Sunset sighed as she picked up a pen to write to Princess Twilight once more. She hadn’t heard back from her the eight other times she had written her, and it was beginning to concern her. She knew the Princess was busy, but it wasn’t like her to simply ignore her replies for so long.

Despite the effort feeling futile, Sunset put the pen to her magic journal and began to write her letter to the princess of friendship.

Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,

I’m writing again to give you an update on what’s been going on in my life over here in the human world. You haven’t responded to any of my other letters, but that’s okay, I guess you’re fairly busy, or you’ve misplaced this journal in an ocean of books, which doesn’t sound too unlike you. It’s my hope that perhaps Spike stumbles across it and reminds you not to lose it again. Unless of course you actually are not responded because you’re too busy, in which case disregard all of that. I’m trying not to presume too much after all.

Anyway, I guess I should start with another recap of what’s been going on since you likely haven’t gotten any of my other letters (this thing really needs a read receipt option like on phones), or you’ve probably forgotten what many of them said. Either way, here’s what’s happening:

Life has been surprisingly pretty dull in terms of weird adventures, well shy of Rarity finding Applejack’s parents after all these years, but I don’t really know much of the details on that, and she isn’t really keen on talking about it, besides there was no magic involved in that, but Rarity is a total badass apparently! Again, you’ll have to ask her because I don’t know too much. For me though, things have been pretty calm, no magical mishaps, no mega super-powered villains hellbent on revenge or conquering the world, nothing, just… a normal life. Okay, as normal as my life can get anyway, probably should point that out.

Fortunately the investments (and people who manage those investments) and money that Shimmer left behind have meant that I haven’t really needed to do anything to support myself which is good because I’m still trying to figure out what to do with myself in this world. In Equestria my calling was magic, and while I have magic here too, there isn’t exactly a big job market for it (considering most people don't even know it exists). So without that, I’m a little lost on what to do with myself. I never realized how much easier our lives are when we are told what our special talent in life is; humans have to figure everything out themselves the slow way. Which, I can't tell how I feel about that...

My life for the past year or so has basically been all about Twilight. She’s doing great in college, and I’ve been visiting her or texting here whenever we get the time. It’s tough maintaining a relationship while one of you is away at school for six hours a day and then has to study at night, but we manage. I can honestly say that I am in love with her, I want to be with her forever. I’ve never been so sure about anything.

A part of me wants to take our relationship to the next level, but I still worry about being able to give her a normal life. I go to therapy sessions to help me get past my paranoia and fear, but sometimes it still doesn’t feel like it’s enough when it comes to the subject of my girlfriend. I always worry that she could be better off with someone who isn’t deeply connected to a mystical magic alternate universe, you know?

I know she loves me, and I know she wants us to be together, but I guess I still struggle with worrying that I’m going to cause her nothing but trouble down the road. It’s probably just my paranoia talking though, that seems to happen a lot.

I want to be with this girl forever, I want to get married, have kids together with her, all of that, but I guess I really just don’t know what I’m doing. Frankly, I’ve been winging it this entire time anyway.

It all goes back to my parents, I suppose. They never really talked to me about love or relationships… Or rearing children for that matter (not that they would know!), so I am sort of lost. I wish they had been more involved so that maybe I wouldn’t have turned out such an idiot at these things. I don’t know if you know much about this subject, but if you do or at least know someone that does, advice would be most appreciated. I’ve been reading relationship books, for the time being, hoping that will suffice, you did always say that if I am unsure about something to start in a book.

I hate feeling paranoid over the dumbest things, but it’s a bad habit that isn’t easy to shake. It’s like, you know everything is fine and the chances of something bad happening are extremely low and yet you worry for no reason. Do you ever get that? What am I saying? Of course, you get like that, I've seen it first hand!

