Brains and Brawlers

by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof

First published 14th of October, 2016

The romantic adventures of mis-matched couple Sci-Twi and Gilda

A collection of random stories about the romantic adventures (or mis-adventures) between the street tough Gilda Goldwing, and the brilliant Twilight Sparkle of earth. Can two young women from very different backgrounds find a way to make things work out?

(This is going to be one of those "as I get the idea" anthology type of stories. As such, they will be written more when I get the idea and in no particular order.)

Home After The Fight

Twilight Sparkle grimaced as she looked around the neighborhood they had pulled into. Being from a pretty well-off family, Twilight had lived her entire life in the suburbs of Canterlot. It was a nice -- if boring looking -- neighborhood. Something that in her more frustrated moods, Twilight's mother would call "cookie cutter." All of the houses were of the same size and shape, with only a limited variety of colors (which must be approved by "the damnable neighborhood association," as her father would put it). Each and every lawn was of the same size and shape, with strict regulations on how long it would be allowed to grow (Twilight had once seen an association member on a neighbor's lawn, measuring the grass with a ruler). Any variations -- such as gardens, fences, lawn ornaments, or changes to the houses -- all had to be approved by the neighborhood association, who demanded all requests be submitted in writing -- in triplicate -- at least two months prior to being reviewed.

The neighborhood that a faded and cracking wooden sign called "Griffonstone Estates" did not look anything like her neighborhood. It was hard to make it all out in the dark, and made all the harder since many of the street lights seemed to be broken for some reason. What she could make out, however, was quite different. Some of the houses looked so small, it must have barely been enough space for a single person to live in. Not quite the tiny house trend she had heard about, but close. Others were wide or tall. There were even some apartment buildings. During a turn, Twilight caught sight of a yard that was covered in pebbles instead of grass.

Rainbow Dash pulled into the driveway of what looked like a pretty nice house. Or it would be if it was a better taken care of. While not a big house, it was on the larger side. The headlights revealed that the paint was cracking and pealing from the sides of it. The three girls got out, making their way to the door. Gilda took the lead, pulling the keys as she made her way to the door. Despite there being no light on, she managed to unlock it without trouble.

"Come on in," Gilda said.

Twilight was the last in, shutting the door behind her. The living room looked.. outdated? The walls were covered in a glossy wooden paneling that Twilight was pretty sure she had seen in movies from the seventies or something. The carpets were a densely packed fabric that was industrial brown in color, the kind that was easy to clean and hide dirt. There were various pictures and other bits of memorabilia scattered about, including a large number of photos on top two shelf bookcase.

"I'm gonna wash up," Gilda said as she continued further into the house. "Dash, grab me a soda. You two can help yourself if you want."

"Sure," Dash said as she headed a different direction. "You want one Twi?"

"Yes, please," Twilight answered. Since the other two were somewhat busy, she decided to head over to the bookcase and look at the pictures on it.

"Black cherry or lemon lime?" Dash called out.

"Cherry."

One of the pictures was of a couple, dressed in a suit and wedding gown. The man had golden brown skin and white hair, dark brown eyes narrowed as he looked at the camera with a small smile. Next to him, the woman had dark grey skin and light purple hair, her golden eyes wide as she grinned at the camera. Another picture showed the couple together, hands resting on the woman's pregnant stomach. Like in the wedding picture, the woman was grinning warmly while the man had a stoic smile.

The rest of the pictures seemed to have the woman missing. Several were of the man with a child that Twilight guessed was Gilda. The last few, however, were of Gilda by herself. There was a noticeable change in the girl's mood. In the pictures with the man, she had a wide, happy smile, like what was presumably her mother. In the pictures of her alone, she either scowled or gave the small smile of her father.

Something could suddenly touched the small of Twilight Sparkle's back, causing her to jump and yelp out in surprise. The sound of laughter filled the air behind her.

"Sorry," Rainbow Dash said, still chuckling. "Couldn't help myself." She held the can up. "Your drink."

Twilight took the can and turned back to the pictures. She opened the can and took a sip, tasting the slight hint of tart to counter the sugary sweetness of the soda.

"Decided to check out the family photos?" Dash asked.

"Yeah," Twilight answered. "But... why aren't there any of Gilda with her mom?"

"Don't know," Dash said with a shrug. "Never asked, and Gilda never told me."

"So it's just her and her dad?"

"Grandpa." Rainbow Dash pointed. She pointed at one of the pictures. "Gilda's dad was in the air force. Pretty cool guy, if a little uptight. Took me and Gilda to see The Wonderbolts once." She grinned. "Gilda and I both wanted to be totally awesome stunt pilots after that." The smile vanished. "Then like a decade or so ago, he got..." she snapped her fingers. "What's it called? When soldiers are sent out into the field?"

"Deployed."

"Yeah, that. Anyway, he got deployed and something happened." Rainbow Dash then pointed at the first picture of stoic Gilda. "G was never really the same after that. Kinda started loosing touch after that."

"You lost touch with her?" Twilight asked. "What changed?"

"The other Twi," Dash answered. "After she got me and the girls talking again, I thought about how close Gilda and I used to be, so I got a hold of her."

Twilight nodded taking another drink of her soda. She continued to look at the pictures, thinking about what she saw. It was kind of odd in a way. The Gilda she met was this tall, buff, tough looking woman that seemed to like fighting. It was hard to see the adorable little girl with the big grin on her face. Then again, how much had Twilight changed since she was that age? Would someone who looked at her pictures when she was a child recognize the adult she was now? How different would she be if she had lost her parents?

When she got home, she was going to give her parents a big hug.

"No beer?" Rainbow Dash asked, causing Twilight to turn to her curiously.

"Gramps stopped drinking," Gilda answered, "and the guy I bought it from got busted." She held up her hand. "Toss it here."

Twilight watched as Rainbow Dash tossed a soda can to Gilda, then stared at the returned girl. Gilda's short white hair was slightly wet, making it spike up all the more. Her face glistened with the water that she had used to watch the dried blood off. She brought the soda up to her face, pressing the cold metal against one of her bruised eyes and the side of her nose.

What really had Twilight's attention was that Gilda had changed her clothes. No longer was she in her jacket, white tee, and jeans. Instead she was wearing a camisole shirt with a bare mid-riff, and a pair of boxer shorts. There was also a noticeable lack of a bra. Now, Twilight could take in a lot more Gilda's body. Not only could she see those broad shoulders and muscular arms, but her long, toned legs as well.

Twilight could practically picture her sculpted out of marble. A Greco-Roman statue of a might amazonian warrior, tall and proud.

Shifting, Twilight pressed her legs together as she felt her knees wobble.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Rainbow Dash asked, tilting her head at Gilda.

"This is what I wear when I sleep now," Gilda answered. Smirking, she stuck out one hip, putting her free hand on it. "Besides, considering how your friend was checking out my arms earlier, I thought she would enjoy getting a better look." She then turned her attention to Twilight.

"So, like what you see?"

Blushing furiously, Twilight could only nod. She could not take her eyes off the firm, toned body. She wanted to touch it, to feel every inch of it. A part of her even wanted to be pinned under it, to feel--

"Don't tease her, G," Rainbow Dash said, breaking Twilight Sparkle from the fantasies forming in her mind before they became too lurid.

Taking the hand off her hip, Gilda moved forward. Her legs tensed and shifted as she approached Twilight. Each muscle flexed and moved as she approached. With every step, her hips swayed back and forth, more so than usual it had all night. The movement also caused a small amount of bouncing of Gilda's small, perky chest. She stopped just inches from Twilight, grinning as she crossed her arms.

"A little teasing never hurt anyone," Gilda declared. "Besides, your friend thinks I'm hot, and she's kind of cute in a nerdy way."

She leaned closer to Twilight, her gold eyes locked on Twilight's purple ones.

"How 'bout you give me your number, and I'll call you later?"

"O-o-okay," Twilight said, fumbling with her pocket to try and grab her phone. "Uhm... we-we're supposed to be going to Camp Everfree next week, so you probably won't be able to reach me while I'm there." Her hand trembled as she pulled the phone out of her pocket and brought it up to her mouth.

"Smarty," she said, "display my phone's number please."

"Displaying number," an automated voice said.

"Smarty?" Gilda asked as she took the phone, looking at the number on it. Pulling out her own phone, she quickly entered the number into it.

"My own voice recognition command program," Twilight explained. "Latest version of it as well. None of the regular voice command programs could perform all the tasks I required, so I created my own."

"Really?" Gilda said, raising an eyebrow. "You expect me to believe you made a voice command program for your phone from scratch?"

"I believe it," Rainbow Dash said. "Twilight's like the smartest person I know, and like the second best engineer."

"Second best?" Twilight cried out, turning to Dash. "Who's the first?" It was more a shock than anything. There were people out there that were smarter than her, and better engineers. She was well aware of that. But it was still a surprise to hear that someone that her friends knew was.

"Vinyl," Rainbow Dash answered with a grin. "As cool as your magic detector and extractor was, it doesn't beat a functioning car that can turn into an awesome massive sound system."

That sounded like something Twilight needed to investigate. Maybe she and this Vinyl person could exchange some notes and pick up bits of new information from each other.

"Smile," Gilda said, getting Twilight's attention back to her. As soon as she did, there was a flash of light that nearly blinded her.

"There," Gilda continued. "Now I got your picture for your number. Let's wait 'til my face heals up before you take mine."

She continued to work on her phone while her attention turned toward Dash.

"What do you mean functioning car that turns into an awesome sound system?"

"Hold on," Rainbow Dash said as she pulled out her own phone. "Think I have a video of it here somewhere."

A beep from Twilight's got her attention. On the screen appeared a notice that she had a text message from an unknown number. With two quick touches, she read the message.

Now you have my number too

When Twilight looked up, Gilda winked.

Dating Possibilities

Author's Notes:

Warning: this and some of the proceeding chapters will contain references to Camp Everfree. They may or may not be spoilers to events that happened. As such, if you have not seen the movie, but plan to and wish for it to be spoiler free, you may want to wait before reading further.

Gilda and Twilight sat alone in a booth at Sugarcube Corner. Although in this case, "alone" was a relative term. The two of them were the only ones sitting in the booth, but six others were sitting in one of the booths beside them, most of them not exactly being subtle about the fact that they were watching the pair. Rarity and Sunset were doing well, but Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash having turned around and looking over the back of the seat at them was extremely obvious.

Twilight took the last bite of her dark chocolate mint brownie. She had also finished telling Gilda about all that happened while in at the camp. More than she had intended to, actually.

"So are you going to see him again?" Gilda asked.

The question caused Twilight Sparkle to shift in her seat. She looked up at Gilda, who was leaning back in her seat with her arms folded, then down at her plate again. A warmth spread across Twilight's cheeks, something that happened every time she mentioned him during the story.

"No," she answered.

"Why not?"

Twilight blinked and looked up, caught by surprise.

"You clearly like him," Gilda continued. "So why not go on a date with him?"

"But we... you and I... aren't we..."

Before Twilight could get the thought together in her brain well enough to form a coherent response, Gilda raised a hand and shifted. She leaned forward, resting an arm on the table as she looked Twilight in the eye.

"How many dates have you been on?"

"Does this count?"

"No."

"None," Twilight admitted. She had never been romantically interested in anyone before. In fact, she had not really had friends before. Practically any and all free time she had before going to Canterlot High School had been dedicated to either studying, or pursuing her own academic and scientific interest. Sometimes, engineering: designing and building prototypes she thinks may some day be useful. Plus, with the competitive nature at Crystal Prep, there was little trust between the students. Twilight had not even had friends, much less anyone she was interested in have a romantic relationship with.

That was until she met Gilda.

And Timber Spruce.

"Exactly," Gilda said, pointing a finger at Twilight. "You haven't even had a date, much less a relationship. You don't know what you want."

"I know exactly what I want in a relationship," Twilight stated, straightening up and furrowing her brow.

Tilting her head, Gilda raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" She leaned closer. "And if someone asked a month ago, would you have said a tall, muscular woman was something you wanted?"

A slight blush spread across Twilight Sparkles face as she gives a shake of her head. In all of her thoughts and fantasies about relationships, it had always been with a guy. Often it was a heroic type. A brave knight or soldier who traveled the land and fought monsters to save the woman that he loved. In this case, Twilight. Other times, it was some intellectual type. A guy who Twilight could stay up all night, talking about science and theory with. Argue philosophy. The kind that when they got older, would wear tweed jackets and have a pipe. End up as a professor in a college that inspired and challenged his students.

If it had been suggested that Twilight would be interested in a girl of any type, or a mostly average guy, Twilight would have found the entire idea preposterous.

Yet here she was, sitting with a girl that she had watched in a fight, talking about dating a goofy fellow she met at Camp Everfree. With her six friends spying on her from the other booth.

"So go on a date with the guy," Gilda said, leaning back. "See how it goes."

"But what about us?"

"We haven't even gone out yet, much less started a serious relationship. So long as you don't try to have a date with both of us at the same time, it'll be fine."

"Really?" Twilight asked.

Crossing her arms again, Gilda narrowed her eyes.

"So long as you don't lie about it, it's fine," she said. "And that goes for him as well." She pointed a finger. "If you want to do this, he deserves to know that you are going to be seeing someone else as well."

"Of course," Twilight said. "Yeah. I can do that. You're really okay with this?"

Gilda gave a shrug.

"Like I said, so long as you don't lie and sneak around about it."

Pushing away from the table, she got up.

"I'm gonna get a refill."

"Okay," Twilight said. Although she was not entirely sure why. Maybe just the need to acknowledge what had been said? As she sat there, she watched Gilda head toward the counter, Twilight's eyes studying the other girl's backside.

Gilda was right. She and Twilight had not even gone on an actual date. They were not in a relationship. In fact, this was the second time the two of them had spent any time together. There was no reason to turn Timber Spruce down for at least one date. Gilda had even said that she was fine with it so long as Twilight was honest about it and not tried to keep it a secret from either Gilda or Timber.

So why did Twilight feel guilty about the idea?

Before The First Date

Slight change of plans. Need to pick you up early. On my way now.

"Oh no!" Twilight cried out as she stared at the text. "Oh no, oh no!" Dropping the phone she ran for the closet. "She's coming! She's coming! She's on her way here right now. I'm not ready! I'm not ready!" She started digging through her clothes. "What to wear, what to wear."

"What are you getting so worked up about?" Spike asked from his spot on Twilight's bed. "I thought you knew what you were going to wear already."

The statement caused Twilight to stop, stepping away from her closet. Taking a deep breath, she slowly let it out and gave a nod.

"Yes," she said. "You're right, Spike. I did. Thanks for reminding me." She had gone through a similar situation when getting ready for her previous date. That was why she had planned her outfit ahead of time and had set it aside before taking a shower. Yet here she was, panicking over a single change to her entire schedule, and forgetting that very fact.

Setting her towel aside, Twilight grabbed a light blue bra and panties, quickly slipping them on. It was supposed to be a casual date -- just dinner and a show -- so she pulled on a pair of jeans. At the same time, it was a date -- a first date, no less -- and despite the "casual," she did want to look good. As such, she also put on a light blue blouse that matched her bra ("In case she takes you to a night club," Rarity had explained).

Giving herself one last look in the mirror, Twilight was satisfied with herself. After returning the towel to the bathroom, she made her way to the living room. It was not long before she got a message saying that Gilda was right outside.

As Twilight got into the car, she took a look at Gilda. The other girl was dressed in a shirt and jeans. She turned to look at Twilight as she sat down, eyes narrowing. Gilda gave a smirk and slight nod.

"Lookin' good."

"Thanks," Twilight said, smiling as she buckled her seat belt.

In the space between the seats was a small white bag with a receipt stapled to the top. A glance in the back seat, and Twilight saw a pair of shopping bags. It made her curious. Why would Gilda need to go shopping before a date? Why not earlier in the day? The week? Was Gilda actually going to be making them dinner instead of going out? That actually sounded kind of romantic. Although if that was the case, why would Gilda need to pick up Twilight earlier than planned?

"So, why the early pick up?" she asked.

Gilda held up the small white paper bag.

"One of Grandpa's prescriptions," she answered. "Pharmacy was nearby. It was either pick you up early, or rush through dinner."

Twilight gave a nod and moved to get a little more comfortable. She looked out the window, watching the sight of the town speeding by. Occasionally, she would look over at Gilda, taking in the relaxed focus the other girl had while behind the wheel. One hand on the wheel while the other held the gearshift. Twilight had never driven a manual shift car before. Actually, Twilight had never driven at all.

It did not seem to take long until they had reached Gilda's home, where she lived with her grandfather. The pair got out of the car, Gilda grabbing both the pharmacy bag, and the shopping bags. The muscles in her arm flexed as she lifted the two larger bags in one hand.

"Need any help?" Twilight asked.

"I got it," Gilda answered as she led the way to the door. Even with her hands full, she was able to open the door without any trouble and lead the way inside. Dropping the shopping bags in the kitchen, she made her way to the living room, tearing open the pharmacy bag.

In the living room sat Gilda's grandfather, "Grampa Gruff." He was a hunched over man, with dark gray skin and a bald head. Thick, bushy eyebrows were lowered in a perpetual scowl. His eyes, however, were surprisingly clear and sharp. When he looked at her, Twilight Sparkle felt like she was a mouse that had just been spotted by a hawk. Although one squinted as the other was wide, giving him a slight lopsided look.

"Okay, Gramps," Gilda said as held up an orange prescription bottle. "Here's your new medication."

Gruff let out a grunt.

"The directions say you are to take one pill twice a day, with food. So I'm going to put it on the dining room table for you. Take your first later tonight when you have dinner."

Grampa Gruff let out another grunt.

"I got you a salad with grilled chicken, and red wine vinegar for dressing."

"Salad?" he huffed out, turning his attention to Gilda. "I'm not some pony happy with munching a bunch of vegetable. I need real food." He pointed a finger at her. "And chicken shouldn't just be 'grilled' for a salad. If it's going to be 'grilled' it should be as proper barbecue, with a sauce on it, and served either on the bone or as a sandwich." He gave a shake of his head. "Could have at least gotten me one with some nice fried pieces on it, instead."

With a sigh and shake of her own head, Gilda headed for the dining room, where she put the pill bottle beside several others.

"You know what the doctor said," she started, but stopped.

"Doctors!" Gruff snapped, with Gilda mouthing along. "Bah!" He held up a hand, which Gilda mirrored. "Quacks! That's what they are. The whole lot of them." Gruff -- and Gilda -- made a fist. "Why, I remember when they thought shoving a cattle prod up your ass was good for you. 'Stimulate the organs,' they would claim. Think they know what's better for me than I do."

"They went to school specifically to know how a body works," Gilda said.

Gruff let out a huff. He looked at Gilda as she returned, standing in front of him and crossing her arms over her chest. The two glared at each other before Gilda sighed, sagging slightly. Closing her eyes, she rubbed at her head.

"Grampa," she said softly, "I get you don't like this, but the doctors say it's what's best for you. So it's what we're going to do."

With another huff, Grampa Gruff looked away. Moving toward him, Gilda put an arm around him and gave a kiss on his forehead.

"I'll see you when I get home."

"Don't get arrested," the old man said, getting a laugh from Gilda.

