I woke with a start to some banging on the walls, the noise echoing throughout my room. I felt my body jolt from being awoken suddenly, and I took in a deep breath, trying to get my bearings. Glancing around the room absent-mindedly in my morning stupor, my head tried to find out what was causing that racket. The door was shaking. That must have been it.

Rolling over on my bed, I saw the floor come up to hit me in the face. As I rubbed my stinging muzzle, I cursed at myself for not reacting fast enough to block it with my legs. I got up and walked over to the door, it still shaking from the incessant pounding it was receiving. Raising a hoof to the lever and pushing down, the door automatically swung open and almost struck my nose. My room seemed to have something against it.

There was something blurry in my face, a kind of light purple and green blob. I tried to focus a bit, squinting my eyes. After a moment, I could see big pink orbs, too, getting closer and... I jumped back in fright as my sister formed in front of me, her beaming face and wide eyes kind of creeping me out.

"Cloudy!" she yelled, causing me to hold my head. I really didn't get enough sleep. "Do you know what today is?" Trying to navigate my memories at this point was nearly a futile effort. I glanced up at her mane and noticed she was wearing a large pink daisy on the side of her ear instead of her donning usual bow. I couldn't help but notice it was really pretty... and it matched her eyes. My own widened as it all came back to me, remembering why she bought the flower in the first place.

"The Spring Soiree, right?" I smiled as she nodded fervently. "That's today? I coulda sworn it was in two days or so..." Looking to the side, I tried to think, but it was a fruitless effort while I was still pretty much asleep.

"Well, it IS in two days, but today I've really gotta get a stallion to go with!" I blinked and remained quiet, waiting for her to talk my ear off as usual. "You'll help me, right? I mean, I know you don't have somepony to go with and all..." Shooting her a stern look, there was a reason for that, although she didn't know it at the time. "But maybe we could even find a pair... You know, like a double date! With the two of us, it should be a cinch! Colts go crazy over twins."

Sighing, I drooped my head, giving up. I've kind of been putting off doing all of that stuff, mainly because, well, I wasn't... out of the closet, as they say. I didn't want to go because of that, besides, I didn't have anypony to go with. Still, I wanted to make her happy.

"All right, I give up," I replied, looking up at her. "I'll go colt-hunting with you today, Flitter." Giggling, she pranced in place with glee for a moment before skipping into her room just on the right, a definite spring in her step. I watched her go in before backing into my room again, shutting my door.

Walking over to the bed in the far corner on the right, I let myself flop onto the covers and buried my head in my pillow. A muffled, frustrated groan came from the pillow before I spun around to lay on my back, staring at the ceiling. My head had begun to clear up a bit, and I thought a bit about the big event coming up.

The Spring Soiree... Every year it comes, one of the biggest parties in Ponyville, at least one that's run by the mayor. A party where everypony shows up with at least somepony by their side... It wasn't exactly required to have a partner, but I'd look like a loser if I had shown up by myself! It was better to just not go, since I didn't have anypony.

I turned my head over to the right and gazed at the cloud-pattern curtains covering the window. Continuing to reflect, I sighed, trying not to fall back asleep. While I knew I wasn't into colts, I wasn't really ready to show everypony just yet, even though there are a few mare couples around Ponyville that I know of, so it wasn't uncommon, at least. It was something that I had to get over soon, though, if I wanted to ask a special somepony to be mine for the party... A nice mare, that is. Although, I didn't exactly know who I liked the most.

Who could I go with? There were a few options, and I made a little checklist in my thoughts, trying to concentrate as I rested my forelegs behind my head. I needed to be sure that the mare I'd ask was both available and liked mares too... Looking around was going to be hard, I said to myself.

Obviously, the top of the list would be that one popular pegasus that hangs around Ponyville often, Rainbow Dash. Really strong, really cool, really... hot. I always felt myself blushing whenever she boasted about, especially that one time when she looked me in the eyes. Even as I laid in my bed, I could feel my face becoming warm at the thought of her. I sighed out of hopelessness, however; there was no way I could get such a popular pony to go with me. No doubt somepony as great as Rainbow already had somepony for the party. I crossed her off my mental list.