I miss having your advice at times like these. Somehow you always knew what to say, but I guess that comes with the territory of being the Princess of Friendship and having Celestia as a mentor. I hope you’re doing alright, Princess, and I hope things are okay over there in Equestria. I mean, not that I’m doubting your abilities to keep things in order that is.

Anyway, try not to be a stranger, I’d love to hear back from you, maybe know what’s going on over there? You don’t have to respond right away, but just something to let me know you’re okay. If you’re working hard, that’s fine, but try not to work yourself to death. Spike told me you have a bad habit of overworking yourself, you should really listen to him more, he cares deeply about you.

Well, I won’t eat up any more of your time. If and when you get this letter, please write me back as soon as you can.

Sincerely,

Sunset Shimmer

The girl sighed as she sat there for a moment staring at the book, hoping some kind of response would appear within the next few moments, but after staring at blank pages for some time, it was evident that there was not going to be a response any time soon. While it was par the course at this point for her letters to Equestria, she would be lying if she said she wasn’t just a little disappointed. Somewhere in her, she was hoping that Twilight would just respond saying she had missed all of her letters, or she was just so busy that she had lost track of time.

Sadly, no such thing happened, which was partially to be expected.

Sighing, Sunset closed the book and decided it was best to focus on getting on with her regular routine and not obsessing over what was going on with Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight found herself sipping from a glass of wine, taking her time to savor the flavor, thankful that it wasn’t stronger as she couldn’t handle much in the way of alcohol. Only a few months shy of twenty-one, and thus technically in violation of the law, Twilight looked over at Rarity sitting across from her.

The two were situated on the patio outside of Applejack’s home, a quaint little place just outside of the Canterlot city limits with a small farm in the back that Applejack was presently tending to while Rarity and Twilight sat and sipped from their glasses.

Twilight looked up from the cup at the fashionista sitting across from her, noting she had changed her hairstyle from the tamed curls she had to wild curls instead, likely to keep in trend with what was considered “the look of the now” as Rarity always put it. It was odd to see Rarity in her twenties, Twilight’s entire time knowing her she was a teenager, but now here she was almost a full grown woman, it was a surreal experience.

Taking another sip, Twilight sighed. “Are you sure it’s alright for me to even be drinking this? I mean I’m not twenty-one yet… It’s technically illegal…”

Rarity waved her hand dismissively. “A little wine never hurt anyone, besides you’re among friends, darling. It’s not like I’ll tell anyone.”

"But you're not even drinking wine, yours is grape juice!" Twilight complained.

Rarity winked. "Someone has to keep an eye on you in case you get too tipsy, first-timer."

Twilight shook her head, realizing that Rarity likely had a way to rationalize giving an underage woman alcohol already prepared before she even poured Twilight a glass. She decided not to press the matter and instead changed the subject.

“This house is very nice…” Twilight commented as she looked up at the finely crafted home.

Rarity nodded with a smile. “Yes, it’s not exactly the mansion I always envisioned myself in, but… This house is far more special than that to me then any mansion would be…”

“Why’s that?” Twilight raised a brow before taking another sip.

Rarity’s smile seemed to grow just a bit more as a blush started to paint her cheeks. “Applejack built this house with her bare hands… She worked very hard for us and saved up a good deal of money at her day job as a mechanic. Before I knew it, she was getting approved for a loan for the building materials, and with the help of her older brother, and her father we had this place built in a matter of weeks.”

The mention of Applejack’s father piqued Twilight’s interest. “I was away when it happened… But I’m still amazed that you managed to find Applejack’s parents… What exactly happened, I was never told…”

Rarity shrugged and dismissed Twilight with another hand gesture. “It’s a long story, one I’m sure you’re not interested in hearing…”

Twilight shook her head. “I think I’m definitely interested in it… What happened?”

Rarity sighed realizing she would have to sum it up for Twilight or she’d only keep asking. “The short version is they were lost on that mountain where Applejack and Big Mac left them to go find help… They had been trapped by some people on the mountain for years… I came by and… liberated them…” Rarity coughed at that last part.