"I haven't been caught yet," she said as she made her way to Twilight, then the door.

"So, I take it that happens pretty often?" Twilight asked once they were outside.

"Yeah," Gilda answered. She gave a shrug. "He's just letting off steam. Complains a lot, but still takes his meds and watches his diet."

"'Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing,'" Twilight quoted.

"Wouldn't quite go that far. Now come on. Let's get our date started."

The First Date

The restaurant Gilda took Twilight to was the semi-casual place with eclectic decor. The type of place where someone in jeans and a tee shirt were not under-dressed, but it was not quite as casual as a fast food restaurant. The walls were covered in all sorts of items: pictures from around the local area throughout the years; framed outfits; movie posters; license plates; there was even a car hood from somewhere on the wall beside where the two of them were seated. The menu was similarly varied: appetizers, desserts, burgers, salads, pastas, soups, and sandwiches.

After placing their orders, including an appetizer, Twilight excused herself to go wash up. As she made her way to the restroom, two familiar looking faces got her attention. Especially since she noticed something rather odd about the pair.

"Maud?" Twilight asked as she approached the table. "Trixie? What are you two doing here?"

"Having dinner, obviously," Trixie said, sticking her nose up in the air. "Maud asked The Great and Powerful Trixie out after The Battle of The Bands. We have been dating ever since."

"So, why are you wearing fake mustaches?"

A bright red blush covered Trixie's pale blue cheeks as she turned away from Twilight. With a huff, she took the mustache off and tossed onto the table before facing the wall, arms crossed over her chest.

More calmly, Maud picked up the tossed mustache and took off her own. She slipped them into a pocket before turning her attention back to Twilight Sparkle.

"Pinkie Pie asked me to come keep an eye on you during your date," she admitted. "Since I had a date with Trixie already planned, I was simply to come to the same restaurant report if anything happens. The idea was that since you don't know us as well, you wouldn't notice us."

"That makes sense," Twilight admitted. "Except for the mustaches. Why were you wearing them?"

"Because," Trixie cut in, "a certain somebody has a hard time saying 'no' to her favorite little sister."

Twilight could not be sure, but she thought Maud's gray cheeks took a slightly pinker tint.

Straightening up, Trixie took a deep breath and put on a massive grin.

"But Maudie!" she squealed in a high pitch voice. "You just have to wear the mustaches! They're totally part of being a spy keeping from being recognize." Clasping her hands together in front of her, she fluttered her eyelashes. "Pleeeeeaase."

That certainly sounded like something Pinkie would think to Twilight. She then turned her attention back to Trixie.

"So why were you wearing one?"

The grin and wide eyes vanished from Trixie's face as she started blushing again. Crossing her arms, she looked to the wall again, mumbling something that Twilight could hear, but not make out.

"What was that?" Twilight asked, turning her head and leaning in.

Trixie mumbled again, softer than before and at a faster pace.

"Trixie has a hard time saying no to me as well," Maud explained. "I asked her to wear the mustache so I would not be doing so alone."

That was... weirdly and surprisingly sweet. Especially for Trixie. From what Twilight had been told and seen for herself, Trixie was a rather proud and haughty girl, who liked to be the center of attention. While she did seem to do silly things, like use smoke bombs to "disappear," doing something like wearing a fake mustache in public did not seem like the type of thing Trixie would do at her own volition. She must really care about Maud to do such a thing.

"Well I appreciate the concern," Twilight said, "but Gilda and I are fine. We don't need..."

A thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Did you also spy on me during my date with Timber?"

"No," Maud answered. "Trixie had a show that night."

"Okay. Anyway, as I was saying: Gilda and I don't need to be chaperoned. I appreciate the concern, but we are old enough to handle things ourselves."

"I'll let her know."

"Thank you," Twilight said as she straightened up. "I'll leave you two alone then. Enjoy the rest of your date."

In the bathroom, after washing up, Twilight Sparkle looked at herself in the mirror and let out a sigh. Despite what she had said to Maud and Trixie, she was not actually feeling so confident. This was her first date with Gilda, and the second in her entire life. It was a whole part of life that she had pretty much no experience with, and there was only so much studying one could do when it came to social interaction.

Reaching into a pocket, she pulled out her phone and pulled up the list she had made.

Check. She was wearing jeans which would let her do most physical activities, and a blouse that was a bit dressy.

Did she do that? Had she remembered that? With the change of plan and schedule, Twilight had gotten a little flustered. She could remember Gilda saying something about how she was dressed. Did she remember to do the same? If not, was it too late to correct it? How awkward would it be if she did?

Deciding to try and figure it out later, she went to the next item.

She could do that. Easily enough. Twilight knew a little about Gilda already, and she had always been inquisitive. Just needed to ask a few questions, and pay attention to what Gilda said. No problem.

That was not something she was ready for yet. Especially in the restaurant. Maybe during the concert though.

Putting the phone away, Twilight Sparkle looked at herself in the mirror one last time as she collected herself.

Moving past Trixie and Maud's booth, Twilight noted that Maud had moved over and was now sitting on the same side as Trixie. At her own table, the drinks and green bean fries had arrived.

"So, where do you go to school?" Twilight asked as she sat down and grabbed a fry.

"I don't," Gilda answered. "Got a G.E.D. 'bout two years ago."

The statement made Twilight freeze, the ranch dipping sauce dripping from the edge of her fry. General Educational Development -- commonly referred to as a G.E.D -- meant that instead of actually completing high school, Gilda had taken a test to meet some minimal requirement. From what Twilight understood, it was not as bad as simply dropping out, but not as good as getting a proper high school diploma either.

"Why?" Twilight found herself blurting out before she even realized it.

"School doesn't pay the bills," Gilda answered. When she saw the look Twilight was giving her, Gilda leaned back in her seat and sighed.

"Look. In case it missed your notice, we're not exactly well off. Both your parents work full time, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well since it's been me and Grampa, we've basically been lifting off his retirement and social security." One shoulder shrugged. "Not a lot of money in either. Pretty much enough to cover bills, if barely."

Shifting she looked at the wall.

"So when his health got worse, even with his healthcare, we didn't really have enough to cover all the bills, buy food, and get his medications. It was either get a job, let Grampa go without his medicine, or have water and power cut off." She turned to Twilight again. "If it comes down to going to school or keeping your home and family, not much of a choice, is it?" One of her eyebrows raised up.

Twilight could only nod. It may have been selfish of her, but a part of her way grateful that she never had to make a choice like that.

"Gramps wouldn't let me just drop out though," Gilda continued. "So in my off time, I studied and took the G.E.D. exams."

"But, what about college?"

"Not really an option for me."

"But--" Twilight started, but stopped when Gilda held up a hand.

"I appreciate the interest," she said, "but like I said, not an option. That's not going to change any time soon, so let's drop it and change the subject." She then leaned forward. "Tell me about you."

Twilight felt an urge to argue. From what she had seen, Gilda was by no means dumb. Twilight was fairly certain that if Gilda applied herself, she could get a degree in whatever she wanted. She loved learning and of itself, but had also been told practically her whole life how important education was. Better education, better degree, better job, better future.

On the other hand, Twilight Sparkle did not want to start an argument. Especially on their first date. Plus, she could kind of understand where Gilda was coming from. Taking care of necessities and her grandfather now took priority over college in the future.

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

Gilda's eyes narrowed as she smirked.

After dinner, the two drove to the city park where a concert was being set up. There were a few bleachers set up facing the stage, so people could sit there if they liked. There was also plenty of open space where people could set up their own chairs, or spread out blankets to sit on. Turning out to have chosen the latter, Gilda opened the trunk to pull out a blanket and carry it to one of the hills.

As they walked, Twilight Sparkle caught sight of another group of familiar faces.

"I'll catch up with you in a second," she told Gilda. "There's someone over there I want to talk to."

"Alright," Gilda said with a shrug as she continued. "I'll be over there. Call if you can't find me."

Twilight gave a nod, and watched Gilda walked off for a moment. Fixing her glasses and straightening her shoulders, she turned back to the others and started walking toward them.

Several blankets and chairs had been set up together, more than enough for the nine girls to sit, lie down, or do anything else. There was an ice chest filled with bottles of apple juice, and several picnic baskets, one of which was overflowing with cupcakes. Several of the gathered girls noticed Twilight's approach. Reactions at her appearance varied from warm and friendly -- if surprised -- smiles, to looking away.

"Twilight," Rarity said with a smile. "How lovely to see you. What brings you here?" The smile faded as her brow furrowed. "Your date with Gilda has not ended already, has it?"

"No," Twilight answered. "We're actually here as part of the date." She then turned to look at Pinkie Pie, who was pointedly not looking at Twilight. "So, you're not here to continue spying on us then?"

Pinkie continued to look away, while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy joined her.

"What are you talking about?" Sunset asked.

"When Gilda and I were at dinner, I found Maud and Trixie there as well." Twilight turned her full attention back to Pinkie. "Wearing fake mustaches. When I asked her about it, Maud admitted she had been sent to spy on me while on her own date."

Sunset Shimmer, Rarity, and Applejack turned to look at the other three, who continued to avoid eye contact.

"Pinkie?" Applejack asked.

"We just wanted to make sure that everything went okay," Pinkie blurted out. "Twilight's our friend, and we didn't want to see her get hurt."

"Or Gilda in this case," Rainbow added.

"What about my date with Timber?" Twilight asked. "Did you have someone spy on me then, too?"

Dash and Pinkie shifted. Fluttershy raised her hand.

"Uhm... I... may have convinced my Zephyr and Tree Hugger to keep an eye on you two..."

"Fluttershy?" Sunset called out. "Really? Why?"

"Well..." Fluttershy shifted, pulling her legs under her. "We... did kind of push Twilight and Timber together. If things didn't go well and either got hurt, it would kind of be our fault. Since Twilight hadn't met Zephyr or Tree Hugger yet, we thought they would be perfect for keeping an eye on things and letting us know if things went well or not..."

Everything went quiet for a few seconds, the others looking at the trio behind the date spying.

"Well, their hearts were in the right place, I suppose," Applejack spoke up.

"Indeed," Rarity agreed. "I do hope that they did not cause you any trouble."

"No," Twilight answered. "But I would appreciate it if you could all just let me have my date in peace."

"No problem," Sunset said. "We'll just be over here if you need us."

"Don't hesitate to call."

Twilight Sparkle nodded and turned away. As she did, she could not help but smile just a little at the whole thing. As irritating as it was to have people spy on her, it was nice to have them care for her. Like Applejack said, their hearts were in the right place. They were just trying to make sure that she did not get hurt.

But Twilight was old enough to take care of herself.

Finding the blanket and Gilda, Twilight moved to sit down next to her. As she did, her eye traveled along one of Gilda's bare arms, studying the lean, tense muscles that her holding her up. Twilight's gaze traveled down to the hand on the blanket, and she considered putting her own on top of it.

"So did you talk to your friends about spying on us?" Gilda asked.

The question caused Twilight to jump, eyes wide as she looked up at the other girl. She could feel her mouth hanging open and her cheeks heating up.

"How did you know?"

"Two girls wearing mustaches do stick out around here," Gilda answered with a smirk, "and I would recognize Rainbow Dash anywhere."

Twilight moved closer.

"Well don't worry," she said. "They promised to leave us alone for the rest of the evening."

Everything went quiet as a gray skinned and dark gray haired girl made her way onto the stage, carrying a cello. Twilight recognized her from school, but did not know her name. After the girl took a seat on a stool, a honking noise drew the audience's attention to the other side of the stage. There, another girl -- one with white skin and electric blue hair Twilight remember being called Vinyl -- drove on the stage. As in, she drove up in a car.

Before the audience's eyes, the car turned into a DJ station, with pulsing lights and massive speakers.

"That is totally cool," Gilda said, staring wide eyed. It was a sentiment that Twilight found herself strongly agreeing with. She could now see why Rainbow Dash had called Vinyl a better engineer.

Digital music began to play. Heavy thumps of bass that the lights on the front of the... music-mobile? ... pulsed in time with. The other girl soon joined, playing a song on her cello that fit with it.

Gilda reached out, wrapping an arm around Twilight Sparkle and pulling her against her. Twilight tensed slightly at the touch, but quickly relaxed. Leaning against the other girl's shoulder, she let the mix of techno and classic music fill her mind and the night.

Halloween Hijinx

Adjusting the pointy black hat, Twilight Sparkle gave herself one last look in the mirror. The costume did not really seem that "sexy" to her. The skirt was about as long as the one from her days at Crystal Prep, so it did not really show of more of her legs than she normally did. The top of it was a little more open, showing off a little bit of cleavage, but not very much. Twilight did not see what made it a "sexy witch."

"What do you think, Spike?" she asked, turning around in the mirror.

Lifting his head, Spike turned away from the toy he was chewing on to look at Twilight. The small dog shifted, looking the girl up and down. He then gave as much of a shrug as a dog could.

"You look fine, I guess."

"But is it cute?" Twilight asked, looking in the mirror again. "Sexy? Do you think Gilda will like it?"

"Don't know, don't know, and yes," Spike answered. "Come on Twi, you know she likes you. You don't have to worry about the costume."

"I suppose you're right," Twilight said, turning to look at herself in the mirror. Still, she could not help but feel a little nervous. That was natural, of course. She was stepping out of her comfort zone a little. While she was somewhat fit, she did not really think of her body as anything impressive. She was small: small breasts, small hips, small butt. While intellectually she was amazing, physically she was unimpressive. Normally, she was comfortable with that. Twilight had no issue with her legs or stomach being exposed, such as with shorts or swim suits, but she never really felt like she was showing off or flaunting anything when she did either.

That was what made this a little different for her. Twilight was trying to show off her modest body a little. It was what Rarity's magazines said she was supposed to do, try and be a little more exciting for her romantic interest. Halloween was the perfect time to try doing so. A night that was technically the bastardization of ancient European pagan rituals, a combination of celebrating the harvest season and of when the barriers between the living and the dead was at its thinnest, allowing spirits to pass into the world. Now, it was more about scaring people, kids getting candy, and -- in this case -- the opportunity for a person to be someone they usually are not. As such, she was doing something she normally did not, a person who wanted to be "sexy."

The beep of her cellular phone got Twilight's attention. Checking it, she found a message from Gilda, saying that she was waiting outside.

"That's her. I'll see you later, Spike."

"Bring me back a treat," he called after her.

"I'll see what I can do."

Making her way quickly down the stairs, she gave a quick good-bye to her parents before heading out the door.

There in the driveway sat The Monster. That was what Gilda called it at least. With good reason to since, according to her, it was something of a Frankenstein's Monster of an automobile. It had been built from parts Gilda collected from local junkyards and put together herself. Although, unlike Frankenstein's Monster, the parts all seemed to fit together pretty well. Twilight could not tell that the parts did not actually belong together normally. Although to be fair, Twilight did not exactly know much about automobiles.

Gilda sat behind the wheel, turning to face Twilight as the passenger door opened. Gilda was dressed in a skin-tight shiny black jumpsuit, with a domino mask on her face and black ears sticking out the top of her head. Her eyes narrowed behind her mask as she gave a predatory grin.

"Meow," she purred out.

Twilight stood there, staring at cat girl Gilda sitting behind the wheel. In the light of day, she could make out how the outfit clung to the buff girl. The shine of the outfit drew even more attention to every curve and bulge. Gilda did not look like a cute little kitty, but a fierce predator. A jungle cat. Twilight could almost picture Gilda slinking through the woods, moving with silent grace as she stalked unknowing prey.

"You getting in, Twi?"

The question caused Twilight to jump slightly, knocking her from her thoughts.

"Yes, right," Twilight said as she climbed into the car. "Sorry." She grabbed her seat belt. "You look... nice."

"Thanks," Gilda replied. "You look pretty cute yourself."

Twilight looked away, blushing slightly. Being complimented on her appearance was still something new to her. Most of her life, she had been praised for her intelligence. No one ever really called her "cute," "adorable," and definitely never "sexy." Instead it was "bright," "talented," or "brilliant," with the occasional "freakishly smart." Her parents some times called her lovely, but it was not really the same thing. Her parents were biased as she was their offspring. Especially since she looked just like her mother at Twilight's age, skin and hair colors aside.

"Thanks," she finally mumbled out.

"So, where's this carnival we're going to?" Gilda asked as she put the car in reverse.

With Twilight working as navigator, the two of them made their way out to Sweet Apple Acres where a Halloween carnival was being held. While not officially connected with Canterlot High, a lot of the students were there either to help or provide support, as well as spend some money in the process. There were booths that had games to play, as well as those that sold food and beverages. Multiple cut-outs had been set up so people could put their heads in and have pictures taken. One of the barns had even been cleaned out and used as a dance area, where Vinyl Scratch -- currently as DJ-MP3 (working stage name) -- was playing.

The biggest attraction -- both in size and popularity -- was The Haunted Maze. Bales of hay had been stacked up to about eight feet high, creating walls for the labyrinth. Screams and laughs could be heard from inside. At the entrance was a large sign with the name written across it in "dripping blood." Next to the entrance was a smaller sign that read:

"Shall we?" Twilight asked as they made their way to the entrance.

"Ladies first," Gilda said, motioning forward.

"Good luck," a scarecrow girl at the entrance said. "And beware the demon!"

The couple made their way into the maze, Twilight taking the lead. As they went, the found some dead ends, met other wanderers, and saw the various monsters like mummies, witches, and vampires. At one dead end, there was what looked like a massive wolf made out of sticks and logs, eyes glowing green and mouth opening to roar before closing again. Twilight just had to take a picture of it.

In a large area that was likely the center of the maze, a she-demon jumped out with a mighty roar. She stood as tall at Twilight Sparkle, with burnt red skin and black eyes. It had red and yellow hair that stuck straight up, and the tattered remains of a dress that matched. Razor sharp teeth glistened in its mouth as it bared them at the duo.

"Hey, Sunset," Twilight said as she held her phone up to the demon. "You look pretty good."

"Thanks," the demon said in a familiar scratchy voice as she straightened up, "but I'm not Sunset."

"Dash?" Gilda asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Oh, Dash, I'm so sorry," Twilight said. "I thought--"

She was cut off by a wave of the hand.

"It's fine," Rainbow Dash replied. "Hey, it just shows how good a job we did with the make-up and costume." Straightening up more, she puffed her chest out as she put her hands on her hips. "Even someone who knows Sunset thinks I look like her. It's great."

"Speaking of," Twilight continued, "does she know about this?" She motioned with her hand toward the demon.

"Yeah. Sunset wasn't comfortable playing the role herself, but she had no problem with it." Rainbow shrugged. "Least that's what she said when we talked about it."

A scream and round of laughter suddenly filled the air.

"Sounds like more people are coming," Rainbow said. "Better get back in hiding. See ya later."

With that, Rainbow Dash, waved them off and went into hiding. Twilight and Gilda continued on, making their way to the other side of the path.

"You're pretty brave," Gilda said, moving closer to Twilight.

"What makes you say that?" Twilight asked, turning to look at the other girl.

"The way you've been acting since we got here." Gilda motioned at the maze around here. "We're in a 'haunted maze' and you've been barreling headfirst through it. Not one time did you stop and act scared. Just... fascinated. Like with that wood wolf thing."

