug. While she could understand what Celestia meant by it all, it broke her heart to see her now blaming herself for her own shortcomings. Nonetheless, the gesture was sweet, and she didn't even care that this was happening in front of some... noble bitches, as some would say.

Celestia smiled warmly and returned the hug, kissing the top of Twilight's head, "Now, is that all, or was there something you wished to add?" she asked the three women with the same warm smile.

Not responding, the three women just walked off, at a fast pace, whispering to themselves.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Twilight?" Celestia asked as Twilight pulled away from her.

"I am now," Twilight beamed, "This night just gets better and better."

"That's good to hear," Celestia smiled, "Ascentia, it's good to see you could make it."

"Thanks for the invite," Ascentia smiled.

"Think nothing of it," Celestia grinned, "You and Twilight are like family to me."

"And family she is," Twilight kissed Ascentia's cheek, "But... you told me to come alone. Why didn't you tell me she was invited, too?"

Celestia giggled, "I thought Ascentia arriving would be a very pleasant surprise for you," she leaned over and kissed Twilight's cheek, "And the way your face lit up when she got here? No way did I want to miss that."

Blushing a little, Twilight smiled brightly and gave her a kiss on the cheek too, "You really know how to surprise me."

"Anything for my favorite student," Celestia grinned.

Giving a laugh, Twilight hugged her, "I don't expect anything more from my favourite teacher."

"Thanks for this, Celestia," Ascentia smiled, nuzzling Twilight's neck, "It's not that often I get to girly up for my Twiley."

"You do look lovely, Ascentia," Celestia complimented her.

"I'll say she does," Twilight agreed, giving her wife a wink.

Ascentia blushed, covering her cheek with her hand, "Oh you guys, you're just trying to get in my panties," she giggled.

"What? We're paying you innocent compliments, you goof!" Twilight laughed, "Although, that's also part of it."

Ascentia giggled, "Oh I'll bet it is."

Celestia chuckled, "I have a wandering eye. Sue me."

"I can think of much better things to do with you, Princess," Twilight smiled, giggling behind her hand.

Celestia raised an eyebrow, "My my, Twilight. How dare you say such things about your teacher," she giggled.

"Oh, but it could mean a million things," Twilight smiled.

"But you didn't mean a million things, did you?" Ascentia smirked.

"You don't know that," Twilight winked at her.

"Okay, what were you thinking of doing with me?" Celestia smirked.

Twilight blushed a bit, looking away as she scratched her head, "Oh, well... you know... I've had my share of fantasies..."

Ascentia giggled, looking Celestia up and down, "I can see why. You're gorgeous, Celestia."

"Thank you, Ascentia."

"How old are you anyway? 40's?" Ascentia asked.

"Sixty eight," Celestia corrected.

"...Can I just say I still don't believe that?" Twilight uttered, "But, hey... it can happen."

"Someone that hot pushing seventy, or a seventy year-old boinking her student?" Ascentia asked.

Twilight opened her mouth to answer, considered, and then sat back, "I'm not even sure. Maybe both."

Celestia chuckled and stood up, "Alright, I'll leave you two lovebird alone. Enjoy the party," she kissed Twilight's cheek again and left, leaving the two of them alone as Twilight's eyes rolled over Ascentia's dress.

"You know, Kitten... You just played a part in helping restore my reputation and my career," Twilight beamed, placing a hand on her thigh.

Ascentia beamed and laid her hand over Twilight's, "I'm glad. It's nice that you can go back to work. I know how much you loved it."

"I did, and it's great to be back," Twilight leaned closer to her, "And I'm just going to have make sure I reward you... Even if I have to take off that pretty dress to do it."

Ascentia giggled, "Oh I had no doubt it'd be coming off as soon as we got home," she grinned, flashing Twilight the sexiest face she could muster.

"Forget that, I'm taking you up to my old bedroom for a bit. We have time before Princess Celestia formally announces my reinstation..." Twilight purred, winking.

Ascentia bit her lip and crossed her legs, looking around the room, "Forget that, let's go to the banquet hall over there. It's closer."

Twilight licked her cheek, "Let's go then, Kitten."

Taking a quick look around them, Ascentia jumped up and quietly followed Twilight into the banquet hall, closing the door behind them. Ascentia barely had time to turn around before Twilight grabbed her and pushed her up against one of the tables, just barely able to plant her hand on it and keep herself upright.

"You are in for a huge reward, Kitten," Twilight purred, advancing against her.

"Kitten likes getting rewards," Ascentia smiled, stretching her long legs out and leaning back ever so slightly.

"Good, because Kitten will get tons of that tonight," Twilight ran her hands up her thighs sensually.

Ascentia grinned and parted her legs, reaching one hand down to straghten her dress.

"And you know, I am getting a little hungry..." Twilight's eyes bore into hers as she licked her lips.

"I watched you down half a turkey this evening," Ascentia giggled, though her smirk never once left her face.

"It was delicious and I hadn't eaten since breakfast," Twilight pouted, but then lifted her skirt, "And I didn't mean for food..."

"I know you didn't," Ascentia giggled as Twilight lifted her dress, quickly discovering that Ascentia had neglected to wear panties.

"Good to know," Twilight winked, "Well well, look who forgot her panties... Kitten, you knew this was going to happen..."