“I heard that you were a regular warrior…” Twilight blinked.

Rarity chuckled and shook her head. “Nothing like that… I simply knew the possibility of danger was high when I went so I spent some time beforehand preparing… Sorry again for handcuffing Sunset to that heater… I just needed to borrow some of the weapons she had in her armory without her standing in the way…”

Twilight nodded. “No harm done, though I know she was a little miffed that you lost that rifle.”

“It was cumbersome, I was lucky I made it back with everything I did have…” Rarity frowned.

Twilight recalled what she had been told about the incident. Rarity had come back early the next morning after going out that way with Applejack’s parents in the back of her car. It had been years since they had seen anything off of that mountain, and Rarity came back exhausted.

From what Applejack had mentioned, the young woman managed to get out of her winter attire, and the body armor that she had taken from Sunset’s home and collapsed in front of the shower. The doctor’s had stated she had a puncture wound through her left stomach area and she was lucky to be alive.

She underwent a few weeks of recovery, but the only thing she had left to show for the entire adventure was a small scar on her stomach, which she didn’t even bother to cover up. She would say that she felt the scar showed strength which made it beautiful. Twilight surmised that the beauty she spoke of had more to do with Rarity’s confidence regarding it.

“So how are Bright Mac and Pear Butter?” Twilight asked.

Rarity’s demeanor returned to being a bit happier. “They’re fine. They still go to therapy regularly, and they have a long road ahead of them, but they are just thankful to be home… I can only imagine what they went through being held as prisoners for so many years…”

Twilight didn’t even want to think about it.

“You sure did a lot for Applejack…” Twilight admitted.

“I’d do anything for my family…” Rarity replied with a serious face.

“I guess it’s still surreal seeing you with Applejack… I would have never guessed the two of you would end up together of all people, you seem so different…” Twilight rubbed her neck before returning to her wine.

Rarity giggled before sipping from her own glass, setting it down before she spoke again. “I actually would have never guessed we’d end up together either… She’s no Prince Charming, but Applejack… She has her own way of being romantic… I guess that’s what I like about her… She is unique. You are always in for a surprise with that woman on the prowl.”

“I guess I just never considered the two of you together…” Twilight chuckled.

“I could say the same about Sunset and you… However, once I was certain that you liked her… I couldn’t see you with anyone else… You two just needed a little push was all…” Rarity teased.

“It hasn’t been easy… Being with Sunset definitely is a lot of work… She’s got some issues that we’ve had to work past, but somehow we’re making it work…” Twilight smiled.

“Love is always worth the effort, darling… Always…” Rarity’s eyes focused on the field where her wife was slaving away to try and produce the best harvest she could. Rarity, however, found herself staring at her wife’s behind while she worked, a perverted grin on her face.

Dinner that night was exquisite. Sunset’s cooking skills were improving more and more, and she even was willing to cook meat for Twilight, knowing what a carnivore she was. It truly showed how much Sunset cared in that she was willing to prepare two separate meals just for Twilight’s sake.

Twilight stuck her fork into a piece of chicken and placed it on her tongue, savoring the flavor for just a moment before chewing it up and swallowing the delectable morsel. It was incredible what Sunset could do despite not even being able to taste her own food.

Across from her, Sunset sat carefully eating a salad. When she noticed Twilight looking her way, she smiled at the girl.

Twilight felt a bit awkward just sitting there, so she decided to make conversation. “So…”

“So…” Sunset replied.

“I visited Rarity and Applejack today, they’re doing well…” Twilight said.

Sunset nodded. “Yeah, they’ve been very good to us as well… Always checking up on me, making sure I’m doing okay, it’s great actually. Especially since Rainbow and Fluttershy are away with the army and Pinkie is off at university.”

“It’s weird how all of our friends have moved away…” Twilight frowned.