"Well, none of it's real," Twilight said. "I mean it's all props, costumes, and special effects. We're not really in any sort of danger from any of it or anything."

"Yeah," Gilda agreed, "but you didn't even jump in surprise when 'the demon' jumped out at us."

"I was expecting it. Normally at places like this, they tend to use jump-scares to startle visitors." Twilight smiled. "I probably would have been disappointed if something didn't pop out at some point."

A small grunt escaped Gilda as she gave a slight nod of her head. Reaching out, Twilight took her hand and leaned against her.

"Besides," Twilight continued, "considering what I can do now, I have to be careful and keep calm. Wouldn't want to actually get scared and wind up accidentally blowing the whole maze apart."

"That would be kind of cool," Gilda said with a chuckle. "Bet some of the other people would like it too. Think it's a part of the show or something like that."

The two continued on through the maze.

"If you want," Twilight said, "I could pretend to be scared."

The suggestion made Gilda stop, turning to look at Twilight curiously.

"Why would I want that?"

"It's what's supposed to happen, isn't it? The smaller partner gets scared -- or pretends to get scared -- so that the larger, stronger partner can comfort them and make them feel safe?"

"Yeah," Gilda said as she let Twilight's hand go. "And I've had girls do that before. Even done it myself a time or two." She then wrapped her arm around Twilight's waist, hand resting on a hip as she pulled her closer. "But I like you better as yourself." Leaning in, Gilda kissed Twilight gently on the lips.

It was quick and small, just barely touching before pulling apart again.

"Come on," Gilda said with a smile, leading Twilight by her side through the maze.

As they turned a corner, a robotic looking fox popped out at them and let out a metallic shriek.

From outside the maze, the sound of a scream could be heard, followed by a boom of an explosion. There was a purple light as bales of hay went flying through air. Several people stared while others cried out.

Back inside the maze, Twilight Sparkle stood there with her eyes wide and one hand thrown out in front of her. Gilda was beside her, eyes wide as well. The two of them stared at the massive gap in the maze now in front of them, letting them see directly outside.

"Oops," Twilight said softly, a blush forming on her cheeks.

Gilda started laughing.

Playing Blue

"Are you okay?" Twilight Sparkle asked, looking up at Gilda curiously.

The taller girl stood there, shoulders hunched and head low. Her arms were crossed under her breasts, hands gripping the elbows of her dress shirt. She was near one of the walls, back to it as she stared at a framed poster off to the side. Occasionally, her gaze would flick around the room, looking at all the other people around them in dresses and dress shirts.

"I don't belong here," Gilda mumbled. Turning to Twilight, she spoke up. "Aren't plays supposed by for like snobby upper class people or something?" She huffed. "Not exactly, the 'classy' type."

Stepping closer to her, Twilight reached out to place a hand on top of Gilda's.

"Do you know what Lonely Planets is about?"

"No," Gilda answered. She had never even heard of the play before Twilight had invited her along. Really, Gilda had not cared much about theaters and plays since... elementary school? Middle School? Definitely some time before high school.

"AIDS," Twilight stated. "The main character is basically trying to hide out in his shop, in denial about how many people he knows are dying from AIDS."

"Really?" Gilda asked, raising an eyebrow.

Twilight nodded.

"Really. Besides, plays may not be as common now, but they were written and performed for everyone. Even Shakespeare."

"Okay," Gilda said as she turned to face Twilight fully. "Now I know you're pulling my leg."

"No, it really is," Twilight insisted. "Take Romeo and Juliet. While some interpret it as a romantic tragedy where two young loves fail to find happiness, others interpret it as a comedy about the stupidity of teenagers. In either case, it does start with two guys talking about sex and taking women's virginity. Much Ado About Nothing is pretty much a romantic-comedy about a bunch of people trying to get two friends together because they were single. In more modern version, they would basically be trying to get the pair... 'laid.'"

That got a snicker from Gilda. That did make it sound a lot more interesting to her. She was not very much into romantic comedies since they often could be easily handled if the two main characters just talked to each other about how they felt, but the interpretation made the idea of the play less intimidating. Really, if something as supposedly "sophisticated" as Shakespeare could be seen in such a light, it kind of made plays as a whole seem a bit more relatable.

"Well, when you put it like that, I guess it can't too bad."

"I know you'll like it if you just give it a chance," Twilight insisted.

"Hardly," a masculine voice said. "The likes of Miss Goldwing would prefer something such as monster trucks, wrestling, or the like."

Twilight Sparkle watched as her effort to help relax Gilda suddenly became wasted. Once more, Gilda's entire body tensed, hands clenching into a fists. Eyes narrowing, her jaw clenched. Gilda's cheeks even took on a pinker tone.

The man who had spoken was tall and broad shoulder, with creamy white skin and long, blond hair. His head was tilted back slightly, his pale blue eyes narrowed as he looked down his nose at Gilda.

"Vlad!" Gilda growled between clenched teeth, not bothering to turn around. "What are you doing here?"

"Yes," Vlad sighed, running a hand along one of his lapels. "I will admit that a play like this is not exactly to my taste. However, some times it is necessary to perform certain tasks which are less than preferred for various reasons. Such as seeing a more pedestrian play to socialize with the more common folk."

Moving closer, Twilight Sparkle took a hold of Gilda's hand and moved closer, looking at the man in front of her.

"Gilda, are you going to introduce us?" she asked.

Gilda glared at her a moment, but Twilight did not flinch. She was pretty sure the anger in it was not actually directed at her. Instead she put on her friendliest, most comforting smile as she gave Gilda's hand a gentle squeeze. Twilight did her best to look as kind and friendly as possible while looking into those anger filled golden eyes.

With a sigh, Gilda looked away.

"Twilight, this is Vladimir Blueblood. Vlad, this is Twilight Sparkle."

Blueblood turned his full attention to Twilight, eyes narrowing. His gaze turned cold as it met Twilight's, then started moving down her body. It made Twilight clench her teeth to keep from squirming. Her grip on Gilda's hand tightened, and a small part of her was relieved when she felt Gilda squeeze back.

"Charmed, I'm sure," he stated. "So, I assume this is something akin to My Fair Lady? Trying to prove that even a woman of such... background as Miss Goldwing could fit in even among the more sophisticated as the upper classes?"

Gilda's hand suddenly ripped itself from Twilight Sparkle's grip. For a moment, Twilight froze with fear.

"I need a smokebreak," Gilda said as she moved away from the two and out the door.

"Excuse me," Twilight said as she moved to follow. "It was... interesting to meet you." It was as close to the truth as she could get. Saying "nice" would have been an out and out lie, but she was certainly not going to forget him any time soon.

Outside, Gilda stood against the wall at one of the corners. Her arms were crossed over her chest and head held low. As Twilight got closer, she got sight of wet streaks running down Gilda's cheek. Catching sight of Twilight approaching, Gilda quickly wiped at her face and straightened up.

"What are you doing out here?"

"You don't smoke," Twilight answered. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Gilda said. "And you don't want to hear it."

Moving in front of Gilda, Twilight took a hold of her hands and gently pulled them toward her.

"If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine," Twilight said. "I'm not going to force you. But don't think for one minute that I don't want to know what's wrong. It's clear something's bothering you, and I want to help if I can. Even if not me, though, you should talk to someone about it."

Gilda looked at Twilight a long moment. Slowly, the look in those gold eyes softened until she looked away with a sigh.

"Vlad is one of those snobby upper class old money types," she explained. "The kind born with a silver stick up their ass, look down on you if you weren't rich since The American Revolution or something." Pulling her hands out of Twilight's grasp, she slipped them behind her head as she looked up at the sky.

"We... dated for a while."

"What?" Twilight cried out. "Why? I mean... he didn't exactly seem... pleasant... and he's not really the stereotypical 'bad boy,' either."

"Because he was a good actor," Gilda answered. "Because I was younger and stupider." She gave a shrug. "He knew what to say. How to act. All charm and wit." She smiled. "He made me feel wanted, liked, like I was some proper lady."

"...what happened?"

The smile turned bitter as Gilda looked down.

"He changed," she answered. "As soon as... he got what he wanted, he was done with me. Threw some cash at me, said a lot of mean things, and kicked me out." She let out a bitter laugh. "Turns out that I was just some lowly commoner for him to have fun with. That I was just there for him 'slumming it.'"

"Gilda," Twilight said softly. "I'm sorry."

Gilda shrugged, but did not say anything more on the matter. Although, Twilight could not blame her. Really, what more was there to say on the matter. Well, on Gilda's end at least. There was something that Twilight could say about it.

"Listen. The play hasn't actually started yet. How about I exchange our tickets for tomorrow's performance, and go do something else?"

Gilda started to nod, but stopped and stood up.

"No," she said. "This is important to you. I'm not letting you miss out of it because of someone like him." Standing up, she reached a hand out to Twilight. "Come on. Let's go enjoy the play. And the Tartarus with that snob."

Grinning, Twilight took Gilda's hand and let herself be led back inside. As they entered, she noticed that Blueblood was holding a glass of red wine and chatting with another couple.

Strange how the glass seemed to jump on its own, suddenly spilling that dark red wine all over his jacket and pristine white shirt.

Why, it was almost like magic...

A Night In

A simple date: a night in. Twilight came over to Gilda's, bringing her movie choice for the night with her. Gilda had made pizza for them. As in made it. Not some frozen pre-made pizza that was simply stuck in the oven. She had even made the crust from scratch. Now the two of them had the living room to themselves, cuddled up on the couch, with pizza in hand and the movie on screen.

It was perfect.

Well...not really. At least to one of them.

Before it had even begun playing, Twilight Sparkle had been regretting her choice in movies. As much as she liked The Man From Earth, it was not exactly an exciting movie. It was also not exactly a popular film either. After all, it was mainly a group of people sitting around and talking.

"Why do you like this movie?" Gilda asked as the end credits started to roll.

"The possibility," Twilight answered.

"You want to be immortal?"

"No." Twilight paused. "Well... I mean it would be kind of neat to see what kind of scientific breakthroughs we make in a century, or a millennia. Technology, medicine --" she looked down at the crystal she now wore as a necklace from Camp Everfree "-- maybe even magic now that we know it's real. We could see the end of cancer, the regeneration of limbs -- or maybe even organs -- or the successful invention of teleportation. And that's just what could be based off of modern speculation. If a person lived long enough, they might see things that we haven't even been able to imagine yet."

"So why do you like it?" Gilda asked, raising an eyebrow.

"History!" Twilight nearly shouted. She pointed at the screen. "Even if he wasn't at the center of every historical event, he must have seen a lot of changes the world went through. So much of human history has been lost through various unnatural causes. There are so many questions that could be answered if someone who lived through it was still around. And what if he's not alone? What if it happened again. To someone in pre-kingdom Egypt, or ancient Sumeria. Greece. Rome. The things we could learn from them."

Gilda rolled her eyes and gave a shake of her head, but was smiling slightly. Instead of saying something, however, she got up and switched out the disk for another. She reclaimed her spot on the couch as the movie started.

Twilight watched an Asian film started. It had been dubbed, so she could understand what was being said. From what she could gather, the movie was a drama with family, betrayal, and suspicion. It also had fighting with martial arts.

Unfortunately, Twilight did not see the entire movie. For some reason, she drifted off while it was playing.

Waking up, Twilight found herself still on the couch. The television had been turned off, and a blanket had been thrown over the two of them. Gilda was laying stretched out on the couch, head against the armrest as she slept as well. Looking down, Twilight realized that she had been using the other girl's chest as a pillow.

She also found her glasses had been set on the coffee table.

Seeing no reason to get up, Twilight cuddled back against Gilda, enjoying the warmth of her body, and let herself drift back to sleep.

Automotive Assistance

"Alright, what's this?" Gilda asked, pointing at the engine.

"One of the spark plugs," Twilight answered. "They provide the spark the ignites the fuel, causing the combustion that drives the pistons, and thus the engine."

"Right." Gilda moved to another part. "This?"

"Alternator. Once the engine starts running, it provides the electricity to keep it running."

"Good," Gilda said with a smile. "Now let's switch it up. Point out the serpentine belt."

Twilight pointed at the long rubber belt that ran through several wheels.

"A/C motor."

"That one," Twilight said as she pointed at one wheel.

"Right. Intake manifold?"

Twilight shifted, leaning in close and studying the engine. Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses as she mumbled to herself. Finally she pointed.

"This, right?"

"Yeah." Gilda's eyes narrowed as she grinned. "Now find the butfer."

Twilight's brow furrowed as she leaned in closer.

"I don't think we've talked about that yet. What's it look like?"

While Twilight was distracted by the engine, a look of disappointment crossed Gilda's face. At the question, however, the look vanished as she turned her attention to Twilight's bent over backside.

"Well..." Gilda said slowly. "It's small, round, and firm."

"I don't see anything like that," Twilight said as she continued to look the engine over. "What does it do?"

"It's not so much what it does, as what I can do with it."

That... seemed like a very strange statement. Turning her head, she looked over to Gilda, raising an eyebrow. Twilight could see the mischief on Gilda's face, and knew she was up to something.

"Okay, I'll bite," Twilight said. "What can you do with a butfer?"

A full grin formed as Gilda pulled her hand back, and swung it down. Her hand struck Twilight on the jean covered butt, creating an audible -- but painless -- smack.

Twilight jumped at the impact, letting out a yelp of surprise. Standing up, she turned to face Gilda fully. A bright blush formed across Twilight's cheeks as she grabbed her backside, covering it with her hands. As she looked at Gilda and her unrepentant grin, something finally clicked in place for Twilight.

"Really? You just wanted an excuse to smack my butt?"

"Yes," Gilda answered, still grinning. "Would been a lot easier to if you had simply asked what it was."

Twilight let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. Even if she wanted to, she could not be mad at Gilda. Admittedly, she was not entirely use to the flirtatious physical contact, but she did kind of enjoy it. The occasional touch, the looks. Plus, no one else was around to see, so there was no worry about being embarrassed in front of others.

In fact, some part of Twilight Sparkle wondered what it would feel like if Gilda smacked her bottom harder, or if she had not been wearing anything.

"You are such a perv," she joked instead.

Moving closer, Gilda wrapped an arm around Twilight, pulling her close. Eyes narrowing, she leaned in.

"You know you like it," Gilda declared before kissing her.

As their lips touched, Twilight closed her eyes and leaned into it. She pressed her body against Gilda's, feeling the warmth and the firm muscles. She wrapped her arms around the larger girl, letting her fingers tease the edge of Gilda's jean (Twilight did not quite have the courage to grab her butt... yet).

The kiss slowly broke, the two of them slowly pulling apart.

"Think that's enough car stuff for today," Gilda said as she took a step back. "Next time I need to do some engine work, we can go over those."

Twilight gave a nod, looking at the engine of Gilda's car. Her learning about automotive matters had been Gilda's idea, the main reason being so as to make sure mechanics would not be able to cheat Twilight when she had her own car. It also gave them an excuse to bond over something that Gilda liked, and Twilight got to learn about something new.

The two of them had been having a lot of fun together.

Which brought to mind something that Twilight wanted to tell Gilda.

"Gilda, are you doing anything Saturday?"

"I was thinking of heading down to the fight club. See if there's anyone new, maybe enter a match." Gilda raised an eyebrow. "Wanna come and watch?"

A flush blush spread across Twilight's face as she imagined watching Gilda fight in the ring again. Her muscles tense and ready. Body dripping with sweat. Maybe her shirt and bra gets torn in the process, exposing the small, perky...

Twilight gave a shake of her head.

Focus Twily. Focus!

"Actually," she said, "I was thinking you could come over to my place instead? You could come to dinner, and meet Shining and my parents."

All of the joy and humor, the teasing, disappeared from Gilda's face, her eyes narrowing and lips pressing tight into a line. Stepping further back from Twilight, she turned away.

"I'll pass."

Twilight's own brow furrowed as she looked at the back of the other girl.

"I'm sure mom could make your favorite if you want. Just tell me what it is."

"I said no."

The edge of anger caused Twilight to jump slightly. The silence the followed felt heavy and awkward. Taking a deep breath, Twilight walked over to Gilda and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze. She could feel the muscles tense under her touch.

"Gilda? What's wrong?"

Several seconds (three and three quarters to be precise) passed in silence, the tension seeming to grow thicker.

"I'm not stupid," Gilda stated, catching Twilight off-guard. "I know what people think of me. Some tomboy chick from the wrong side of town. Nothing but some dumb, petty thug." She turned enough to look over her shoulder. "A bad girl. Not the type a proper and well-off family would want their children to hang out with, much less date."

Twilight's lips pressed thin as she thought about what Gilda had said. Admittedly, she had thought similar of Gilda herself. Although in her defense, it was in an underground fight club where Gilda was about to get into the ring and fight someone for money. It had also been that "bad girl" thing that Twilight had found herself suddenly and unexpectedly attracted to. She was tall, muscular, and confident, with a bit of danger to her. It had not been something that Twilight had expected to find attractive, but she did.

But since then, she had seen and gotten to know Gilda as a full person. Someone who likes cars, loves her grandfather, is willing to do hard things to keep her home, and actually cares what some people -- like Twilight -- think of her. Someone who can act -- and be -- pretty tough, but also very sweet, sensitive, and kind. Someone who -- while she may not be willing to say "love" -- Twilight cared about very much.

Reaching out, Twilight took a hold of Gilda's hand.

"I'm sure they'll like you," she said. "They've met all my friends and liked them. Even Rainbow Dash."

"Right," Gilda said. "They liked your friends. Girls you hang out with. Not someone their precious little girl is dating." She let out a snort. "It's bad enough you're dating a girl, but why can't you be with a nice, sophisticated girl. One that comes from a well-off family or something. Not some punk girl from the wrong side."

"My family's not like that," Twilight said.

Gilda let out a huff, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah. They never are, until they are."

Twilight let out a sigh, feeling herself getting frustrated. She wanted to argue the point. She knew her parents and big brother, known them her whole life, in fact. She was aware that they were not perfect, they were just human after all, but they were not too bad. While they wanted Twilight to fulfill her potential, they also wanted her to be happy.

Except arguing really would not change things, would it?

Twilight took a deep breath.

"Okay," she said. "I'm not going to force you, but I would like you to meet them." Moving closer, she pressed herself against Gilda. "If you change your mind, just let me know, and we'll work it out, okay?"

Gilda looked down at Twilight, golden eyes studying the other girl. Finally she let out a groan and rolled her eyes.

"Why do you have to be so cute and understanding?" she growled out. "Fine. I'll meet your family, Saturday." She huffed. "But our next date is going to be something loud and obnoxious. Like a night club. Or a demolition derby. I'll figure it out later."

"That's fine," Twilight chuckled, moving to hug Gilda tight.

Gilda returned the hug, leaning down to kiss the top of Twilight's head.

Gilda's Personal Hell

Gilda pressed her lips tight as she glared at the phone. Why was she going to do this? Why had she even thought of this? This was not her. This was not something she normally did. This was something she had never done. Yes, she had flaws, some of them were even major, and she need to work on them, but she liked herself for the most part. She was not going to change for anyone. No one was worth changing who she was. Not even Twilight. Not even if it was to make a good impression on her parents.