There was one of those three sisters that work at the flower shop down the road. I was pretty sure they all swung that way, but I had a feeling they were all taken by somepony, though not sure who. Maybe I should ask, anyway. Roseluck was usually more sweet to me than the other two, so I decided to check with her, at least. We were likely to stop by the shop again, although they're pretty busy due to the party coming up. Check.

Who else could be available? My mind wandered for a little while, trying to figure out some more ponies to ask, but... I knew that I probably wouldn't get a chance to ask any of them to go with me. Flitter was going to take me with her and force me to get with a stallion, even though I'm not into them. I rolled onto my side feeling a bit frustrated, my shaggy morning mane falling over my face. I didn't want to go with her, but I did want to make her happy. Seeing her in a good mood always cheered me up, and it was my responsibility to keep her that way as the older sister by a couple minutes.

Smiling, I hopped out of bed and stepped across the room to the closet to pick out a nice bow to fancy up my mane, of course, after it's given a good brushing. I opened the door, finding myself face-to-face with a giant clothes monster. Before I could react, it fell on top of me, burying me in the various garments and causing me to fall to the floor. Underneath the mound, I laid there limp, letting out a defeated sigh at having forgotten I stuffed everything in there when trying to clean my room for Mom. I seriously had too many clothes.

After digging myself out, I sifted through the pile to try and find a bow, tossing the rejects aside. Blue dress, pink dress, purple dress, red ribbon, purple ribbon, periwinkle -- There was the one I needed. I smiled as I held it up to me, it having a cloud design all along its length. Taking it into my mouth, I walked over to the door, opening it and turning to Flitter's room just on my right to get some help with styling my mane.

Her door was ajar. I was about to go inside before I paused, hearing something from within. Nudging it open while peering carefully through the crack, I could see my sister sitting on a stool. She was humming a sweet tune at her beauty desk on the far wall, her soft singing voice tickling my ears, filling me with a strange kind of chill. A brush ran through her sleek, bright sea green mane, all of it easily coming together into her usual straight and prim kind of style.

"Oh, Cloudy, I didn't know you were there!" She spun around with a blush and stopped her humming and brushing, me not having realized I had walked all of the way into the room. I felt my own face redden a little due to having been transfixed. "Did you need something?" I hesitated a moment before remembering what I was doing, spitting out the ribbon onto my hoof.

"Uh... Oh, I could use your help with some brushing," I said with a smile, regaining my composure. "You know I can never get my style just right without your magic touch." She grinned at me as I stepped over to the desk, placing the cloudy accessory on the desk. I then stood next to her to take a good look at myself in the mirror. My eyes widened for a moment as the bird's nest I call a mane came into view. It looked like it exploded! Sighing, I cursed at my tendency to roll around in bed a lot while sleeping. The faintest hint of her giggling reached my ears at my reaction.

"Okay, I'll do you, then, in just a sec..." I watched her continue grooming herself for a few moments. With a couple more quick strokes of the brush, she whipped her mane around and gave the mirror an enchanting glare with eyelash-batting. Perfect, if I do say so myself. Smiling, she turned to me and backed off the stool so I could take a turn.

"Thanks, Sis," I said as I sat down, looking into our reflection with her behind me. She took a spray bottle to wet my mane a bit before going at it with a long brush to tame it down.

Smiling, I closed my eyes, letting myself enjoy the treatment I was being given, feeling my wings twitch a little. I never really knew why, but getting brushed always gave me a kind of soothing, fuzzy feeling; I mean, only with my sister, I noticed. Grooming by mom and some friends were nice and all, but it wasn't the same. It was probably just because of the connection we had, being twins and all. Opening my eyes again,

"Flitter, do I really have to go-- AAGH!" I clutched my head in tears as she tugged hard on some tangles, causing my wings to flare and almost knock her over. They folded again after a moment.

"Yes, Cloudy, you have to go! I dunno why you don't wanna go, anyway, what's with that?" She gave me a stern expression as she continued, my face having worry in it, the pain from the pulling subsiding. "Hold still... Everypony's gonna be there, couples all over Ponyville, so we wouldn't wanna be looked at as -- well -- losers, do we?" My face dropped a little, and I found myself staring at the brushes on the desk. I could show up with some stallion I didn't really like, or even know at all. There were also the options of going alone, or simply not going, but however I look at it, it seemed like a lose/lose situation. I breathed out another sigh, glancing back up at Flitter.