Sunset smiled and shook her head. “It’s all only temporary after all. Rainbow will come back once she’s done with the army, and she’ll bring Fluttershy with her. Pinkie… Well, I doubt she’ll go too far from this place when she graduates. That’s all part of getting older though, it gets harder and harder to maintain friendships, I suppose.”

“Definitely seems that way…” Twilight frowned. “Speaking of, have you managed to get a hold of Princess Twilight yet? I know you were concerned before because she wasn’t answering any of your letters…”

Sunset paused and put her fork down, sighing as she did so. The redhead wiped her lip and looked up at Twilight. “No… I haven’t…”

“Oh… I see…” Twilight shrunk down in her seat slightly, feeling a bit awkward that she had even brought it up.

“It’s odd actually…” Sunset stated.

“What is?” Twilight tilted her head.

“Princess Twilight had gone completely silent for weeks now… I haven’t been able to get a single response from her no matter how many times I write to her. It’s almost like she doesn’t even want to talk to me…” Sunset looked down.

Considering that possibility definitely dampened Sunset’s mood. Had she done something to anger Princess Twilight? Was the Princess merely tired of dealing with her nonsense problems when there were real issues in Equestria that required her attention? All the possibilities were swirling in the young woman’s head.

“I doubt that… Princess Twilight is your friend and the Princess of Friendship at that; I doubt she would just decide to ditch you without so much as an explanation…” Twilight reminded.

Sunset blinked as she heard her girlfriend’s words. She was right, Twilight was far from unreasonable, she wouldn’t merely ditch her friends without so much as a warning. There had to be a logical explanation.

“I guess you’re right about that… Still, I would like some kind of explanation of what happened, you know?” Sunset shrugged.

“I suppose you could go to Equestria to try and find out…?” Twilight proposed, a fork sticking out of her mouth as she put another bite of food into her gob.

There was a short awkward silence.

“Problem is, if I can’t contact her to open the mirror, I’d have to wait for it to open the natural way…” Sunset pointed out.

“That’s true…” Twilight admitted, not really thinking about that part. Up to this point, they were reliant on messaging Princess Twilight to open the mirror for them whenever they needed to head to Equestria. On the human side of the mirror, there was no way to control it except to wait for its natural cycle to come along which often took years. A part of her felt guilty for taking the Princess for granted like that.

“Even if I wanted to… I don’t think I would though…” Sunset stated.

That statement caught Twilight off guard. The bookworm blinked and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose as she replied. “Why not? You care about the Princess, and Equestria is your home… Why wouldn’t you want to go and see it?”

“It was my home, Twilight… At this point… I’m more familiar with this world than there… This place is my home now… Equestria beyond Princess Twilight holds nothing but sad or painful memories for me… There’s nothing there for me…” Sunset frowned and looked down into her half-eaten salad in front of her.

Twilight was starting to feel more guilty for even bringing it up, but she decided to try and cheer her girlfriend up.

“Yeah, but a day with the Princess could be good for you! You two haven’t had a chance to just have a good time and hang out in a long time!” Twilight reminded, trying to think of the last time the two had actually gotten together to simply hang out. She believed their last meet up was to share some tea.

Sunset sighed and shook her head. “Maybe that’s for the better… Maybe it’s time I stopped communicating with Equestria, with Princess Twilight…”

“What’re you saying?” Twilight blinked, feeling like her girlfriend was speaking like she was delusional.

“Maybe it’s time I focused entirely on my life here and not my past in Equestria? Contacting the Princess is sort of like trying to live in both worlds a little, but I don’t live there anymore… I live here… So I should focus my energy entirely on this world, I think…” Sunset stated plainly.