And she -- they -- were absolutely not worth what Gilda was certain she would have to go through if she did what she was thinking. Why was she considering? Why was she thinking about putting herself through that hell?

Why was she considering? Hell, why had she even agreed to meet Twilight's parents? She knew what would happen. The best case scenario was that they would be nice to her face, but consider the whole thing a "phase" and try to talk Twilight out of it when Gilda was not around. Worst case was that they would dislike her fast, throw her out the first excuse they got, and forbid Twilight from ever seeing her again.

Well... the real worst case scenario included Twilight, a conversion camp, where she would be emotionally and abused and tortured to make her "straight," leading her into depression and self-loathing, which would in turn lead her to suicide...

Really, the best choices were to either avoid Twilight's family and let their relationship run its course, or end things herself before letting things get even more serious. This was not going to be a "happily ever after" for them anyways. Twilight Sparkle would head off to college some day, become a big scientist, and Gilda would stay in Canterlot, working in a garage. It was never going to work out between them. There was no reason for Gilda to torture herself.

But... what if she was wrong? What if, somehow, things were able to work out between them? What if they were able to have an effective relationship? What if, by some miracle, the two of them were able to end up "happily ever after?"

Besides, she honestly did not want to be the one to ruin things. This was Twilight's first romantic relationship, same sex or not. The girl may have been a genius, but damn was she innocent and naive. Gilda wanted to keep her happy as long as possible.

Even if no one had ever done the same for her.

With a sigh of frustration and resignation, Gilda dialed.

After the second ring, the phone was answered.

"G?" a scratchy, but feminine, voice said.

"Yeah," Gilda sighed out. "It's me." She took a deep breath, and said something she never had to say in her entire life. "I need your help."

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Did... did you just say you need help? Did you just say you need my help? Hold on a second."

There was the noise of the phone being moved.

"Hey, Fluttershy!" Gilda could hear being shouted. "Can I use your phone to see if Hell's frozen over?"

Gilda sighed and rolled her eyes, giving a shake of her head. Rainbow could go pretty far when it came to her stupid jokes.

"Oh, ha ha!" she nearly shouted in the phone, hoping Rainbow Dash could hear her. "Come on, Dash. I'm serious here."

"I'm just busting your balls, G. What do ya need?"

Closing her eyes, Gilda took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts and working up the courage.

"I'm meeting Twilight's parents Saturday. It's really important to her, and I want to do my best to make a good impression."

"Well I don't know how much I can help you. I've met Twilight's family, and they seem pretty okay, but I don't really know enough to tell you some secret to winning them over or anything."

"Thanks, but that's not why I'm calling. I was hoping you knew someone who knew about --" she sighed and rubbed her eyes "-- make-up and clothes? To make sure I look my best for the dinner?"

"Someone who knows clothes and make-up?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I thi--"

The speaker was suddenly filled with the sound of a high pitched squeal, then came shouts and the sound of struggling. It also sounded like Rainbow Dash was shouting a name, but Gilda could not quite make it out.

"I'll be there as soon as I can!" a voice Gilda did not recognize called out before the phone hung up.

Ending the call on her end, Gilda lean back and let out a groan.

The fuck have I gotten myself into?

The knock on the door sent a sense of dread through Gilda. She did not know exactly what was on the other side, but she knew it was for her, and she knew it was going to lead to her going through something she was going to hate.

Opening the door, she found a girl standing there, which Rainbow's text had called Rarity. The words that came to Gilda's mind at the sight of her were "prissy" and "snob." Rarity was on the dainty side, looking almost delicate, like she could break easily. Her purple hair had a curl to it, running past her shoulders. It had to take a lot of care to keep it properly maintained. There was a hint of eyeshadow, and Gilda was pretty sure that the lashes were too long and perfectly curled to be natural.

Gilda thought she recognized her from when Rainbow Dash brought Twilight and her friends to the fight club, but could not actually recall.

She could also feel herself being judged as Rarity gave her a quick look over.

"Before we get started, show me your room," Rarity ordered. "I need to know what you already have before I can figure out what precisely you need."

Reaching Gilda's room led to Rarity looking through everything. She opened every drawer, looked at every pair of panties, every bra, and pair of pants. She opened the closet and looked at every shirt hanging in it. Every search was marked by a thoughtful -- and (to Gilda) disapproving -- hum before silently moving on.

While this was happening, Gilda stood in the doorway, arms folded across her chest. One hand gripped at her upper arm, fingers digging into the skin and muscle as she clenched, squeezing tightly. It had not even been five minutes, and Gilda already found herself frustrated and annoyed with the girl. She was sorely tempted to tell her off and throw her out. Maybe make sure to tear some clothes, or get her to break a nail.

"Well, I must say, this is rather exciting," Rarity said, turning to Gilda with a grin on her face. "I have always wanted to work with a 'blank slate,' as it were." Walking to Gilda, Rarity took a hold of her arm and started for the door.

For such a delicate looking girl, she had a pretty strong grip.

"We have much to do: hair and nails; lipstick, blush, eyeshadow; stockings; skirts; blouses."

She turned to face Gilda, a wide grin on her face.

"A full make-over and a day of shopping!" she squealed. "Won't it just be fabulous?"

Gilda considered how long it would take to gnaw her arm off.

The first level of Hell turned out to be a beauty salon. As soon as the door opened, the air was filled with chemicals and gossip. The smell of something or other burned Gilda's nostrils, making her nose twitch. As she was pulled deeper into the pit, she caught bits of conversations. Here, a woman getting her nails painted bragged about her "new diet" which did not sound healthy, or sustainable. There, a "stylist" seemed more interested in talking about how a newly married couple would get divorced in mere weeks than actually cutting or styling the hair of the woman in her chair.

"Rarity!" a pink skinned woman called out from behind the counter. "How wonderful to see you again." She stopped, tilting her head. "Although, it is not one of your regular appointments."

Reaching the counter, Rarity leaned forward and made air kisses at the other woman's cheeks.

"It's lovely to see you as well, Aloe. I'm actually not here for myself." Turning, she motioned toward Gilda. "I'm here for a new friend of mine. She has a ver--"

A gasp escaped Aloe as she suddenly appeared in front of Gilda. Well-maintained hands reached up to grab at her short, white hair, yanking at it. Letting go, Aloe took a hold of Gilda's face, giving a squeeze and pulling close until their noses were almost touching. She then let go again, grabbing a hold of Gilda's hands and holding them up to look at closely.

Whatever Aloe said, Gilda was pretty sure it had some profanity in it.

"This is most certainly an emergency. Come on. There is much to do. Starting with a wash and treatment for that hair."

For the second time, Gilda found herself being dragged around by someone who was stronger than she looked. She was shoved into a chair and forced to lean back. There, her hair was rinsed, lathered, rinsed again, coated in some sort of oil, left to set for who knew how long, then rinsed again. Once that was done, it was combed, trimmed, dried, and styled.

Most annoyingly, Gilda was not given a say in the matter. It was Rarity and Aloe that were deciding how her hair should look. She was not even allowed to see it, so she could be surprised by the final product.

Next came a mani-pedi. Her hands and feet were soaked in water, with something flowery added to them. Gilda was not entirely sure what happened after that. She mostly remember feelings of her fingers and toes being poked, prodded, tugged, scraped, and squeezed.

Then came paints. Dark purples with a bright pink on the middle fingers and big toes. "To go with Twilight's hair."

At least it meant this part of her torture was nearly over.

"Perhaps we should perform a waxing as well."

CRAP!

"Oh, come now," Rarity said as she drove along. "It wasn't that bad."

Gilda sat in the passenger seat, arms crossed. She continued to glare at Rarity, face as red as her poor, poor thighs.

"Really, I have seen you fight others, and be beaten bloody, darling. Surely that is for more unpleasant and painful than having your legs waxed." Tilting her head, Rarity raised an eyebrow. "You have shaved your legs before, right?"

As she sat there, glaring, Gilda considered not answering the question. It was none of Rarity's business what Gilda did or did not do. Rarity had just shown up at her door and started bossing her around. They were not even friends.

...Except...

Except Rarity was friends with Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle. As such, she should probably not go off too much on her. Plus, Gilda had been looking for help getting ready for meeting Twilight's parents, and Rarity had volunteered. As annoying as it had been so far, Rarity did seem like the kind of girl parents would want to see their son with, and she had probably met Twilight's parents as well. While she may not like the girl, Gilda should probably be at least civil to her until they finished their business for the day.

Then -- Powers willing -- she will never have to spend any one on one time with the girl ever again. Just a friend of a friend that they some times hang out with in groups. No direct interaction.

"Yeah," she admitted. "Usually in summer before I go swimming."

"Ah," Rarity said with a glint of a smile. "I see. An opportunity to show off. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, seeing as you wooed Twilight with a flex of your bicep."

A smile tugged at Gilda's mouth at the memory. How the geeky little Twilight was staring at her, eyes wide and practically drooling. How a pose, flex, and offer to let her touch, had nearly left Twilight weak in the knees and ready to faint. A normally smart, shy girl, now finding herself all hot and bothered by a lean, muscular, bad girl. Admittedly, it had mainly been intended as flirting at the time, but Gilda found Twilight so cute, she could not help but give her a chance. Which meant her making the first move.

"Well, you may find you like the results of waxing," Rarity continued. "Less likely to cut yourself, the hair takes longer to grow back, and tends to be finer when it finally does."

That did sound nice. Gilda did not know how many times she had cut herself. Especially along the curve of her calf or around her knee. Although, that was not necessarily enough to change her mind. Simply to consider the possibility.

The rest of the drive was in silence, only interrupted by some hit pop music from the radio. The next stop was some place that called itself a "boutique." Simply being a clothes store must not have been fancy enough for them or something.

"Personally," Rarity said as she pulled into the parking lot, "I would much prefer to make a fully custom outfit for you myself. However, I don't really have enough time to do such and have it properly made, and I shall not have my name associated with an inferior outfit." She grinned. "Fortunately, I know all of the best clothing shops in town, including which ones are... of questionable value... and which ones have the best quality per price ratios. This --" she motioned at the building "-- is one of my favorites. Wide variety, decent quality, and reasonable prices."

After an eternity (which was in real time twenty minutes) of trying on clothes -- and one conversation as to why Gilda should wear stockings or pantyhose despite having shaved her legs -- the two finally managed to come up with an outfit the two of them could agree on: black stockings; black, knee-length skirt, and a "wine" colored blouse. Rarity said it looked "smashing," and while Gilda would have preferred slacks to the skirt, she did like the look over all.

Only one horrible torture remained: make-up. Which did not sound too bad on its own, except Rarity had decided it needed to be a "make-over!"

"Really," Rarity said as she drove, "haven't you ever worn make-up before?"

"Once," Gilda answered with a shrug. "When I tried to hide a black eye. Didn't really work."

"Come on. You must have worn some for a school dance."

"Never went."

"Or... played in your mother's when--"

"She died when I was born," Gilda cut in, looking out the window. There were normally two reactions when she told people that. One -- the one she was hoping for -- was awkward silence as the person felt embarrassed about bringing it up, leaving her alone. The other was...

"Oh," Rarity sighed out, shifting to focus on her driving more. "I'm sorry."

Gilda let out a grunt, continuing to stare out the window. She really did not know how to react to it. It was sympathy for a loss that Gilda did not remember. An apology for losing someone she had never really gotten to known. How could she possibly grieve over and miss someone she had never known? Gilda had no memories of her own when it came to her mother. Only stories from Grandpa and Dad.

At least the rest of the drive was in silence.

When they arrived at their next stop, Gilda stopped and did a double take as she looked at the counter. For a split second, she thought that she saw Aloe from the salon. Getting a better look, Gilda realized that while the girl had very similar hair and features, she had pink hair and blue skin instead of the other way around.

"Rarity," the girl called out as she stepped from behind the counter. "How lovely to see you again."

"You too, Lotus," Rarity said as she moved to give the other woman a hug. "I could use your skills and talent." She turned toward Gilda. "You see, my friend here has a rather important event coming up, and has no experience with make-up. I was thinking that we could give her a make-over and you could give her some tips and advice."

For the second time, Gilda found herself with a person standing too close and grabbing a hold of her to get a better look. This time, it seemed to all be focused on her face. It got especially weird when her head was tilted back and Lotus was looking up her nose.

"Hmm," Lotus said as she pulled back. "With such a lovely golden brown skin tone, I do not think there is much for me to do beyond the most basic of concepts." Her eyes narrowed. "However, that being said, there is certainly some work ahead of us. You, my lovely girl, need some severe exfoliation and deep pore cleansing. We best get started."

What came next was like nothing that Gilda had never been through before. Once again, she was pushed into a chair and tilted back. Something was rubbed onto her face that looked like mud, felt like sand, and smelled like fruit. It seemed less like a "beauty treatment" and more like a childish prank. It actually made Gilda think of like a street fight. One where she had her face shoved into the dirt.

As if that was not enough, Lotus pulled out a scrub brush. Something that looked more like it should be used on pots and pans with tough food stuff stuck to them than on human flesh.

By the time it was finished, Gilda felt like her face had been run over by a belt sander. Repeatedly. With a heavy grit. Run by a sadist. She was quite honestly surprised that she was not bleeding.

Fortunately, that was the worst of it physically. Once it was done, they three went over choices in make-ups: foundations; concealers; blushes; lipsticks and lip liners; and eyeshadows. Next was tips on how to properly apply it all, emphasizing the idea of subtlety and having the make-up be almost unnoticeable. Finally, they discussed the importance of having a properly clean face both before applying make-up and when removing it, keeping the skin healthy and free from clogs which could lead to pimples.

Finally, it was finished. The make-up and accessories were paid for, and the two of them left, Rarity saying goodbye to Lotus and promising to come back soon. Gilda just silently made her way out of the shop and to the car, ready to go home.

As they were heading back to her house, something overcame Gilda, and she did something she had not been planning.

"...thanks..." she mumbled to the window.

"Did you say something?" Rarity asked, turning the radio down as she looked at Gilda from the corner of her eye.

With a groan, Gilda turned to face her.

"I said, 'thanks.' As much as I've hated today -- and believe me, I did -- you took time out of schedule to help me get ready so I can at least try to make a good impression on Twilight's family. So, thanks."

Rarity shifted to look at her more, giving a smile.

"You are quite welcome, darling," she said. "And if I may, you have nothing to worry about. Twilight's parent are wonderful people, and I am certain that they shall simply adore you."

Gilda gave a nod, but turned her attention to the window. As nice as the thought was, she was still skeptical. After all, why would the parents that could have a cute little nerdy good girl possibly like someone like her? To say nothing of "adore."

When they reached her driveway, Gilda got out and headed toward her house, giving a quick wave before heading inside. Right now, all she wanted to do was go to her room and forget this whole day.

The Other Side of The Mirror

The train had reached the station for The Crystal Empire, slowing to a stop as it pulled in. As it did, Twilight Sparkle, looked out the window. For a moment, she considered teleporting off the train and as close to the empire proper. After all, she had no luggage with her, and she was traveling alone. She could probably warp directly to the front of the castle if she wanted. She had never actually tried before.

Despite the temptation both for saving time and to try something new, Twilight Sparkle decided against it. As much as she wanted to see Cadance, Shiny, and Flurry Heart, there really was no reason to rush that much. Besides, family or not -- princess or not -- the royal guards would not appreciate somepony suddenly appearing in front of the castle in a flash of magic. In fact, they might think it was an attack and react accordingly before realizing who the arrival was.

As she made her way through the City, Twilight let her gaze wonder, taking in the way it was. What was fascinating was the adaptive resiliency that she was able to notice. The Crystal Empire had disappeared for over a thousand years, and had been back for less than two, but she was already seeing that they were accepting and integrating modern technology. One particularly interesting effort, was a group of ponies who were shining an electric light through one of the large crystals, possibly to use as a prism. Should it work and be reproducible, all of the city could be lit up by rainbows during the night.

Reaching the town center and the castle, Twilight was met by her sister-in-law Princess Mi Amore Cadenza -- better known as Cadance -- brother Shining Armor, and their daughter, Flurry Heart, who was currently cuddled up against Cadance's chest.

"Twily!" Shining Armor called out, moving to pull Twilight into a hug, rubbing a hoof through her mane.

With a smile, Twilight hugged her brother back.

"Glad to see you too, Shiny."

After the hug broke, she made her way over to Cadance and Flurry, giving the baby a nuzzle, who cooed in response.

The four of them made their way into the castle, with Shining Armor talking about what had been going on with them and the empire since the last time they had seen each other. Twilight listened intently, nodding slightly. It was nice to hear it, and to talk to her brother. Ponyville was her home now, and she loved her friends, but she always loved spending time with her family, her brother and sister-in-law especially. Although, in this case, it was not entirely just a simple social visit.

They reached a small room with large... windows? Were they technically windows if they were simply parts of the wall in the shape of a window? Well, regardless, they were large and let in plenty of light. There was a table there, was well as a cart with tea and cookies.

"Well it's time for a certain filly to have her nap," Shining Armor said, moving toward his wife and child. He reached out with a hoof to take a hold of Flurry Heart, horn lighting up for extra support. Flurry let out a small giggle as she rested in her father's arms, getting a belly nuzzle in response.

"I'll catch up with you two in about an hour," he told the pair. "You two have fun chatting."

As Shining Armor left to put Flurry down, Cadance made her way toward the tea cart, horn lighting up.

"Would you care for some tea?"

"Yes, please," Twilight answered as she approached. As she got closer, she could smell the familiar scent: jasmine and roses. Cadances favorite type of tea. A single sugar cube, half a teaspoon of cream, and it was just how Twilight liked it. She took a sip, closing her eyes to savor the scent still in her nose, and taste on her tongue.

Then she grabbed a cookie.

"So," Cadance said as Twilight was busy taking a bite, "what did you want to speak to me about?"

Twilight's mouth suddenly felt dry. The cookie bits were stuck between her tongue and the roof of her mouth. A small knot formed in her stomach. It was strange. Not only because it was happening, but because there was no obvious reason for her to. She was really just here to talk with Cadance and get some perspective, not tell her about some sort of unrequited love or something. She just wanted help to understand, nothing to be nervous about.

Taking another sip of tea, Twilight wet her mouth and gathered her courage.

"You recall how I told you that I met my human world counterpart the last time I went through the mirror?"

Cadance gave a nod.

"Well, not too long ago, the other Twilight got involved in a relationship... with a girl... named Gilda." A slight blush formed on her cheeks.

Cadance set down her tea and looked at Twilight, raising an eyebrow. Her curiosity and interest had been piqued, so she was giving the younger mare her full attention.

"The name sounded familiar," Twilight continued, "so I asked some more questions about it." She looked down at her cup. "From what I've gathered, I've met her counter-part. Gilda -- this world's Gilda -- is a griffon that visited Ponyville shortly after I moved there. She was a friend of Rainbow Dash's that came to visit and things didn't go well. Not too long ago, the two of them patched things up when The Cutie Map sent Dash and Pinkie to Griffonstone."

"And you're here because you're wondering if -- because the other Twilight found a possible romantic partner in her Gilda -- maybe you should get in touch with this world's and see about becoming romantically involved with her?" Cadance asked.

"No," Twilight answered. She took another cookie and finished her tea, refilling her cup. "Although maybe I should have?"