Ascentia giggled harder and looked away, scrunching her lips up, "Maaaaaaaybe..."

Twilight giggled and grinned, "Awww, you know what that face does to me!"

Ascentia looked down at her, scrunching up her lips even more as she gave Twilight big puppy dog eyes.

"That's my Kitten..." Twilight trailed a hand along her thighs, slowly reaching her goal. Ascentia moaned softly as Twilight's fingers brushed against her sex, leaning forward and capturing Twilight's lips in her own.

Wasting no time, Twilight slipped her fingers up her entrance and proceeded to thrust. She kissed back, running her tongue along Ascentia's lips and prying them apart. Ascentia shivered as her arms came up to wrap around Twilight's shoulders, suckling her tongue as it probed into her mouth. Shuddering under her ministrations, she pulled her close as her fingers curled around her dress.

"I love you..." she whispered as she pulled her mouth away for just a moment.

"I love you too," Twilight whispered, exploring her fingers a bit faster.

Ascentia moaned breathlessly, her back arching as she clung tightly to Twilight's shoulders. Leaning back, she pulled Twilight into another kiss, chewing her bottom lip as the tingling in her spine intensified.

"Mmm..." Twilight hummed against her lips sensually, inserting a third finger into Ascentia's entrance.

Ascentia whimpered softly as she clung to her, running her tongue over Twilight's lips, "Mmm... You must really like this dress," she giggled.

"It's a lovely dress... and easy to get off you."

Ascentia brought her legs up and curled them around Twilight's waist, licking along her neck, "That's why I chose it..."

"Might as well do just that!" Twilight smirked, lifting her dress off her head and the hem around her neck, removing her fingers from her sex. Ascentia lifted her arms as Twilight slipped it off of her, leaving her naked on the banquet table, exposed to anyone who may happen to walk through the door.

Curling her legs tighter around Twilight's waist, Ascentia sat back and pushed her chest out toward her, giving her a 'come hither' look as she chewed her finger.

"Ooh good... you're a good Kitty..." Twilight purred, leaning down and proceeding to suckle her breasts. Ascentia exhaled softly and reached her hand around to stroke Twilight's hair, chewing her own lip as Twilight suckled her.

"Mmm..." Twilight hummed, squeezing her other breast with a free hand, "Did you put on body butter, Kitten? It sure tastes like it..."

Ascentia nodded, "It was Rarity's idea..."

Twilight grinned, "I like it... Makes you quite exotic and delicious," she licked and nibbled along her breast teasingly.

Ascentia smiled and kissed the top of Twilight's head, "I'll wear it more often, then," she whispered, humming softly as Twilight licked along her skin.

"Sooo delicious..." Twilight purred, licking down to her stomach, "I could just eat you all over..."

"Oh, she rubbed it all over me," Ascentia whispered, "I could see her face getting red..."

"She's been with you before and it still made her flushed?" Twilight giggled, "Ooh la la..."

"I'm tall, toned, and gorgeous," Ascentia smirked, stroking Twilight's rear with her leg, "Frankly all five of them couldn't keep their eyes off me."

"Oooh, no kidding," Twilight purred in agreement, going lower on her stomach, "You really are by far one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen in my life."

Ascentia's smirk fell, and was replaced by a deep blush as she pressed her knuckles to her mouth, "Wow... really?"

"Absolutely," Twilight kissed her stomach, "One of the things I noticed about you wasn't just your hair, but definitely just how attractive you were. Yet you carried yourself in a way that you just didn't care. By that I mean you weren't flaunting it. I don't know, I found that very interesting."

Ascentia's blush deepened as she leaned down and kissed the top of Twilight's head, "Wow... thank you, Twilight. Great, now I can't tell if it was me who seduced you or the other way around," she giggled.

"Maybe we both kind of did," Twilight winked.

"Maybe..." Ascentia leaned back as Twilight kissed her navel, raking her teeth over one of her scars, just barely visible under the gloss of her body butter.

"You must have put on a lot," Twilight murmured, gently tracing the scar with her finger.

"That's an old one, so it's faded," Ascentia whispered, cooing as Twilight tickled her stomach.

"True," Twilight murmured, looking along her torso at the visible scars.

Some of them, she knew how and when they were inflicted. Others were from accidents of sorts. Twilight felt conflicted in some ways about seeing them like this. Painful reminders of the abuse in the past. She sighed softly, kissing one of them.

"You okay, sweetheart?" Ascentia asked, tilting her head as she rubbed her back with her foot.

"Yeah, I am," Twilight murmured, "Sometimes it's just... looking at them tugs my heartstrings."

Ascentia hooked her hands under Twilight's arms and pulled her up to her level, kissing her cheek softly as she mewled into her neck, "Hey hey, don't you be getting all sad on me now," she said softly, rubbing Twilight's back.

Giggling, Twilight kissed her cheek, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I know I can't... undo what I did, same for those scars. But I'm still going to do my best. At least it's managed to work so far, now."

Ascentia nodded, "Let's talk about this when we get home, alright? For now, this is a happy moment," she smiled, trailing her hand over Twilight's cheek, "...the happiest moment of my life." Next Chapter: It Never Happened Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 57 Minutes