Now Twilight knew her girlfriend was being a bit overly dramatic. “Baby, you can keep Equestria in your life if you want to… I know it’s a part of you, and I got into this relationship knowing that I would have to accept that if I wanted us to work. I’m willing to take you and Equestria…”

Sunset shook her head. “It’s not just that… It’s also the fact that I need to stop pretending that I have any business with Equestria. The reality is that I chose to come here, and just staying in this world alone is beyond selfish since I’m technically not even authorized to be here… But going back and forth between here and Equestria… It just feels… rotten. Like I should just pick one place and stick with it, you know?”

Twilight sighed but nodded. “I understand how you feel, but only do this if it’s what you really want, Sunset… Don’t give up Equestria and Princess Twilight for my sake or some twisted notion that you’re trying even harder to give me a ‘normal’ life, okay?”

“I would defend myself and say I’m not one for rash decisions, but you already know that’s bullshit, so I’ll just say that I’ll take some time to think it over…” Sunset smiled.

Twilight smiled back at her, content that at the very least her girlfriend had made enough progress in her therapy to know when she needed to slow down and think about something. Prior to this, she had a very bad habit of simply acting and then feeling guilty for acting.

Still, it bothered Twilight slightly that Sunset was even considering abandoning Equestria entirely. She knew that despite the fact that her parents didn’t do much for her, despite the fact that she had a hard time making friends there, and despite the fact that there wasn’t anywhere to call “home” there, Equestria was important to Sunset. It was where she grew up, it was where she learned how to use magic, and it was where her friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle lived. Allowing Sunset to give all of that up so easily simply didn’t feel right to Twilight.

“That’s all I ask, baby. I’m glad you’re trying to approach it rationally though, I’m proud of you.” Twilight stated as she pointed with her fork before placing the bite of food in her mouth.

Sunset shed off some of her gloomy demeanor and tried to return to being a bit more chipper. “Yeah, thanks… I’ve been trying really hard, and the therapy sessions are working really well… I’m starting to recognize that I can’t just beat myself up over everything, you know?”

Twilight nodded happily. “As you shouldn’t. Sometimes bad things happen, Sunset and they’re not your fault, but you have to deal with them…”

Sunset smiled, finding herself returned to a state of calmness thanks to the wise words of her girlfriend. Twilight had no idea how wise she truly was sometimes, but Sunset was thankful for it.

“Thanks, babe… That helps…” Sunset said quietly, truly appreciating Twilight’s wise words. There were more times than she could count on both hands that Twilight’s words alone were enough to calm her down and make her think clearly.

“Also, totally irrelevant but this chicken is fabulous…” Twilight complimented as she held a piece on her fork toward Sunset and then stuffed it into her mouth, chewing it slowly and then swallowing it.

The redhead blushed and rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t know, I don’t eat meat…”

“I know, I know… and I appreciate your cooking it for me even though you’re a vegetarian…” Twilight smiled sheepishly, feeling just a tiny bit guilty for insisting on eating meat even though Sunset was a vegetarian.

“You could show some serious appreciation after dinner if you know what I mean…” Sunset gave Twilight a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.

Chuckling, Twilight nodded. “Alright, but let me take a shower first…”

“No need… We can just do it in the shower…” Sunset smirked.

“You are such a horndog…” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“That’s why you love me.” Sunset winked.

“More and more every day…” Twilight replied.

A young Sunset Shimmer stood in line to get lunch at her school. She had transferred to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns some time ago, and while she loved being in a program that challenged her more, she found herself equally as aloof as she was when she attended public school and boarding school. She didn’t know what to do with herself most of the time, and making friends like before proved nearly impossible for the socially awkward filly.

She took some reprieve, however, in lunchtime, a time of day where she could clear her head and refuel herself. She had been studying all day on this Saturday and felt that after eight hours of studying since the early morning, some lunch was exactly what she needed to reignite her passion for learning once more.

Licking her lips, she approached the counter of the massive cafeteria in the school as she cleared her throat. “I’ll take the daisy casserole please,” she managed to get out, albeit still sounding considerably shy.