With a sigh, she leaned back. Her wings gave a flicker at her side before settling again.

"That was what I had decided to do. I didn't want to be too obvious about it though, so I arranged it to be sort of a follow-up to the friendship mission. I would travel to Griffonstone, meet Gilda, have her show me around, and see how she and the town are doing when it comes to making friends and improving things. That way, I would be doing my duty as The Princess of Friendship, and spend lots of time with Gilda, getting to know her... and maybe see if there was the possibility of romance between us." She gave a shrug.

"So, how did it go?" Cadance asked.

A sigh escaped Twilight as she placed her head on the table, ears drooping.

"Officially, it went great," she answered. "They still have a long way to go, but they have made a lot of progress since Dash and Pinkie helped. The griffons have actually started helping each other rebuild their homes without it simply being about making some bits, they're working on plans to rebuild the economy, and some are working on a recovery plan for the remains of The Idol of Boreas from where it fell down the cliffs."

"And unofficially?"

"I got to learn a lot about Gilda. I saw her scone wagon, got to make some with her, met her grandfather Gruff, and her henfriend -- which was what they call marefriends there -- Greta."

"Oh?" Cadance asked, leaning in.

"Yeah," Twilight sighed. "It turns out that Greta was the first friend Gilda made under Pinkie and Rainbow's encouragement. The two of them hung out, one thing led to another, and now they're a couple." She rolled her eyes. "So even if there a possibility of romantic feelings developing, it can't be pursued at this time without ruining an already existing relationship."

Cadance's lips pursed as she gave a nod, looking down at her tea cup. Horn lighting up, she refilled it and took a sip.

"So, griffons call females that are in a romantic relationship 'henfriends?'" she asked.

"...yeah?" Twilight replied tentatively, raising an eyebrow and looking up at the older alicorn curiously.

"Does that mean that males are called 'cockfriends?'"

Cadance began to giggle, noticing the look of confusion on Twilight's face.

"That must be fun to talk about," Cadance said. "'Hi, nice to meet you, this is my cockfriend.' 'How's your cockfriend doing?' 'Oh, he's a little stiff.'"

Twilight huffed and rolled her eyes.

"I'm glad my romantic problems can be a source of humor for you," she grumbled.

"I'm just trying to lighten the mood a little," Cadance replied. Reaching out with a hoof, she brushed at Twilight's bangs. "Besides, there's not really a problem. You got an answer to your question, just not in the way you expected."

"Really?"

"Yes," Cadance answered with a nod. "You wondered if it would be possible to pursue a relationship with Gilda, they way your alternate counterpart did, and it turns out you can't. Just... not because of the reason you expected."

"Hm," Twilight said, shifting to sit up. "I suppose that's true."

"Twilight, when you were told about the other you and Gilda, did you find out why they were interested in each other?"

"Some," Twilight answered. "The two of them actually met when Gilda was in some sort of fight club. Twilight was attracted to her because she was big, tough, and had a.... 'bad girl vibe' I think Sunset called it?"

Cadance grinned, being familiar with the appeal of a bad colt... filly... hen... whatever...

Maybe she should pull out the leather jacket and prop cigarettes for Shiny to use tonight...

"And Gilda thought that Twilight was --" with a groan, Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes "-- 'adorkable,' which is supposed to mean that she's cute in an overly nerdy way." She let out another huff. "Pretty sure if my friends learn about that, I'll never hear the end of it."

"Okay," Cadance said. "So, let's start with that. Close your eyes and picture Gilda."

Twilight nodded and did as she was told. Closing her eyes, she pictured Gilda as best she could: gold eyes; purple tips on her head feathers and around her eyes; razor sharp eagle talons and large, soft lion paws; great, powerful wings; and a sleek, lean muscled body that was larger than most ponies.

"Does it appeal to you?" Cadance asked. "Do you want to touch her, or have her hold you close to her? Maybe cuddle close on a cold night?"

Twilight tried to imagine it: touching Gilda's toned flank, or caressing one of her forelegs; being held tight against Gilda, the griffon's chest and stomach against her back and wings; the two of them curled up against each other in front of a fire, using the other's flank as a pillow.

"No," she finally answered. "I mean, she's big and strong, so I imagine that she would be great as a guard if she wanted, but doesn't really make me want to press up against her or anything."

With a hum, Cadance tapped at her chin, considering the answer for a moment.

"Well, between that and Big Macintosh, it's clear you're not attracted to stallions or mares based on them being big and strong," she concluded. "Is searching for a romantic relationship something you want to pursue?"

Twilight considered a moment, before shaking her head.

"Not really. I'm not opposed to a romantic relationship if one develops, but I don't have any interest in actively seeking one out. I mean, it would be nice... but I'm not in a hurry or anything."

Getting up, Cadance walked over to Twilight and gave her a hug.

"Then don't worry about it," Cadance said. "You'll find some pony you like romantically and who likes you sooner or later." She shifted pursing her lips. "Or... maybe a griffon... or zebra... yak... dragon..."

"Okay," Twilight cut in. "I get it. Lots of fish and all that."

"Yes, but my point remains. You're a smart, attractive mare who any intelligent creature would be interested in. I'm sure that sooner or later, you'll meet somepony who interest you, start a relationship, get married, and have many, many kids."

Twilight leaned back to look at Cadance, eyes narrowing.

"Am I correct in assuming that you have my wedding all planned out?"

"No," Cadance said with a wave of her hoof. "Of course not. How could I when I don't know who you're marrying yet. I can't work out a proper color scheme if I don't know their coat and mane colors, or what their interests in. For example, what if I had plan a wedding for you and -- say, purely hypothetically -- Pinkie Pie, but you ended up marrying Applejack instead? I would be set up for pink, party supplies and lots of baked sweets, when I would need autumnal earth tones and apple based treats."

Twilight's eyes narrowed further as her ear gave a flick.

"And have you planned out wedding for the possibility of me marrying all my friends?"

"In both the sense of all five individually, and all together if you decide to go the herd route," Cadance answered, without a trace of shame.

Twilight sighed, rolling her eyes. While she was not exactly happy about what Cadance was doing, she was by no means surprised.

Cadance's eyes narrowed as she smirked.

"Speaking of your friends," she purred, "do any of them have cockfriends?"

Twilight groaned.

Family Dinner

"Okay," Twilight said to herself. "Okay. Okay. Okay." She took a deep breath and let it out. "Let's go over it one more time. Table ready?"

She turned her attention to the dinner table. Although it could not be seen, the table had been cleaned and freshly polished until it glistened. Currently, it was covered in a tablecloth that was supposed to be a very light pink, but looked white to her. A crystal vase filled with blue silk roses sat in the center of the table, red candles in silver holders set on each side. Six place-setting had been set out, ready for dinner.

"Check," Twilight said. "Dinner?"

"It's pretty much finished," her mother answered. "Just adding one last layer of cheese to the top to melt and brown."

"Okay, check. Spike all cleaned up?"

"Still can't believe you made me take a bath," the dog grumbled, sprawled out on his pet bed.

"It's your own fault for chasing that rabbit through a mud puddle."

Spike let out a snort.

Twilight reached up to run her hand through her hair, and stopped, clenching her fingers tight as she pulled it back down. She had just finished styling it a few minutes ago after her shower. Then she had checked it again as she was coming down to make sure everything was going right and would be ready on time. Her hair was perfect. Well... not perfect. Fine. However she would consider it, it would not stay that way if she kept messing with it.

Everything was ready.

Everything was fine.

Everything was fine.

Everything. Is. Fine.

The sound of the doorbell ringing caused Twilight Sparkle to yelp out. Everything was not fine. In fact, it was far from fine. They were not ready. She was not ready. Dinner was not ready. Everything had to be perfect, but Gilda was here and nothing was ready!

"Twilight, sweetie?" the familiar, deep voice of her father called out. "Why don't you put everything down so I can answer the door?"

Looking around, Twilight found that most of the furniture was now floating in the air. Not just in the dining room, either. She could also see objects floating in the living room, including the couch that her father had been sitting on. A blush formed on her face as she put everything back down.

"I'll get it," she announced as she made her way for the door.

Opening it, Twilight did not find Gilda, but she did find a familiar face she almost as happy (and a lot more relieved) to see.

"Cadance!" the younger girl shouted as she lunged forward to hug the older one.

"Glad to see you too," Cadance -- Twilight's former dean, and (as it turns out) her brother's current girlfriend -- replied, returning the hug.

"Great you could make it. Where's Shiny?"

"Don't worry. He's on his way." Cadance gave the younger girl a gentle pat on the shoulder as she smiled. "He's just running a little late."

"LATE!" Twilight cried out, eyes going wide. "Shiny can't be late! I didn't plan for it. This is supposed to be perfect. This isn't perfect. What if she shows up before he gets here? What if he doesn't show up? What if they crash into each other when the both try to turn into the driveway at the same time? What if they get into a fight and up being arrested? What if--"

"Twilight!"

Cadance's hands took a hold of Twilight's shoulders. The grip was strong, but gentle. Strong enough that it brought Twilight out of her pessimistic spiral of building worst case scenarios, or to make it clear that a student would not get away if caught misbehaving, but comforting enough that Twilight felt safe, and any caught student was sure they would not be in too much trouble.

At least not as much as if Cinch had caught them.

"It's okay, Twilight," Cadance stated in a calm, measured voice. "Calm down. Just breathe like I showed you."

With a nod, Twilight closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She took a long, slow, breath in through her nose, then let it out through her mouth, letting the tension go with it.

After her six... teenth... breath, she felt calmer and back in control of herself.

"Feeling better?" Cadance asked, getting a nod. "Good. Now, you have nothing to worry about."

"I have plenty to worry about," Twilight replied. "My girlfriend is coming to meet my family." She turned away from Cadance, rubbing her hands together as she started pacing. "This is the first time I've had a girlfriend over for dinner." Twilight turned around, staring at Cadance with wide eyes. "This is the first time I've had a girlfriend. Or any relationship for that matter."

"Well, that's not entirely true," her father --Night Light -- said from his spot on the couch, getting the attention of both girls. He smirked and rubbed his chin. "I mean, yes, it is the first one you've had since you were old enough to have one and actually understood the idea of a romantic relationship." He grinned wider. "For instance, there was the time that you said you were going to marry Starswirl the Bearded." A chuckle escaped him as he shook his head. "You were so heartbroken when you found out he had lived centuries ago."

"Daaaaad!" Twilight whined out, her cheeks blushing with embarrassment.

Cadance giggled.

"Then there was... Light Show?" Night Light continued. "Day Glow?" He huffed and shook his head. "I can't remember his name."

"Oh, I think know what you're talking about," Twilight's mother -- Twilight Velvet -- said as she joined the others. "It was when she was in... second grade I think. One day, Twiley came home, and mentioned she had a boyfriend. Turns out one of her classmates was reading the same book as her, so she decided they were together."

Hiding behind her hands, Twilight let out a massive groan. She could feel her cheeks burning cherry red.

"That sounds like something she would do, alright," Cadance said with a smirk, getting another groan in response.

"Are you going to embarrass me in front of Gilda like this?" Twilight asked.

Moving over to her daughter, Velvet reached out and pulled her into a hug, patting her on the back.

"Oh, sweetie," she said softly, "of course we are."

This got the younger Twilight to look up at her mother, brow furrowed.

"It's part of our right -- our responsibility -- as parents to embarrass our children in front of potential romantic partners," Declared Velvet. "We did the same thing with Shining Armor when her first started dating Cadance."

"I even have a couple photo albums picked out and ready," added Night Light. "One even has a nice picture of you after you managed to get into a bottle of baby powder."

"DAD!"

"Well this conversation is not at all going how I expected," Cadance sighed out, rubbing her forehead. "My point is that things do not have to be perfect, and everything will be fine."

"Really?" Twilight asked.

"Really. I understand your anxiety, Twilight. But let me assure you: even if the worst happens and we don't all get along--"

The rest of Cadance's statement was forgotten as Twilight's phone rang. It was the default ringtone, so it was not a number she had programmed into her phone. But only her friends had her number. Why would one of her friends be calling her from a different number? Had something happened?

Only one way to find out.

"Twilight Sparkle speaking."

"Twilight," a grizzled, masculine voice said through the speaker, "this is Gruff."

Gruff. Gilda's grandfather.

Twilight's legs wobbled.

"There's been an accident."

Against Medical Advice

The doors to the hospital emergency room as Gilda was wheeled in on a gurney. Doctors and nurses joined it, guiding it through the halls of the hospital. Numerous orders were given rapidly. So rapidly and with so many speaking that to an outsider, it would be difficult to make out what precisely was being said, to say nothing of by whom.

"Type and match."

"Three units whole blood."

"Prep the O.R."

"Stat."

Gilda laid unconscious on the gurney as she was wheeled through door after door. A bag valve mask covered her mouth and nose, one nurse squeezing it rhythmically. One eye was swollen shut, the flesh around it a dark purple and black. The other side of her face was completely covered in bright red. A large chunk of glass stuck out of her shirt, pointing almost straight up.

Reaching an operating room, the sound of a heart rate monitor filled the air. Its beats were fast and erratic, matching with Gilda's that was trying -- and failing -- to keep her alive after her injuries and blood loss.

"We're losing her!" a doctor shouted. "Prepare defibrillators. Set to three-hundred! Clear!" He brought the paddles down on Gilda's chest.j

Twilight let out a yelp, jumping in her seat. Her head slammed into the side window, sending a small burst of pain and creating a very loud THUNK! from the impact.

A cackle drew her attention to the driver, who was grinning at her and turning down the radio. We Are The Champions continued to play at a far more reasonable volume as they continued on. Twilight rubbed at the tender spot on her forehead as she put on her best death glare.

Unfortunately, her "death glare" ended up more like a cute pout that only got more laughter.

"That's not funny, Rainbow," she growled.

"Hey, don't blame me," Rainbow Dash stated, pushing some of her rainbow hair out of her face. "I asked if you had a problem with me turning it up. Not my fault you were caught up in whatever you were thinking."

"Gilda was in a car crash! She's in the hospital! How are you not worried?"

"Because it's Gilda," Rainbow answered. "As AJ would say --" Rainbow ran a hand through her hair, somehow making it look like Applejack's save for the color "-- 'Shucks, that girl could wrassle an angry bear and have it beggin' for mercy in no time.'"

Despite her frustration, a snort of laughter escaped from Twilight. While Rainbow may have been able to mimic Applejack's hairstyle and voice, the accent was way off. It did not sound like the actual southern twang their cowgirl friend used when she spoke, but an over the top exaggeration of it, like in a bad movie where the actors never heard an actual southern accent.

Still.

"Except she's not that tough," Twilight stated. "You saw how badly she got beaten up by... that one girl... the... monster... fish... thingy..."

"Aria."

"Right, her. And this wasn't a fist fight. This was a car crash. Two vehicles each weighing over two tons hitting each other anywhere from thirty to fifty miles per hour. Do you how much kinetic energy that creates? What it can do to a human body?"

"...no," Rainbow answered, giving a shrug.

"Well I do!" Twilight snapped. "She could have suffered severe head trauma, putting her into a vegetative state. She could have broken a rib and punctured a lung, having blood filling into it and causing her to slowly asphyxiate while coughing up bloody froth. She could--"

"TWILIGHT!" Rainbow yelled, glaring at Twilight as best she can. "Stop! Just STOP!"

The shouting caused Twilight to jump again.

Rainbow's shoulders were hunched, and arms tensed. Not that Twilight was looking, she could see the white of Rainbow's knuckles on the wheels. A pang of guilt shot through Twilight, making her look away.

"Sorry," she said. "I wasn't thinking about how you must be feeling about all this."

Rainbow gave a sudden sigh, her body relaxing some.

"Well considering how often I've been accused of not thinking, I guess I can't hold it against you." She turned to look partially at Twilight, lips pressing thin. "Just... think positive thoughts. Gilda's tough and she's gonna be fine."

"Right," Twilight said with a nod. "Okay."

The rest of the ride was in silence, Rainbow focusing on driving and Twilight mentally chanting to herself. After reaching the hospital and finding a parking spot, the pair walked toward the entrance, both resisting the urge to run. A quick stop at the receptionist desk got them a floor number and directions to the elevator bank.

As the pair headed for the nurse's station, they found Gilda standing beside it.

Twilight did not remember moving toward her girlfriend. One moment, she was standing next to Rainbow Dash, the next, she was hugging Gilda.

"Glad to see you too, egghead," Gilda grunted out, "but could ya ease up your grip there?"

"Sorry," Twilight said as she let go, taking a step away and putting her hand behind her back. "I'm just so relieved to see you're okay."

"Didn't I tell ya?" Rainbow said as she swaggered up to join the other two. "Gilda's tough. A little banged up, but fine."

Twilight studied Gilda for a long moment, taking in the injuries. It looked like they were all entirely on Gilda's left side. There was a bandage above her eye, several red spots soaking through. A large bruise covered the lower portion of her cheek and along her jawline, with small cuts in it. While not in an actual cast, Gilda's arm was wrapped up and in a sling.

"What happened?"

With a sigh, Gilda shook her head.

"Some idiot ran a stop sign," she said. "Plowed right into me." She punched her left fist into her right palm. A wince crossed her face as she let out a hiss. "Hit me right in the door, too."

"And you were driving," the nurse at the desk added. "Which is why you should be in your room, resting."

She turned to Rainbow and Twilight.

"You're friends with her a take it?" she asked, getting a nod. "Then maybe you two can talk some sense into her."

"Why?" Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

Gilda huffed and rolled her eyes.

"They want to keep me here," she grumbled. "For 'observation.'" She made a finger quote with her right hand. "So, apparently my wanting to leave now is 'against medical advice,' or whatever."

Twilight blinked as she tried to process what she just heard.

"You... you can do that? Just... just leave the hospital? Even if the doctors don't think you should? That's possible?"

"Yeah," Gilda answered. "I can leave under my own power, I'm an adult, and not legally crazy. As such, they can't keep me here if I want to leave." She then turned to the nurse's desk again. "So, stop stalling and give me the papers so I can leave already."

If Twilight was reading her face right, the nurse -- Tenderheart, according to the name tag -- was considering things that were not very nurse-like and most likely criminal. Instead of doing that or yelling, Tenderheart reached over to the printer and pulled off a sheet of paper. It and several others were set on a clipboard and passed over to Gilda.

"Will you at least have someone there to keep you company and call for help if something goes wrong?"

"Yeah, sure," Gilda said as she started signing. "Either of you up for a sleepover?"

"I am!" Twilight blurted out, quickly. So quickly, in fact, that she had not been expecting it herself.

"Eh," Rainbow said with a shrug. "Sure."

"Great," Gilda said as she slammed the pen down. "Now let's get out of here."

Sleeping Over

After stopping at Twilight's to explain to her parents what was going on, and pick up a change of clothes and Spike, the trio of young ladies made their way to Gilda's.

"You know," Rainbow said as she pulled into the driveway, "if you want, I could just drop you off and come back to get Twilight in the morning. That way you two can be... alone... tonight." She grinned, giving a wink.

A small squeak escaped from Twilight as she tensed, a blush forming across her cheeks. Without realizing it, her hands reached down to Spike, clamping around his ears to keep him from hearing the conversation. This got a chuckle from Gilda, which ended in a slight grunt.