"Well, Sis," I mumbled, "I'm, um..." I pursed my lips before I could say it: I'm a lesbian. All of the annoying thoughts crept back into my head again. Why wasn't I able to say it, especially to my sister? It's not like lesbians were that uncommon around here. They weren't really frowned upon... were they? I didn't want to take the risk. Flitter was chatty a lot of the time, and I didn't want it getting out just yet; I wasn't ready. I remained silent for a while before my sister spoke up again.

"...What is it?" she asked, a look of concern on her face now. She had started to use a fine brush to flare out my mane just how I like it, cheering me up a little as my style began taking form.

"It's... I--" My voice broke for a moment. "No reason, that's all." I glanced to the side at nothing in particular, shying away from the obvious lie. Flitter remained quiet, not asking any further, but I knew she could tell I was feeling down.

"...Cloudy," my sister said quietly, "you've been kinda out of it lately because of the Spring Soiree, haven't you? Well, I'm your sister, and you can talk to me whenever you want, okay?" She gave a light grin to my reflection, her stirring words cheering me up a bit, and made me return a smile back to the mirror. I thought I was the bigger sister.

With some finishing flicks of the brush, the top of my mane was styled just how I liked it. The front was easily taken care of with quick swipes; the back of it along with my tail just needed some smoothing. All done! Gazing into the mirror, I turned my head side to side with a wide grin, joyous of my dear sister's work. She really was a great stylist.

"You're so great at this, Sis," I stated, "wouldn't know what to do without you."

"Oh, it's nothing, really," she replied with a sheepish smile, batting a hoof out. "Needs the finishing touch." She leaned over to grab my ribbon with her mouth, and I could smell her as her neck was just to the side of my nose. The faint, but strong scent of roses filled my nostrils until she stood straight again. I found myself staring blankly at the mirror as my bow was tied, bringing the top of my mane to a real fluff. A few moments passed as I realized she was done. I smiled again as I saw the edges of the cloudy ribbon flutter around when I whipped my mane about, and I stood up to get a closer look at the two of us. I was pretty. She was gorgeous.

"Okay, so we look great!" she exclaimed, turning towards the door. "Let's go knock them stallions dead!" As I gazed into my reflection while she exited the room, I could see my expression become sullen again. These feelings of mine were going to grate at me for a long time to come, if I didn't deal with them. I sighed again, hanging my head.

A few moments passed before I stood up and headed into the hall, turning right and going to the living room. My mind was still a bit stuck on my feelings, only seeming to get worse the more I thought about it all. Shaking my head and breathing deep, I tried to concentrate on the day ahead, letting myself slump onto the soft couch. I stretched my wings and legs a bit as I laid there, groaning from the tension. Relaxing again after hearing Flitter scramble around in the kitchen, I rested my head on its side as my gaze shifted towards its doorway. I guessed she must have been making a little breakfast for us. She was far too sweet to me sometimes... I needed to make it up to her. Of course, going colt-hunting with her was stressful, but it wasn't so personal. I decided to try and figure out a little something to do for her today, feeling a little smile come across my face as I closed my eyes from relaxation.

"Cloudy!" My eyes opened suddenly to my sister's voice, and I saw the living room was tilted. "You fell asleep! And you're going to mess up your mane again..." I automatically started to move a hoof up to check on it, but I stopped after figuring I'd mess it up.

"Sorry, Flitter," I apologized, sitting up on the couch. "I stayed up too late lastnight." My memories went back there as I attempted to rub the tiredness out of my eyes, but she started talking again.

"You really should ask for some more time off or something," she said with concern in her eyes. "It's not good to work so much, Cloudy..." I looked up at her with a little surprise, but she didn't seem to notice. "Come on, I made us a salad for breakfast before we go out." She walked off into the kitchen, and I jumped up to follow her.

Just when she commented on my job at the weather factory, she reminded me about something. Thinking to myself, I'd noticed that Flitter was a bit more... caring about what I've been up to lately. Slowly but surely, she had started asking me about my day more, curious about the littlest things. For the past few months, I've talked with her at length about nothing at all lots more than I did when we were tiny fillies; we actually go out and do stuff together. It's like we were finally becoming close sisters. I smiled again as I came into the kitchen, stepping just to the right and taking a seat at a far end of the dinner table.