The middle-aged lunch mare smiled at her and levitated a plate in Sunset’s direction who took it gracefully with her magic. She bowed politely before standing once more. “Thank you, very much.”

“Aren’t you a sweet thing… What’s your name?” The lunch mare asked.

“S-Sunset… Sunset Shimmer…” She blushed, trying not to make direct eye contact.

She smiled and nodded levitating a pudding cup in Sunset’s direction, placing it on her tray. “Here’s something special for a little filly who is so polite. It’s nice to see such a nice filly around here.”

Sunset nodded and bowed once more. “Thank you, miss…”

The lunch mare nodded back and gave her a gesture to keep moving. “Run along little one.”

A smile came to Sunset’s face as she bowed and took her leave, making her way to the outside courtyard with a tray levitating above her. She preferred outdoors when it came to eating, as she detested sitting in the cafeteria with some of the other students who were seldom nice to her. Often she was picked on for just about everything she could imagine.

At first, they made fun of her red mane, so she tried to cover it up with a hat, but then they said she had freaky blinding eyes, so she started wearing sunglasses. Eventually, they just said her name was stupid, and at that point, she gave up and decided it was smarter to simply avoid them all together.

She shook her head, not wanting to even think about them. With a saddle bag on her side and her tray above her, Sunset eventually found the courtyard and the small picnic table sitting out in front of a flower bed. She gently placed her tray down and levitated a book out of her bag, flipping it open to the page she left off on. She was beginning her lessons on advanced levitation and she wanted to get a head start on the material before classes on Monday.

When it came to magic, Sunset was probably the best there was at school, and it all stemmed from the fact that she loved magic. She couldn’t get enough of it, she was always discovering something new, something exciting just waiting to be attempted.

It didn’t matter what kind of magic it was, Sunset Shimmer wanted to understand all of it. She was a sponge for magical knowledge.

With her eyes glued on the text, she levitated a bite of food into her mouth, not even noticing the three stallions who made their way into the courtyard, eyeing up the young filly sitting at the picnic table.

The oldest of the group chuckling as he stepped forward, levitating the book in front of Sunset out of the way. “H-hey!” She cried out as she turned around seeing the three young stallions standing there. They were all about two years ahead of Sunset, and some of her regular bullies that she had to deal with. There was Barbed Tips, the oldest of the group, then his two idiot goons Dim Lit and Dull Blade.

“Give that back Barbed…” She commanded as best she could, her voice a bit shaky due to the nervousness.

“Oh, I’m sorry; does the super nerd need her book back?” Barbed taunted as he dangled it in front of her with his magic.

Sunset groaned and tried to make a jump for the book, only to come short, though her action elicited plenty of laughter from the three boys.

“You’re going to have to jump higher than that to get it…” He smirked.

“Just give it back!” Sunset pouted.

“You’re a weirdo, you know that? All you do is study all day… Think you’re better than the rest of us, don’t you?” Barbed asked.

“Yeah, I bet you think you’re really smart!” Dim nodded in agreement, his voice showing his name was fitting.

The three of them were at the bottom of their class as far as Sunset recalled, and with good reason too. Not a single one of them applied themselves anymore. They were satisfied with meeting the minimum requirements to stay in the school rather than excelling in any capacity to stay ahead of the rest of their class. Still given that they attended Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, they were still somehow, despite their stupidity and laziness, quite excellent at magic, nowhere near as good as Sunset though.

“I don’t want any trouble, just give it back…” Sunset stomped her hoof, trying to come off as intimidating as she could in the hopes that it may make them reconsider and give her book back out of fear that she might snap. Naturally, though, she was about as intimidating as a kitten.

“Ooooo, I’m so scared… Or you’ll do what?” Barbed smirked as he leaned in to be at Sunset’s level as he asked.

“Look, I just want to be left alone…” Sunset pleaded, not wanting to take the situation to another level.

“Well if you get down and beg maybe we’ll consider it…” Barbed grinned as he kept the book out of Sunset’s pathetic reach.