"Pretty sure Twi here's not ready for that," Gilda stated. Shifting, she slipped her hand under her sling supported arm, rubbing at her left side. "Even if that weren't the case, not exactly at the top of my game here."

"Isn't that part of the fun though?" Rainbow asked, grinning. "I bet you could get a sexy nurse outfit that would show off Twi's--"

"Rainbow!" Twilight yelled, pulling Spike closer. The blush grew brighter, spreading across her face until it reached her ears.

"What's going on?" Spike asked, blinking as he looked around. "What's happening?"

"Well..." Gilda turned to look at Twilight. "She would look pretty cute."

"Gilda!" Twilight squeaked, her voice cracking.

"Gah," Spike cried out. "Too tight. Can't breathe!"

"Sorry." Twilight eased her grip on the small dog, Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and slowly let it out. It was just some friendly teasing. Nothing about it was too bad.

In truth, the reason it bothered her so much is because she had been thinking about it lately. Not specifically dressing up as a sexy nurse and "nursing" Gilda back to health and being "thanked" for it repeatedly, but what it might be like for the two of them to be... intimate together. What it would be like to be naked in bed with Gilda, feeling those firm, powerful muscles shift and flex. Gilda's rough, calloused stroking along Twilight's skin, exploring sensitive areas only she had ever touched; or places she had not and now enjoyed so much. Their tongues--

The sound of a door slamming snapped Twilight from her impromptu fantasy. The others had gotten out of the car and started toward the house.

Opening her door, she let Spike go and moved to get out of the car.

After a grunt and being yanked painfully, Twilight remembered to undo her seat belt. With a quick sprint, she caught up with the other two.

Gilda opened the door, and the three girls and dog found themselves facing her grandfather. He stood in the living room, arms crossed over his chest. A scowl rested on his face as he glared at Gilda, his good eye narrowed.

"You should still be in the hospital," he stated.

"It's fine, Grampa,"

"It most certainly is not fine. You were in a car crash."

"It's fine!" Gilda repeated, stepping closer. "The worst is a couple of fractures, a few scratches, and a lot of bruising. No brain trauma, no serious hemorrhaging."

"You should still be in the hospital," Gruff repeated.

"There's no reason," Gilda snapped. "Look." She motioned to Rainbow and Twilight. "My friends are here, and they're going to keep an eye on me."

"Your friends are not replacements for trained doctors and nurses, Gretchen. You should still be in the hospital and not out running around in your condition."

Gilda took a step back from her grandfather, eyes wide like she had just been slapped. Everything went silent as an sudden tension filled the air. Neither Twilight, Rainbow, nor Spike could say, and none of them were immediately willing to be the one to break it by speaking up first.

A sigh escaped from Gilda as her shoulders sagged a little.

"You guys go ahead to my room," she said. "We need to talk alone for a minute."

"Sure," Rainbow said with a nod.

"Okay," Twilight also confirmed. "Come on, Spike."

"What was that about?" Spike asked as soon as they were in Gilda's room.

"Rainbow?"

"I don't know," Rainbow answered. "I was actually going to ask you. You're the one dating her."

"But you've known her longer," Twilight pointed out. "She did mention her grandfather showing signs of dementia or Alzheimer's Disease, and it seemed like her entire mood changed when he called her Gretchen."

"Maybe it's her mom's name?" Rainbow suggested. "Could that be an actual sign? Do they actually do that?"

"Hold on." Twilight pulled out her phone and hit the button. "Smarty, will a person with Alzheimer's call someone the wrong name?"

"Searching," an electronic voice said from Twilight's phone. "Collating and cross-referencing responses. Answer: memory loss is an indicator of most types of Alzheimer's. However, as naming errors is common, it is not an effective indicator. The disease commonly affects short term memory first, causing the afflicted to forget entire conversations that have just occurred. As the condition worsens, so will memory, resulting in loss of information such as important dates or the ability to recognize family members."

"So, he might not remember that we're here?" Rainbow asked.

"It's a possibility," Twilight answered as she put the phone away.

Several seconds passed in silence.

"Well, no reason for us to sit in her brooding," Rainbow said as she looked around. "G still has her old console. How about we play a couple rounds of Weapon Warriors: Blood Feud while we wait?"

After playing seven games -- with a five-to-zero wins between Rainbow and Twilight, and a one-to-one between Rainbow and Spike -- Gilda finally showed up, entering the room.

"So.." Rainbow started, raising an eyebrow.

Gilda sat down on the bed and started taking her sling off.

"Gretchen was my mom's name," she stated. "Guess he thought I was her for some reason."

"If I can ask a personal question," Twilight said. "Was an accident how she..."

"No. I don't really want to go into it any further right now."

Getting up from where he'd been laying, Spike moved over to Gilda. He then leaned against her leg, looking up at her and giving his tail a small wag. This got a quick ear scratch in response before she stood up again.

"I'm gonna grab a shower," she said as she headed for the bathroom.

Stopping at the doorway, she turned around and smirked.

"Hey, Twi. You wanna help me out? Kinda hard to get undressed and wash myself like this."

"Okay," Twilight blurted out, getting up to follow after her.

The Princess and The Egghead

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Gilda grumbled as they made their way up to the house.

"It's just a sleep-over," Twilight said. "Like when you were younger." Moving closer, she leaned in against the taller girl.

Gilda wrapped her arm around Twilight, palm on her hips and fingers resting against the skirt over the smaller girl's bottom.

"I didn't have sleep-overs when I was younger." Her eyes narrowed as she gave a predatory smirk. "I wasn't exactly what you would call 'friendly' when I was that around that age." The smirk vanished. "There was a lot of anger and need to prove myself back then."

"Well I'm glad you grew out of it," Twilight said, leaning up to kiss Gilda on the cheek. She then got a smirk of her own. "Too bad, though. Topless pillow fighting and practicing making out sounds just like the kind of things you would enjoy."

That caused Gilda to stop, turning to give the other girl with a skeptical look.

"That doesn't happen."

"How would you know?" Twilight asked. She suddenly pulled away from Gilda and ran up to the door, ringing the bell.

The door opened to reveal Pinkie Pie and...

Gilda stared, trying to process what she was seeing. Standing slightly behind Pinkie was a girl that looked a lot like Twilight. Similar height, similar skin and hair color, similar clothing styles. The most noticeable differences was that the other girl had her hair down and was not wearing glasses.

The other girl pushed past Pinkie and came over, offering a smile.

"You must be Gilda. I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle from Equestria."

"Oh. Right. Yeah."

Twilight -- Gilda's Twilight -- and Rainbow Dash had told her about the whole mirror to another world and pony counterparts thing, but there was a big difference between hearing something and actually seeing it. She had never thought that they were lying when they told her about it, but it was still a massive shock to see this other person that looked so much like Twilight.

"Glad you could make it," Pinkie said from the door. "Come on in." Her grin grew wider. "And wait until you see what's happening later."

That... that was not ominous... was it?

This world's Twilight Sparkle took a hold of Gilda's hand and led her inside.

"Just call me Sci-Twi, and her Princess," she said. "Helps keep it clear which one you're talking to."

"Seriously?" Gilda asked raising an eyebrow. "Sci-Twi and Princess? It sounds like the name of a bad kids show."

"You mean a great one!" Pinkie declared as they came inside and headed... somewhere. "A princess from a magical world comes to another dimension, and meets a smart scientific girl and moves in with her. Every episode, the smart girl explains something to the princess, teaching her something about science and the world, helping kids in the audience learn about it as well. It could help kids learn about science, math, and nature, and show little girls that they can be all sorts of things when they grow up. Then it can be bought out by a big studio and transferred to a paying cable network, where they will give it a big budget, but get rid of the educational stuff and original cast. All that will remain is a hollow shell of what it was, with no one watching, and the studio executives never realizing it was their own fault that a once great show ended up being forgotten."

A ding suddenly filled the air.

"Oh, pizza's ready," Pinkie called back as she took off to the kitchen.

Gilda and the Twilight's were in the living room, where the rest of the girls were waiting. Rainbow Dash grinned at their arrival, getting up from her spot and walking over.

"Yo, G!" she called out. "Glad you could make it." She held out a fist.

"The girl can get pretty stubborn," Gilda said as she bumped Dash's fist with her own. "She's right though, could use a little time with some others." She smirked. "And you're not the biggest losers I've met."

"Aww," Rainbow said. "Sounds like someone's getting soft in their old age." She then gave a playful jab at Gilda, hitting her in the ribs.

Gilda let out a grunt and grimaced as she was jabbed right in the sensitive spot, still tender and bruised from her crash.

"Oh shit," Rainbow cried out as she realized what she did. "I'm sorry, G. I forgot about that."

"It's fine," Gilda assured her. "Don't worry about it."

Not long after, Pinkie Pie returned with two others following her and the three of them carrying pizzas.

"We have cheese, pepperoni, veggie, the one I call 'The Whole Hog' -- which has pepperoni, sausage, regular bacon and canadian bacon -- aaaand... The Atomic...Infernooooooooo..."

Curious, Gilda reached out to grab a slice of "The Atomic Inferno."

"I wouldn't do that," Sunset Shimmer said. "If Pinkie Pie is calling something 'The Atomic Inferno,' it will probably burn your mouth pretty bad."

"Maybe even literally," Princess Twilight added.

"Not literally," Pinkie assured with a smile. "I already learned my lesson about that. It is really hot though. I even mixed ghost peppers into the sauce." She waggled her fingers. "Ooooooo. Hot, and you'll never see it coming."

Rolling her eyes, Gilda went ahead and grabbed the slice anyways. She was not big on hot and spicy food, but she could handle it pretty well. Also, she had not tried ghost peppers before, but how bad could they be?

Turned out, pretty bad. One bite, and she found herself downing a half-gallon jug of chocolate milk. Her tongue and throat felt like they were literally on fire. It really hurt, and was pretty much all she could feel. Tears ran from her eyes, and if her nose was not running already, it probably would be soon. If someone said she was sweating, she would not have been surprised.

After that, only Pinkie and one of her sisters -- introduced and Maud and Marble -- were brave enough to eat The Atomic Inferno, with Pinkie being the only one that seemed to have no problem eating it. Although, Applejack and Rainbow Dash did start playing a fighting game, where the two would play until one of them got ten wins, and the loser had to take a bite of the pizza.

It looked like it was going to be a very long fight.

Gilda turned her attention to Princess Twilight, who was currently staring at a slice of The Whole Hog, eyes narrowed as she poked at one of the pepperoni pieces.

"So, Princess," Gilda said. "You come from a world of magical ponies, and all your friends here have pony versions there, right?"

"For the most part, yes," Princess Twilight answered.

"Any chance you've met a pony version of me?" Gilda asked, raising an eye brow. It was something a part of her had been wondering about. She had not found out about all the types of ponies there were, but after hearing about Rainbow's counter-part being a flying kind, she was not surprised, but curious about her own.

Princess Twilight took a bite before answering.

"Not a pony, no," she said. "I did meet your counter-part, though. She was a griffon, part bald-eagle and part lion, specifically."

"A griffon," Gilda repeated as she considered it. She would have big wings, and sharp claws.

"I could see it," Sci-Twi said, looking at her with narrowed eyes as she studied Gilda. "Strong, predatory, territorial. It seems like a good fit."

Gilda's own eyes narrowed as a grin spread across her face. Getting up, she stalked toward her girlfriend, trying to look as much like a predatory feline as she could manage. Gilda could see the blush forming as she approached, Sci-Twi's purple eyes watching her.

Just as she was about to reach her "prey," a pair of surprisingly strong pink arms wrapped around Gilda, pulling her away.

"It's almost time for Limey's date," Pinkie announced. "You guys get everything ready for our little game while I take Gilda to meet Limey's new girlfriend."

"Why would I--" Gilda started.

"Trust me," Pinkie cut in. "You do not want to miss this."

Next thing Gilda knew, she was standing at the front door with Pinkie Pie holding her there. Pinkie held up three fingers.

"Three," she counted down. "Two... one..." She pointed.

There was a knock at the door.

"Answer it," Pinkie said as she gave Gilda a small shove forward. "Trust me."

Gilda gave a scowl. In her experience, the people who told you to trust them were normally the ones that could not be trusted, and usually said something like that to a person just before screwing them over.

This was not most people, though. This was one of Twilight's friends. She trusted Twilight, and Twilight trusted her friends. Yeah, the girl might have been naive, but she was not stupid. Then there was Rainbow Dash. Girl may not be as smart as Twilight, but she was a bit better at knowing how people were. So if they trusted Pinkie, then Gilda would give her the benefit of the doubt.

Taking a hold of the knob, she opened the door.

Standing on the other side was the familiar scowling face of a dark pinkish girl with purple and green streaked hair in a pair of pigtails. The scowl shifted as the girl's brows furrowed.

"Gilda?" Aria Blaze asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same," Gilda said, crossing her arms as she smirked.

Aria crossed her own arms and scowled deeper.

"I'm just here to pick up her sister," she stated, nodding toward Pinkie. "She's not the dumbest person I've met, and isn't a completely lame goody two-shoes or whatever."

"I'm writing a song about them," Pinkie whispered. "I'm calling it...'Tsundere Love.'"

Aria's pink face grew brighter as she glared at Pinkie, who was smiling and humming, oblivious to the murder eye she was getting. Gilda's lips pressed tight as she smirked, biting back a snicker at the other girl's expense.

"So what are you doing here?" Aria asked as she returned her attention to Gilda.

"You remember that pony princess that helped kick your scaly butts?" Gilda asked, watching Aria tense with anger in response. "Well, I'm dating her human counter-part from this world, and she insisted I come with her to this sleep-over."

"Speaking of," Pinkie said. Turning around, she shouted toward the living room. "READY YET?!"

"Almost!" Rarity called back. "Just another minute or so."

"So you're dating some know it all goody two-shoes?" Aria asked, eyes narrowing. "What, did she lose a bet? Feel sorry for you after seeing me kick your ass at the fight club?" Her lips pulled into a sneer. "Or maybe she wanted to know what it was like to date street trash."

Anger started burning in Gilda's chest. Her jaw clenched as she tried to hold the frustration back. Her hands shook as they clenched into fists, fingernails digging into her palms. She wanted to hit Aria. NO! She wanted to attack her. Tackle the bitch into the ground and slam her head into the pavement until blood started pouring out. Maybe break her nose. Or her jaw. Or...

A soft hand touched her shoulder. Turning, Gilda found Pinkie there, looking at her with worry.

"For fuck's sake, Aria," a raspy voice called out. "Can't you be around people for five minutes without being a complete asshole?"

Joining them was a dark gray skinned with light gray hair. Her green eyes were narrowed into a glare, and her face looked like it was stuck in a permanent scowl.

How the fuck is this girl related to that one? Gilda wondered, looking from the new arrival to Pinkie Pie.

"Being an asshole is an all or nothing thing," Aria declared. "If you're going to be one, might as well be a massive one, or else fuck off, Limestone."

Limestone rolled her eyes and let out a snort.

"Whatever, bitch!" She walked toward the door. "Come on. I don't have all night to wait on your dumb ass."

"First off all," Aria called out as she started following after the other girl, "you're the bitch, not me."

"You keep telling yourself that."

"And second of all, I was waiting on your lazy ass to get ready."

This continued on as the two of them walked down the driveway and to the sidewalk. Practically every sentence they used seemed to be based around insulting each other in one way or another.

"I know it seems weird," Pinkie said, "but I think they actually make each other happy in a weird way."

Probably because no one else could put up with them, Gilda thought. Anyone else would probably be trying to figure out where to hide the body after the first date.

Pinkie shut the door and stepped in front of it, facing Gilda.

"Do you want to talk about--"

"No," Gilda cut in. "I don't." She crossed her arms. "Not now. Not ever."

Stepping closer, Pinkie put her hands behind her back as she practically pressed against Gilda, a big smile on her face.

"Well, if we were to talk about it, I would assure that -- even though you know Aria only said that to get a reaction -- Twilight definitely doesn't see you like that." Pinkie's smile shrank, but seemed more sincere. "I mean yeah, she does like your body, and I don't blame her, but it's not why she's dating you. It's because she sees someone who cares for people, and can be really kind and is really protective of those she cares about. Plus, you seem to really like her for who she is."

Pinkie suddenly took a step away and turned around.

"That's what I would say if we were talking about it, anyways," she declared. "But since we're not talking about it, I'll instead say that the dessert pizza's ready and offer you the first slice."

It turned out that the "dessert pizza" was a giant cookie, with a raspberry sauce, cream cheese frosting, and gummy candies for "toppings." It was way too sweet for her liking.

So this is what diabetes taste like.

Still, between the sugar rush and Pinkie's words, Gilda was not as mad at Aria as she had been. She still wanted to punch that stupid smug look off her face, but was willing to let her live with a broken jaw and nose. Maybe a pair of black eyes.

As she ate the "slice" of "pizza," Pinkie led her back to the living room. Stopping just before entering, she turned around to face Gilda, pulling a toy microphone from... somewhere... It looked like it was her hair?

"And now," Pinkie Pie said in a perfect television announcer voice, "are you ready for the game to begin?"

"Game?" Gilda asked, raising an eyebrow. "What game?"

Pinkie stepped into the room and turned, flourishing one hand to point to the center of the room.

There stood both Twilight Sparkles. They were side by side, facing forward with their hands behind their backs. Both were dressed in identical pajamas: light pink outfits with black and white yin-yang symbols printed on them. Neither of them were wearing glasses, nor did they have their hair tied up.

"Welcome to..." Pinkie started.

"Guess! Your! Twilight!" the rest of the girls chanted together.

"That's right," Pinkie continued. Stepping further into the room, she turned to Gilda and lifted a hand toward the pair. "Here we have two people, both named Twilight Sparkle. One is an pony princess visiting from another world, and has helped save the world from brainwashed armies on two separate occasions. The other is a human from our world, a scientific genius, and your girlfriend."

She then pointed at Gilda.

"Your job is to..."

Several seconds passed in silence. Pinkie turned to the "audience" and gave a small pout.

"Guys!" she whined. "That was your cue."

"Sorry," Sunset said. "Set us up again. We'll get it this time."

"Okay," Pinkie said. Turning back to Gilda, she once more pointed at the girl. "Your job is to..."

"Guess! Your! Twilight!" the "audience" chanted again.

"That's better," Pinkie said before going back to her announcer mode. "However, they can't talk, so you can't ask any questions that only Sci-Twi could answer. Are you ready?"

Gilda gave a shrug.

"I guess so."

"Alright then. Go ahead and try to..."

"Guess! Your! Twilight!"

After rolling her eyes, Gilda walked toward the pair of Twilights. They did look exactly alike from where she stood. But one was a being from a world full of magic and ponies (and griffons, it turns out), and the other was a high school girl that probably should have her college degree already. She had been dating that girl for a couple months now, so she could probably think of some things that would help figure out which one is her little egg-head.

Like the glasses.

Twilight -- her Twilight -- wore her glasses all day every day for years. It probably left some sort of impression on the side of her nose where it rested. Princess Twilight, however, never wears glasses, so she would not have any such thing. So, if she got in close and looked at their noses, she could tell which was which.