I took a good look at what she made, examining the bowl set for me, seeing that the salad she put together was simple: Just some broad lettuce leaves with carrot chunks, along with some radish slices to help wake me up. I lowered my head into the bowl to take a big bite, looking up at my sister who was sitting on the opposite side of me. I glanced around the table and noticed that she didn't place a bowl for Mom, staring at her usual spot for a few moments. I sat up and started to speak.

"Where's Mom?" I asked a bit muffled, my full mouth spitting bits of food over the table every which way. Flitter made a pained expression as she stared at me. I continued to chew on my salad, oblivious to what I just did.

"...Oh yeah, you were asleep," she replied with an annoyed expression, stepping over to me and wiping up my mess with a napkin. "Mom said she's going to stay at her boyfriend's until the Soiree is over." I rolled my eyes at that, and I could tell that my sister did, too. "We'll be on our own for a few days, then."

"Not like we can't do without her, anyway," I said callously, swallowing my food and leaning down for more. I still thought that the two of us needed to just get away from this house, due to us really getting tired of living with Mom; I was getting close to having enough money to do just that, myself. Flitter sat back down at her spot and ate a bit slow, unlike me. She seemed to be deep in thought, and I wondered if she was thinking about moving out, too. Swallowing the food in my mouth, I stared at her chewing her food in silence.

"...Flitter, I've been thinking about leaving," I piped up as I looked down at my bowl, making her perk up and widen her eyes. "You know, getting my own house somewhere in Ponyville." She didn't say anything for a few seconds, which made me look up; she was staring at me.

"Oh, that's... great!" she lied with a smile. Flitter was never a good liar. "I'm happy for you! Going out on your own... Independent, by yourself, um..." I saw that she started stirring the contents of her bowl with a hoof. "...I hope I can get away soon, too, Cloudy." Her fake smile made me feel sorry for her. I knew I couldn't leave her alone, of course. I planned to take her all along.

"I'm taking you with me, silly." I grinned at her as I said it, and her expression brightened. With her face beaming, she hopped off her chair and walked quickly towards me. I held my hooves out to repel her, since I knew she was going to give me a vicegrip of a hug.

"Flitter, you're gonna mess up my mane!" I giggled as she leaned over me, trying to get a grip around me to show her appreciation, but I did my best to keep her back. "C'mon, quit it-- No!" My sister used one of her hooves to get me right on my tickle spot near my belly. I couldn't help but burst out laughing, which made me lower my guard so she could squeeze me tight. Calming down, I returned her hug, but it wasn't as strong as the one she gave me.

"Oh, Cloudy! How come you didn't tell me sooner?" She let up, leaning back to look at me face-to-face with a broad smile; Flitter really was adorable at times.

"I've been saving up money, you know," I stated matter-of-factly, "that's why I've been working so hard at the factory. I wanna get a decent house, with your help, of course!" Grinning, I saw that she was happy with the idea. She gave me another hug, though not as tight as the last.

"Don't worry, Cloudy, I'll definitely help. I wanna live with just you!" I rubbed her back for a moment before pushing her away.

"Okay, let's finish eating, then we can go out, okay?"

"Mm-hmm!" She pranced back to her seat, the two of us resuming our breakfast with renewed vigor. It felt nice to cheer up my sister.

We soon finished our food, and after putting away the bowls, I walked into the living room, ready to go out. Sis followed me soon after, and we stepped over to the front door together. Grabbing my light blue saddle bag with a star clasp off a peg on the wall, I slipped it on and looked over my shoulder to Flitter who inspected the contents.

"Money's still there from when we had lunch yesterday," she stated. "Think we should start at the donut shop?" The reminder of what we were going out to do disheartened me a little, but I tried to keep my face happy for her.

"Yeah, that sounds good." I got the slightest feeling that she noticed my expression had changed, but I couldn't be sure. She nodded in agreement.

"Okay, let's go!" she exclaimed, excited to prepare for the Spring Soiree. Nodding back to her, I stepped towards the door and pushed down on the lever, then swung the door inward. Bowing to Flitter as if to let ladies go first, she giggled and exited the house, and I followed her afterward, shutting the door behind me.