Growling, Sunset made another jump for the book only to fall short.

“Come on, clearly you don’t want it bad enough…” Barbed taunted.

Just as Sunset was about to respond, another voice came from behind the group, a majestic and regal one, a voice that Sunset had come to know and admire. “What is going on here?”

The entire group of children turned to see the image of regality standing before them. The tall mare alicorn with a golden crown sitting atop of her head had a look of annoyance as she looked toward the students. Barbed blinked a few times as he realized he had been caught by Princess Celestia herself.

“Y-your majesty… We were just playing…” He attempted to defend.

“Barbed Tips if I recall? I suggest you return that book to this filly and apologize,” Celestia commanded.

Nodding profusely, he lowered the book and offered it back to Sunset. “My apologies… We didn’t mean nothin’ by it…”

Sunset could already tell his apology was about as insincere as they got, but she shrugged it off realizing that she wasn’t going to get anything sincere out of a pathetic brute like Barbed Tips anyway, so she decided to merely allow it to pass as she nodded.

Celestia gave the entire group of boys another disapproving look as she scolded them once more. “Honestly, this is not behavior that I expect out of students of mine. You all should be ashamed of yourselves, you’ve brought dishonor to your school… I’m assigning each of you a week’s detention.”

“A week!? Just for playing keep away with her!?” Dim Lit chimed in.

“Want to make it two?” Celestia narrowed her eyes to show she wasn’t bluffing.

Not having the guts to challenge her ruling, they all shook their heads and bowed before making a hasty leave.

Celestia turned her attention to the young red-maned filly in front of her. She offered the child a smile before stepping forward and kneeling down to be at the same level as Sunset. “Sorry about that, sweetie… You’re Sunset Shimmer, correct?”

Sunset nodded. “Y-yes, ma’am…”

Celestia giggled and shook her head. “No need to be so formal. Please, you may call me Celestia…”

Sunset blinked before trying the name out. “Yes… Princess Celestia…”

Sighing, the princess resigned herself to accepting that the young filly would always be somewhat formal with her, given her position. The princess eyed her textbook and blinked as she noticed the bookmark in the book. With a small glow of her horn, the book flipped open to the marked page which Celestia examined.

“This is… Pretty advanced stuff for such a young filly… Can you actually do this?” Celestia asked with a raised brow.

Sunset was still in awe, but she nodded. “Y-yes, Princess Celestia…”

Celestia smiled at the girl before standing up and wrapping a hoof around her. “You are very talented then, Sunset… How would you like to be my star student?”

“R-really!?” Sunset gasped as she looked up at the image of beauty in front of her. “You mean it!?”

Giggling, the Princess nodded. “I do.”

“But I’m just a little filly…” Sunset frowned.

Celestia used her hoof to tap the girl’s chin to force her to look up at her. Sunset met the Princess’ eyes curiously as the Princess spoke to her. “Yes, but I can see unlimited potential in you… If you continue to study hard, I am confident you’ll go down in history as one of the greatest mages that Equestria has ever seen…”

“Wow! Me!?” Sunset gestured toward herself.

“With the right guidance… I think so… That is… If you want to.” Celestia raised a brow as she asked.

“I do! I do!” Sunset stepped forward pleading.

Celestia giggled once again before petting the girl’s mane. “From now on, you’re my star student then. I’ll teach you personally and if you practice and study hard enough, I will show you some things with magic that most will never see in their entire life.”

“Thank you so much!” Sunset exclaimed as she leaped into the alicorn’s leg and hugged it tightly.

“The honor of being able to teach one of Equestria’s future greatest mages is thanks enough…” Celestia chuckled.

“I won’t let you down, Princess!” Sunset nodded with confidence.

Adagio had just finished a rather steamy evening with her girlfriend, Shimmer before she stood up from the bed and grumbled something about needing a shower. Shimmer, of course, was still going through enough afterglow to where the only response she got out of her was a gentle hum of approval.