It was an idea that she would keep in mind if nothing else came to her.

Gilda moved to circle around the two, studying them and trying to figure out another way to tell the difference. Her gaze drifted over their bodies, trying to take in as much as possible and find things that were different between the two.

Her searching stopped as she caught sight of their hands. More specifically, what the two were doing with them. Both had their hands behind their back, but one was gripping at her fingers of one hand with the other, pulling on them. The other had her fingers curled up. Not quite in fist though. Just until the fingertips were pressing against the top of the palm.
A thought suddenly came to Gilda, causing her to smirk.

"Maybe I should spank them both and see which one neighs," she joked.

Both Twilights tensed at suggestion, with one of them bringing her hands down to protectively cover her butt.

Gilda was pretty certain which Twilight Sparkle was hers, but no reason to end the game just yet. Instead, she continued to circle around the two, stopping in front of them. Reaching down, she took a hold of her shirt and pulled it up off her. Gilda exposed her toned abs and the large bruise on her side as she took it off, leaving her in a bra. After dropping the shirt onto the floor, Gilda walked closer to the two Twilights. She then lifted her arms and flexed, tensing the muscles in her arms and torso.

"Oh my," someone in "the audience" squeaked out.

A blush formed on the faces of both the Twilights, but -- surprisingly -- neither of them looked away. Instead, one of them was looking at her with narrowed eyes, looking at the presented arm with curiosity. The other, however, was staring wide-eyed, and was nearly drooling.

Stepping over, Gilda wrapped her arm around that Twilight and pulled her close, pressing their bodies against each other. As she did, Gilda took a close look at Twilight's face, catching sight of a pair of small dents on the side of her nose.

"This one," Gilda declared with a grin. "This Twilight is my girlfriend."

"Right," Sci-Twi said, leaning up to kiss Gilda on the lips.

"Aw, man," Rainbow Dash grumbled. "Next time, we should add a rule against flexing."

Author's Notes:

First, if anyone wants to write Limestone and Aria dating in a very mean way, go for it. In fact, please do. I actually had an idea of them meeting in the street, yelling and insulting each other, then Pinkie Pie finding them in bed together and taking a picture. Unfortunately, I don't think I can do the proper insults and negative attitude for a full story.

Second, the "Pick the Sparkle" game was inspired by Jetto's Magical Girl Sunny (link) where he did similar in Kaleid Liner Prisma Sunny with Sunset Shimmers, Coco, and Sci-Twi.

Princess Twilight Gets It (movie spoilers)

Sunset Shimmer, Gilda, and the human Twilight Sparkle stood outside Canterlot High School, looking at what had once been the pedestal to a statue. Gilda stood closest to it, arms crossed over her chest as she looked at it, one eyebrow raised up.

"So, this is the portal to the pony world?" she asked. "Not what I imagined."

"What did you expect?" Twilight asked.

"It is supposed to be ancient and magical, right?" Gilda motioned at it with a hand. "I was imagining it would be bigger, with a massive golden frame with all the... little... decorative... thingies..."

"Filigree."

"Right, that. Plus, I thought there would be colors moving and swirling across the surface. Like in the movies, or cartoons, or something."

"Well there are colors and lights when it's used," Sunset Shimmer replied. "Which should be any second now."

"And which one of you destroyed the statue that used to be on top of it?"

Several seconds passed before Twilight -- blushing very brightly -- let out a cough and slowly lifted her hand up. Seeing this, Gilda's eyebrows shot out before she rolled her eyes and let out a snort.

"Wow. I was just kidding around. Didn't think I would actually find out one of you destroyed it."

Before Twilight could defend herself (which -- admittedly -- was not much of a defense), the mirror lit up with brilliant light. It went from bright white to a rainbow of colors, swirling and twirling across the previously reflective surface. The light flashed brighter as a figure stepped out.

As the light faded, Princess Twilight Sparkle stood there in her human form. She stood there with her hands out, balancing herself as she once again got used to standing on two legs instead of four. As usual, she was dressed in a pale blue blouse and purple skirt with a pink starburst on the side. A smile appeared across her face at the sight of her friends.

A second flash of light blinded the on-lookers as someone else came through the mirror portal. Princess Twilight turned around, reaching out to grab a hold of the new arrival and keep them from falling.

However, she missed, letting out a gasp of surprise as she stepped back.

As the light cleared, the new pony turned person came into view. She -- for it was a woman -- was dressed all in black, with dark purple skin, and dark red hair. Reaching out with her left, she pushed to get up, but ended up rolling onto her side and grunting out. When she did, the others noticed something that surprised them.

Her right arm was missing.

A fact that she happened to notice herself.

"Twilight? Why do I have a forelimb missing?" she asked in a calm voice.

Princess Twilight reached down, taking a hold of the woman's left hand and pulled to help her up to her feet.

"It's called an arm," she stated, taking a hold of the woman to keep her upright. "As for what happened to it..." Her brow furrowed as she looked at part in question.

A part of the limb was there. There was clearly a portion that protruded from the shoulder and downward, but it ended shortly above where the elbow would have been located.

"Honestly, I haven't seen anything like this before," Princess Twilight stated. "If I were to speculate, I would guess that since the humans don't have horns or magic normally, the transformation may have given you an analogous disability in this world."

Seeing the new arrival fully, the word that went through the heads of the others was "Amazon." She was taller than even Gilda, and definitely pass the six-foot mark. Her exact build was hidden by the long-sleeved, collared shirt and slacks that she wore, but her shoulders looked to be on the wider side.

Gilda glimpsed over to Twilight. Her Twilight. Sci-Twi, she had been told to refer to her as when there were two Twilights around. Sci-Twi was currently staring at the new arrival, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. It sent a pang of jealousy through Gilda to see her girlfriend looking at someone else like that.

"Did you hear that?" Sci-Twi cried out, grabbing a hold of Gilda's arm. "She has all her physical limbs in the pony world, but is a unicorn who is missing her horn, so when she transformed, she somehow ended up with a missing arm."

And with that, the jealousy vanished. If Sci-Twi was caught up in the scientific possibility of the mirror portal, then she was not drooling over the new arrival. It was not lust that had her staring wide eyed, but fascination the possibilities and implications of the change in forms.

"So," Sunset spoke up, getting the attention of the others, "are you going to introduce us to your new friend?"

"Oh, right," Princess Twilight said. A blush formed on her cheeks as she turned to face them. One arm reached out, wrapping around the waist of the new arrival. "Everybody, this is Tempest Shadow, my first royal guard and..." the blush on her cheeks grew brighter as she shifted. "...my... marefriend..."

She let out a cough and straightened up, the blush fading as she turned toward Tempest.

"Tempest, these are Sunset Shimmer, the Twilight Sparkle of this world, and her girlfriend, Gilda."

"Hold on," Tempest said. "Did you say the Twilight Sparkle of this world?" She stepped forward, her blue-green eyes (one of which had a scar across it) narrowing as she looked over the native Twilight Sparkle.

"Yeah," Sci-Twi said. "As near as we can tell, every person has a pony counter-part, and vice-versa." Her brow furrowed. "Well --" she glanced over at Sunset Shimmer "-- almost everyone."

"So, does that mean I have a counter-part here as well?" Tempest asked.

Princess Twilight stepped closer to Tempest, placing a hand on her arm.

"If you want, we can look her up for you," she offered. Her eyes glanced to Sci-Twi and Sunset, who nodded. "In the mean time, why don't we go get some lunch."

"And while we walk," Sunset added, "why don't you fill us in on how you two met."

Tempest Storm shifted, looking away.

"Well..."

The five of them sat a a booth in the back of the diner, far from as many people as they could manage. The food had been ordered, and sodas had arrived. Tempest Shadow and Princess Twilight had just finished telling the story of how they met. Sunset Shimmer was sitting back, arm crossed and an impressed look on her face. Sci-Twi was on her phone, looking up what she could of this world's Tempest Shadow. Gilda leaned forward, eyes narrow and eyebrow raised.

"So, let me make sure I got this straight." She pointed a finger at Tempest. "You met her when she came to take over Equestria, and managed to capture the three other princesses, before hunting you down and catching you as well?"

"Well... there's a lot more to it than that, but yes," Princess Twilight replied, shifting in her seat.

Gilda turned to Sunset.

"And -- if I remember right -- you turned into a demon, and planned on leading an army of brain-washed teens through the portal. Right?"

Sunset sank into the seat a little as she shifted, a light pink coloring her cheeks.

"Pretty much, yeah."

Gilda turned back to the transformed princess.

"Then there's Sci-Twi, that other pony she told me about, and the girl with the mirror." Gilda leaned forward, raising an eyebrow. "Is that how you deal with all your threats? Just make them friends, and trust them completely?"

"Not quite all," Princess Twilight answered. "We have used other methods to defeat enemies, and some that we do ally with have needed to prove that we can trust them, but befriending and trusting them is kind of the most common method for defeating threats to our kingdom, I suppose."

"Too bad we can't get countries in this world to work together so easily," Gilda mumbled to herself as she leaned back.

"Okay," Sci-Twi called out. "I found her." Her brow furrowed. "I think? I mean, I found someone who uses the screenname 'Tempest Shadow,' but according to their MyStable page, their actual name is--"

Tempest's hand shot out and across the table, covering Sci-Twi's mouth and stopping her from saying Tempest's actual name.

"Yes, Tempest Shadow isn't my birth name. No need to tell the entire table what it is though." She slowly pulled her hand away. "Just... can you check some other way."

The table got quiet as Gilda and Sunset turned to look at Sci-Twi. They were now curious about what "Tempest Shadow's" real name was.

Twilight, however, did not say. Instead she returned her attention to her phone, making a few quick flicks with her thumb.

"Well, luckily, she has posted a few pictures of herself on her MyStable page." She flicked a few more. "Fi-Tempest does look like you as near as I can tell." She held up the phone beside Tempet Shadow. "Even has the scar on the face and... missing... limb..."

"Does it say how?" Princess Twilight asked. "I mean, as far as I know, there aren't any Ursas in this world." Her brow furrowed as she turned to Sunset. "Are there?"

Sunset shook her head before replying, "Only regular bears."

Several seconds passed in silence as everyone watched Sci-Twi look at her phone for a long moment. She then shook her head.

"Sorry, no. At least, not in anything that's immediately available. It might be in an old post, provided she spoke about it at all. If you really want to know, I could have Smarty Pants search while we eat."

"Smarty Pants?" Princess Twilight and Sunset Shimmer asked together.

"Her home made, voice-responsive, AI personal assistant," Gilda explained.

"Was it named after a doll Shining Armor gave you?" Princess Twilight asked.

"Did you have one too?" Sci-Twi asked back.

"Yeah. It had this little note pad--"

"And a pencil--

"And we would do our homework together!" both Twilight's said at the same time, nearly squealing in excitement.

From the corner of her eye, Gilda caught a small smirk on Tempest Storm's face as she looked at Princess Twilight Sparkle.

"So cute when she geeks out over something, huh?"

"Is that what it's called?" Tempest asked, glancing between Gilda and Princess Twilight. A small smile tugged at her mouth. "Yeah. Kind of makes it hard to believe she's supposed to be a princess though."

The Twilights looked at their girlfriends, then away, blushing slightly. The only sound that could be heard was the snickering of Sunset Shimmer.

Sci-Twi let out a cough.

"So, about that post search?"

"Not necessary," Tempest answered. "But, thanks."

Before the conversation could go much further, the waitress arrived with their food.

"You three go ahead," Princess Twilight called out as they headed back for the school. She took a hold of Sci-Twi's wrist, giving her a smile. "I want to talk to Twilight alone for a moment."

Sunset, Tempest, and Gilda gave nods before heading further down the sidewalk, giving the two Twilights plenty of space.
Sci-Twi watched the others a moment before turning to Princess Twilight. Despite the friendly smile, Sci-Twi could not help but feel more than a little nervous. She liked the princess, and got along with her fine, but there was something about being alone with her other world doppelganger that was just so strange. Some part of Sci-Twi still could not get used to it.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Sci-Twi asked.

Princess Twilight's smile shifted as she looked away from her counter-part, letting her gaze drift ahead to the others.

"I just wanted to say... I get it now. When I first heard about you and Gilda, I didn't understand. I even tried hanging out with the one from my world, and I didn't really feel anything." She leaned closer, placing a hand on Sci-Twi's hip. "But... after meeting Tempest, I think I get it. Strong, confident, and a little dangerous is a mix that is... appealing, and thrilling. Plus, when they hold you, you feel that strength around you. You feel safe... protected."

The Princess turned to Sci-Twi once more.

"It's not all there is, of course," she continued. "I mean, it's a physical attraction and all, but it's getting to know them, to peak under the armor."

"To see the soft and kind side of the big tough girl," Sci-Twi added, smiling.

"Yeah," Princess Twilight confirmed. "Exactly."

"Well, I'm glad you understand. And that you found someone you feel that way about as well."

"So am I."

Author's Notes:

So, as you can guess, I saw the movie. After watching it, I couldn't help but imagine Twilight Sparkle and Tempest Shadow together.
I had a plan for additional information on Tempest's human counterpart, but it seemed awkward to write in. So, I'll post it here, instead:

Tempest lost her right arm as a child after a car crash.She attends Storm Academy Military School.Human Tempest is into martial arts. She is trained in kickboxing, Taekwondo, and some Jujutsu, the last of which is somewhat limited and modified to compensate for her physical limitations.

I do want to do more with Princess Twilight and Tempest Shadow, but they won't be showing up here much (if at all).

Dinner Take Two

Gilda pulled into the driveway and cut the engine. She sat there, looking up at the house.

And sat there.

And sat there.

And sat there.

Tonight was a big night. Tonight, she was supposed to meet Twilight Sparkle's family. The good news was that she had been able to get there without getting hit by another car again. The bad news was that she now had no excuse to get out of it. She did not want to get hit by a car or anything like that, of course, but she would not be too disappointed if something happened that made the dinner get cancelled.

Leaning forward, she looked at the place. It was a nice, typical middle-class home. Two stories tall, fake shutters, green grass. It would be easy to imagine a little white picket fence around it, and a middle-aged man pushing a lawnmower around it on Saturday. Even the cars looked like typical middle-class cars.

Actually, one of them looked familiar. Had it been... Gilda shook her head and dismissed the thought. They worked on dozens of cars a day, and there had to be more than one black Chevrolet Cruze in the entire city. Besides, she did not meet the owner or even work on it. And that was even if it were the same car, or if there had even been one there.

Gilda stepped out of her car and straightened up, running her hand down the front. She wore a wine-red dress shirt, buttoned all the way up, with a dark blue neck-tie. A black vest and slacks completed the outfit. The soles of black dress shoes tapped against the concrete of the driveway as she made her way up toward the front door.

As she made her way up the driveway, several of the neighbors watched the tall, muscular, well-dressed woman. Three women suddenly found themselves questioning their sexuality, and at least one young man developed a fetish for women in dress suits.

When Gilda pressed the door bell, she heard someone running.

"Shining!" a voice called out.

There was a loud thump.

"Cadance!" another called out.

Several seconds passed before the door opened. Twilight looked at her and froze, eyes going wide and mouth hanging open.

"Wow," she gasped out.

"Glad you like it," Gilda said, smirking. Reaching out, she placed her hand on Twilight's jaw, and gently pushed it shut. "Now, are you going to invite me in and introduce me, or stand there and fantasize?"

Twilight Sparkle's jaw snapped shut as a blush formed on her cheeks.

"Right, right," she cried out. Taking a step back, she held the door open. "Come in. Come in."

Gilda followed Twilight into the house, looking around as she went. There was nothing really noticeable about the foyer, but as she went further in, she found pictures on the wall and several awards. Among them was a picture of Twilight at six or seven years old with a big grin on her face standing next to a table with a volcano on it.

"You made a paper mache volcano?" Gilda asked as she looked at the picture.

"No," Twilight answered. "It was actually a low conductivity, high thermal resistant ceramic composite compound. I needed something capable of withstanding the seven-hundred degree temperatures."

"Seven... hundred... degrees?" Gilda asked, staring at Twilight with wide eyes. "Why did you need something that hot?"

"For the quartz, feldspar, and mica. They were the stones I could find with the lowest melting point."

"Wait!" Gilda held up a hand. "Wait." Her brow furrowed. "Are you telling me... you made a model volcano... that had... actual lava?" She turned to look at the picture again.

"Well, I don't think I would go that far," Twilight replied. "I didn't quite have enough time to create the heat needed for actual molten magma while having a containment system that could also withstand the heat without melting or combusting as well. As such, I had to use stones which had the lower melting points."

"Ended up being disqualified when her volcano erupted and set the gymnasium on fire," an older feminine voice said.

Gilda turned toward the voice and stopped, staring at Twilight's mother. The skin and hair color were different, but the similarities were unmistakable.

Every muscle in Gilda's body tensed as a knot of fear suddenly formed in her stomach. She stood up as straight as she could, ankles together and arms at her side.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," she said, still standing at attention.

Twilight's mother let out a small snicker as she waved a hand.

"At ease there. And please, call me 'Velvet.'"

A warm, gentle hand took a hold of Gilda's, giving a comforting squeeze. Some of the tension eased from her body, and she felt the knot loosen in her stomach, but her legs were still unwilling to listen to her, knees locked in place. Although, when Twilight stepped forward and pulled her, she was able to follow.

"As we've already established, that's my mom, Twilight Velvet," Twilight Sparkle said. "That's my father, Night Light --"

Twilight's father stood up from his chair, putting on a friendly smile. He was of average height and had the middle aged spread. He had thick rimmed glasses, just like his daughter, and the smile reached his yellow eyes. He looked like someone who probably smiled a lot.

Gilda felt an old pain she had not felt so strongly in a long time. Seeing Twilight's father made her miss her own. He smiled a lot as well. Especially when it came to her. Some times, she wondered if it had been genuine, if it would reach his eyes they way it reached Night Light's, or if it was an act put on for her. How would he feel about meeting Twilight? How happy would he be to see his daughter happy? Her grandfather was a great man, and Gilda loved him, but it just was not the same.

"-- my brother, Shining Armor, and his girlfriend who was also my dean at Crystal Prep and it's current principal, Cadance --"

On the living room floor was a young man in his twenties, a woman sitting on his back. The man had a similar build to his father, although with slightly more muscle and less fat, someone who kept in shape for some reason or other. He had white skin and short hair with a mix of blue colors to it. While Twilight looked a lot like her mother, Shining was definitely the child of the couple.

The woman sitting on his back had hints of make-up and wore a blouse. Her red lips were pulled into a gentle smile, and her pink eyes were welcoming. She seemed friendly enough but Gilda found herself uncomfortable with Cadance. The memories of all the trouble she caused middle to high school, all the upset teachers, and all the trips to the principal's office she had taken. Especially after she had gotten in numerous fights and had pretty much developed a reputation as a troublemaker. Reactions had ranged from understanding and condescending to threatening.

"-- and you know Spike already."

The small dog looked up from his pillow, tail wagging slightly behind him.

"Yeah," Gilda said as she reached into her pocket. "Which reminds me..." She pulled a bone shaped biscuit out of her pocket, holding it up.

"TREAT!" Spike cried out. Jumping up from his pillow, he ran across the room to come to a stop just short of Gilda and stood up on his hind legs. The instant Gilda let the biscuit go, he jumped up in the air and caught it, gobbling down the treat before he even reached the ground.

"Twilight's told us much about you," said Night Light. "Although... she never explained how you met."

From the corner of her eye, Gilda saw Twilight tense, her eyes going wide and her jaw snapping shut. Her hands came up in front of her, squeezing together they way she did at times when nervous. Really, Gilda could not honestly blame her. "I met my girlfriend when she was participating in an underground fight club for money," was not what most parents would want to hear. Considering the type of girl Twilight was, and the fact that her brother was dating a high school principal, and this was a very middle-class looking home, it seemed that the parents would be extra disapproving of such an idea.

This would be a good way to end it, a part of her thought. Just tell them the truth. They may act nice until dinner is over, or they might just kick you out now. Either way, they would push for Twilight to be with you, and maybe she'll find someone better for her.

Except that would mean hurting Twilight, and that was something that she wanted to put off for as long as possible.

"Rainbow Dash introduced us," stated Gilda. "I was... working at an amateur fighting event for some extra money, and had invited Dash. She had brought her friends along, including Twilight, and introduced us to each other."

Judging from the look on Twilight's face, Gilda probably should have come up with something more fictionalized. Maybe not mentioning any sort of fighting at all.

"Well, dinner should be about ready," Twilight Velvet stated. "Twily, Shining, would you mind helping me in the kitchen?"

Twilight gave Gilda one more glance before stepping away and heading toward the kitchen with her mother. Shining Armor was let up and brushed himself off as he followed them.

"Come on," Night Light said, motioning. "The dining room's this way."

As Gilda started to follow, a gentle hand gripped her arm, getting her attention. She turned, finding herself face to face with Cadance. Up close, she looked like she could have been a supermodel instead of a school faculty member: small chin, soft jaw, heart-shaped face, big eyes, small, slightly up-turned nose that had never been broken, and full lips with a cupid's bow on the top.

"Don't worry," she said softly as she led Gilda towards the dining room. "They trust Twilight and her friends. Even if only half of what Twilight has told us is true, they're going to love you."

"Thanks," Gilda responded, but honestly did not find it so hard to believe. It was easy for her to say seeing as she was a classically beautiful woman, who was well-educated, and had a decent job in education. Probably grew up in a house just like this, with loving, successful parents as well. Meanwhile, Gilda was the poor kid from the wrong side of town. The type that a girl like Cadance would make fun of for wearing the wrong shoes, or no make-up or something.

At the sight of the table, Gilda felt a little bit of relief. There was only one set of utensils, so she did not have to try and figure out which fork or spoon she was supposed to use. No tablecloth had been set, but there were place mats. As she sat down, her eyes glanced over the polished wood. Not far from her was a spot that had some scratch marks over.

She ran a finger across the spot. What had happened there? Twilight drawing? Shining learning to write?

"Twilight tells me you're a mechanic," said Night Light.

"Yes, sir," Gilda replied. "Silver Service Center." She leaned forward. "Have you heard of it?"

Night Light chuckled.

"Heard of it?"

He looked back toward the kitchen, watching as his family came in with food and beverages.

"Velvet actually took her car there not too long ago."

"Really?"

"Turns out the drive belt broke," Velvet explained. "At the time, all I knew was that the check engine and battery lights had come on. Was worried I wouldn't make it to our regular mechanic."

Gilda watched the mother as she set the food down. Nothing she could pick up from Velvet gave the impression she was hiding something about the visit.

"Was it the black Chevy Cruze I saw outside?" she asked.

There was a coughing sound from Cadance.

"No," answered Velvet. "I think you're talking about Cadance's car. Mine is a Ford Expedition, and it's in the garage."

Gilda shifted to look at Cadance, who was looking away and seemed to have brighter cheeks than earlier.

Well that's unexpected.

After dinner, dessert, and some more questions about her past and home life, Gilda thanked the family for having her and said good-bye. As she left, Twilight Sparkle joined her, offering to walk her out to the car.

It was a cool and cloudy night as they left the house. The stars were hidden behind a curtain of dark gray. Cool damp air caressed their skin as they walked, perhaps the subtlest breeze blowing against them. The ground beneath them was dry, but the air felt and smelled heavy with rain. It had not started yet, but it would, and very soon.

As soon as they stepped off the porch, Gilda quickly undid her tie and unbuttoned her dress shirt down to the vest. She could not wait to get home and out of the fancy clothes. There was a favorite tee shirt and ripped jeans waiting for her.

"So, how did I do?" she asked. "Think I performed the part well?"

"It's not a part," Twilight stated. "It was just meeting my parents so they could get to know you a little first hand." She moved closer, pressing against Gilda. "And you did fine." Lifting herself up, she kissed Gilda on the lips.

Gilda closed her eyes as she leaned forward, returning the kiss. Her arms wrapped around Twilight, pulling the smaller girl closer to her.

The kiss broke as Twilight took a step back. Not enough to break free of Gilda's hug, but enough that they were not pressed so close together. A fresh blush formed on her cheeks as they looked at each other.

"Before you go, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about," Twilight said. Taking a deep breath, she straightened up as much as she could.

"My parents are going to be out of town on vacation this weekend, which means I will have the place to myself." She shifted, looking away. "And..." She cleared her throat. "I... I was thinking..." She looked down at her feet. "...that maybe... you... would... want to... staythenightwithme..."

Gilda could not help but burst out laughing. The pouting scowl on Twilight's face ended up making her laugh all the harder.

"What's so funny?' asked Twilight.

"I'm sorry," Gilda said as the snickering subsided. "But you're still cute when you're embarrassed and get all shy."

She cleared her throat.

"In all seriousness though, if you're trying to say what I think you are, are you sure you want to?"

Several seconds passed as Twilight shifted, moving toward and away from Gilda.

"...No," she finally answered. "I'm not sure." Moving forward, she pressed against the taller girl. "Physical intimacy isn't something I've really put much thought into before. I mean, yeah, I've had crushes and thought about it a little when I was younger, but never in any serious way."

Taking a breath, she pressed her face to Gilda's chest.

"I'm not sure if I'm ready, but I am curious, and want to give it a try."

Gilda looked down at Twilight pressed against her, feeling the warmth of her cheek against her cleavage. She wrapped one arm around Twilight's waist as she brought the other up to her back, rubbing gently.

"Well, if you're willing, I'm up for it."

"Very romantic," Twilight huffed, rolling her eyes.

"I mean it, though." Gilda pulled Twilight back slightly, looking her in the eye. "We can hang out and spend the night together, just the two of us. If you still want to sleep together, we can." She held up a finger. "But if you change your mind, get scared, or decide you're not ready, let me know. We could just have a fun time alone, or even invite the other girls if you want."

"Thanks," Twilight said genuinely, and smiled.

Gilda leaned down and kissed Twilight's forehead.

A moment that was interrupted as the rain started.

A Special Night

Pulling the wet bedding from the washer into the dryer and turned it on. She would not need them tonight, but they would be ready to use in the morning as soon as they got up.

Tonight was a big night for her and Gilda. Tonight, they were going to be sexually intimate with each other for the first time. In fact, it was going to be Twilight's first time having sex at all. It made her quite excited.

And quite nervous.

Originally, Twilight had tried to do the same thing with anything that made her nervous: study the matter to understand it better. Unfortunately, that did not really help in this case. Most of her searches ended up leading her to pornographic video sites. Some of it was kind of interesting to watch, but had not been of much use from a practical stand point. She was all the more skeptical after one of the videos she watched directly went against what she had been told about it. Other searches led her to "erotic stories," which were not much better.

In theory, she could have gone and bought some physical books on the matter. In practice, that would require her to go to a store, enter their "relationship" section, pick up a book about sex, take it to the register, and have the cashier -- and who knows who else -- see her with it. She would also have to risk her parents finding it and asking questions, and while she loved her parents, this was not a conversation she was comfortable with the idea of having.

So it was that she was going into this with far less knowledge than she would like.

At least everything else was looking well for tonight: both Twilight and Gilda had been tested for sexually transmitted infections, and both had been negative; Twilight's parents were out of town for the weekend, leaving her to look after the place on her own; and Spike was staying the night over at Fluttershy's, so he was not going to hear anything or ask questions about it.

Twilight herself had to get ready. Her nails were trimmed and filed, but she still needed to take a shower, and shave her legs and armpits. For a moment, she considered shaving other areas of her body, but decided against it. She did not want to risk ruining her first time by having razor cuts, and she certainly did not want to deal with the itching when the hair started growing back.

Freshly washed and shaved, Twilight went to get dressed. Not in any of her typical clothes though. It was clothes especially for tonight, that Rarity had helped with after being sworn to secrecy (under penalty of wearing neon plaid mixed with polka dots every day for a month). The main outfit was the kitty lingerie: a frilled keyhole bra, with the hole in the shape of a cat's head; a pair of string bikini style panties, with little cat ears poking up from the hips; and ears and a tail, although she would not be wearing those this time. They were a light, creamy color, supposedly to give a high contrast with her skin. She had also gotten a pair similar colored socks, with little cat paw patterns on the balls and toes.

Then came the shirt. Twilight had gotten a hold of the wine red dress-shirt that Gilda had worn the night she met her parents. Now Twilight was going to wear it, meeting Gilda at the door in it, and having only two buttons buttoned in order to hide the bra.

She gave the sleeve a quick sniff, taking in the still lingering scent of her girlfriend.

Twilight looked at herself in the mirror, giving herself a quick once over. She gave herself a smile, standing as straight as possible. She could not wait for Gilda to get here.

The doorbell rang.

Twilight let out a yelp, hunching over and wrapping her arms around herself, trying to cover herself up further. Gilda was here! Gilda was here already! What would she think? What would she say? What would she do?

Closing her eyes, Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. She had been expecting this. She was ready for this.

Everything's fine, she told herself as she made her way through the house. Everything's fine. Everything's fine. Everything's fine.

Reaching the door, she peeked through the peephole. There, she saw Gilda waiting. The sight of the taller, tougher, more muscular girl sent a thrill of excitement through Twilight. Not all of her anxiety vanished, but it had gotten smaller and more manageable.

She was ready for this.

She wanted this.

She opened the door.

Gilda stepped inside. Her amber eyes looked at Twilight, studying every inch of her from head to toe.

After shutting the door, Twilight moved to strike a pose.

"You like it?" she asked, her voice cracking a little.

"That my shirt?" Gilda asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Twilight answered, feeling her face heat up.

Gilda moved closer, pressing her body against Twilight, and leaned until their faces were almost touch.

"Good," Gilda replied, her voice sending a thrill along Twilight's spine. "That means no one will get mad when I rip it off your sexy little body."

She then grabbed Twilight and threw her over her shoulder, carrying her upstairs.

Twilight let out a yelp of surprise, but found herself all the more excited at being treated in such a way. Plus, it let her look at Gilda's butt and toned back.

She could not wait for whatever was going to happen tonight.

Breakin' Eggs

Twilight Sparkle woke up feeling stiff all over, sore in places she did not know she could feel, and feeling happier than she knew she could have. Especially from something physical and not science (or magic) related.

She had done it.

Twilight Sparkle had actually had sex.

Admittedly, it was not like she had imagined. Although, in her defense, what she imagined was based on basic sexual education, some of the romance novels Rarity had, and Twilight's "research," which had wound up her watching pornographic videos and reading some graphic stories. So it was not the mind-blowing, earth-shaking, world-changing experience some stories made it.

Well.. it was world-changing. Just, not solely from the moment of the first climax.

Still, she had enjoyed it, and if asked, would say it had been great. True, it was her first time, but there was no way that something that felt that good could possibly have been bad.

As her hand reached out and groped around, Twilight realized that she was in bed alone. She felt the mattress, the sheets, the pillow, but no Gilda. No rough skin, no hint of motor grease, no firmed, toned, muscle, and no heat.

"Gilda?" Twilight said, voice heavy with sleep. Sitting up, she reached out to grab her glasses. Her eyes opened as she put them on, looking around as the world came into view. She looked around, checking to see everything. There were the things she always had in her room, and a few extra clothes on the floor.

But no Gilda.

The sheets were tossed aside as Twilight got up. She was dressed in nothing but Gilda's tee shirt, which came down to mid-thigh. It had been a fun thing to wear when they decided to finally go to sleep. Now, however, in the light of day, it felt... kind of naughty. All she had to do was lift her arms, and she would expose herself for anyone to see. Her eyes drifted toward her underwear draw. Maybe she should...

No. Twilight shook her head, deciding against it. This entire thing was supposed to be fun, and a little naughty. Besides, the only other person who would see anything was Gilda.

And considering that Gilda's jeans were on the floor, she was not wearing much more herself.

Plus, it turned out that it made using the bathroom a lot easier.

As she made her through the house looking for her girlfriend, Twilight caught the smell of something burning. Taking it as a clue, she made her way toward the kitchen. The smell of burnt food grew stronger as she approached, and she heard a familiar voice shouting out a few colorful phrases.

Once she reached the entrance to the kitchen, she peaked in.

Gilda stood at the stove, wearing her tank top and panties. She had moved the trash can from its normal spot to right beside her, and was currently turned toward it, putting her back to the entrance. There grumbles of something, and a scraping sound.

"Everything okay?" Twilight asked.

Gilda noticeably jumped at the voice, holding up a spatula and turning to glare at the doorway. At the same time, there was an audible thump of something falling into the trashcan. Golden eyes going wide, she turned back around, swearing again as she reached down to grab it.

Twilight walked up. The smell of melted plastic now mixed with burnt food. She watched as a frying pan was pulled from the trash. The inside of it was covered in the blackened remains of something, and on the outside was a spot where the heat had melted the trash bag against the surface.

With an annoyed sigh, Gilda took the pan over to the sink and set in one of the basins. She moved and opened a cabinet, grabbing another pan.

While Gilda did that, Twilight turned her attention to the stove. Next to it was a large glass bowl filled with batter. Correction: had been filled with batter. It was thick enough that it stuck to the sides, but there was only a small amount left in the bottom. There were spatterings of the same batter around the burner that Gilda had been using, ranging from raw white to burnt black.

Twilight then looked into the trashcan.

"Pancakes?" she asked.

Gilda froze, standing a few moments. Once she turned around and headed for the stove, her cheeks were a bright red.

"Yeah," she said as she put the new pan on the burner. "Since it was your house and all, thought it would be nice to make breakfast. Figured I would make pancakes. Thought it would be easy." An annoyed laugh escaped her as she reached for the bowl. "Can see how that's working out."

Twilight chewed her lip as she watched her girlfriend pour the last of the batter into the cold, ungreased pan.

"Haven't you ever made pancakes before?" asked Twilight.

The batter stopped pouring from the bowl, the last of it hanging from the lip and slowly dripping down.

Grabbing the spatula, Gilda scraped at the bottom of the bowl. She pushed it down and toward the lip.

Gilda let out a small curse. Barely audible, but Twilight caught it.

"Gilda?"

The glass bowl slammed against the counter.

"Gilda, what's wrong?" Twilight asked, taking a hold of Gilda's arm.

"Nothing," Gilda replied. "It's nothing. It's... it's stupid..."

With a gentle tug, Twilight turned her girlfriend around to her. She then reached up and placed her hands on Gilda's face, stroking her cheeks while making her look at Twilight.

"It's not 'nothing,'" Twilight declared. "You're clearly upset about something." She leaned in. "And whatever it is, It's not 'stupid.' Because feelings are never stupid. So whatever it is, I'm here to listen."

After a second, Gilda shifted. Taking a hold Twilight's hands, she pulled one down while she brought the other to her mouth, giving the palm a kiss.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"When I was little," Gilda said, "my dad would make us pancakes ever Saturday." A small smile tugged at her lips. "It was kind of a whole ritual. We would get up on Saturday morning, he would make pancakes, I would 'help,' as kids do, then we would sit down in the living room, eat them, and watch cartoons." Her arms wrapped around herself as she let out a small chuckle. "I remember this one time, he told me that when he was growing up, the only way to watch cartoons was to wake up early on Saturday mornings."

The smile faded.

"Then... he got deployed. Just before he left, he promised he'd teach me how to make pancakes when he got back."

Her voice cracked on the last word.

Gilda pulled in on herself more, back hunching as she rubbed at her arm.

"I... didn't touch pancakes after... Grandpa even made them once or twice but I refused to eat them." She rubbed at her face. "I was, like, ten. I didn't completely understand... or didn't want to believe... I don't remember anymore. I just..." She let out a cough to clear her throat. "I thought that if I didn't eat pancakes until he came back, he would. That he would come and... Sat... Sat.."

Twilight stepped forward and hugged Gilda tightly. She felt those toned, strong arms wrap around her weakly, the entire tall, muscular form shaking with sobs. Hot, large tears fell onto her shoulder, soaking the borrowed shirt.

Twilight held Gilda. And kept holding her, rubbing her back. Admittedly, it did feel a little awkward to have the larger girl pressed against her, crying. Even when Gilda had opened up in the past, there was always something hard and sturdy about her. Seeing her so emotional, so vulnerable, was kind of surprising. At the same time, the analytical part of her mind told Twilight that this was a good thing. In more ways than one. It was good on a relationship level, because it meant that, even if she did not intend to, Gilda was willing to open up and share more of herself than she had before. At the same time, it was good for Gilda on a personal level, because this must have been something she was carrying for years. Kind of like draining a wound to allow it to heal properly.

After the sobs turned to gasps and hiccups, Gilda broke the hug and pulled away.

"Sorry I snotted all over your shirt," she said as she turned to the sink, her voice raw and scratchy.

"It's your shirt, actually."

"Oh. That's okay then."

Gilda turned on the water and leaned forward. She splashed her face, and then rubbed it. When she turned back around, her face was wet, and her eyes red, but she seemed calmer. A small cough escaped her.

"Anyway, when I woke up this morning, I wanted to make you the best breakfast I could." One shoulder lifted in a half-shrug. "Guess I remembered those Saturdays better than I realized, because my head went straight to pancakes."

Her eyes suddenly snapped to the pan.

"Shit!" Gilda cried out. She lunged across the kitchen to the stove, turning off the burner. One hand grabbed the panhandle as the other grabbed the spatula. With a sigh, Gilda turned to the trashcan, and scraped the half-raw half-charcoal pancake directly into it.

"So much for that idea, though," she huffed, dropping the pan onto the stove top.

Twilight looked at her girlfriend, still processing all that had happened. It had been a lot to take in. And how was she supposed to react? Gilda did not look like she needed a hug anymore. She could say, "I'm sorry," but it did not really seem appropriate.

Then it came to her.

"Gilda, do you mind if I invite someone over?"

Gilda turned to face Twilight more, raising an eyebrow.

"I guess not. Why?"

Twilight smiled, stepped forward and gave Gilda a kiss on the cheek.

"Because I know the perfect person to help teach you how to make pancakes," she declared. "And when that's done, we're going to watch cartoons!"

She shifted.

"But it does mean we'll have to get dressed."

Gilda reached out and grabbed Twilight.

"Well, in that case," she purred, "let me have a moment to enjoy this, first." Her hands slipped down to grab Twilight's bare bottom as she leaned down, kissing Twilight on the mouth.