Deciding not to wait for any further response, Adagio made her way into the shower of Shimmer’s bedroom. She looked in the mirror prior to entering, noting her wild hair was a worse mess than when she would wake up in the morning. She smirked and chalked it up to Shimmer’s hands being tangled in it while she went down on her.

She already decided that she needed an after sex cigarette, but her urge for a shower was far greater.

Getting the water started, Adagio stretched and peeked at her naked form in the mirror, admiring herself for a brief moment before stepping into the shower proper.

The water hit her skin and soothed her. While she wasn’t much for swimming in the human world, she did miss being able to breathe underwater and go through the sea in her true form. A part of her wondered if she could even access it anymore. Then again, she knew that part of her life was over. Or was it? Was she really considering just settling for being mortal?

She shook her head and cleared her mind with hot water down her body. Yes, this was how it had to be now. Adagio knew that reforging her amulet would be arduous, difficult, and likely impossible. She would need a tremendous source of magic to reforge it back together and then imbue it with power. She didn’t see a discernible way to go back to how she was.

Maybe that’s not so bad. She thought for a moment.

She was surprising herself more and more with each passing day, but the idea of never getting her magic back wasn’t entirely a bad one at this point. She had Shimmer, that was making her current existence tolerable, actually if anything, it was making her life worth living. She was in love, something that was forbidden among her kind. She had sacrificed so much for that love as well.

The other sirens had abandoned her, saying she was crazy, they told her she was digging her own grave. They told her that they didn’t want anything to do with her if she was going to do something so insane as to love a mortal.

She knew what she was doing came with risks. The Siren’s Curse, or Mother’s Scorn as it was known in the old times was no laughing matter. Despite no one knowing if it was a real curse or not, the fact remained that what it was said to do always rang true. Adagio recalled the story in her mind.

Long ago, an original siren was created. No one truly knew when or why she was born, but it was said she was the most beautiful mare who ever lived. She fell in love with a mortal and they bore four children, all sirens just like her.

The children grew envious of their mother’s love, envious that her lover loved her for who she was, hating that they could not find the same acceptance. Out of jealousy, they killed him.

They were punished by their mother who put a curse on all sirens. Should a siren ever fall in love with a mortal, nothing but misery and despair would befall the both of them. This eventually spawned the laws of the sirens, ancient rules put in place by elders which were only lightly enforced. Should a siren break the laws, they were considered dead to the rest of their kind; no one would ever come to their aid, regardless of the circumstances. Adagio recited the laws in her mind.

A siren shall never harbor feelings for a mortal.A siren shall never indulge in the pleasures of the flesh.

Their entire race was governed by those two laws, and here she was, breaking both. She knew it was bad for her, but she couldn’t resist. Sex was strictly forbidden, but it was too late, there was no going back now. Even if she could return to Equestria, there would be no point, she would be dead to all other sirens, no one would assist her in reforging her amulet or getting her magic back. She was on her own now.

Adagio closed her eyes and sighed. At least I have Sunset Shimmer. That was right, so long as she had her girlfriend, things seemed a bit less terrible. Sonata and Aria may have bailed on her, but Adagio didn’t need them, she was oddly content.

Having a life with Shimmer seemed more than enough for her. She may not have had magic, but she was happy, well happy enough anyway, happier than she had ever been. Thinking about that girl made her genuinely smile, and being around Adagio seemed to make Shimmer happy as well. Who cared what some stupid laws said?

Adagio lathered her hair with shampoo as she stood there in thought, wondering about Shimmer’s suggestions from before. The girl talked about the two of them getting married, having a life together, potentially children. Was such a thing wise? If they adopted at least that meant their kids would never know she was a siren, right? They wouldn’t be cursed to be sirens themselves either.

That thought, however, brought another one. Familiar words that Aria had said to her only a few weeks back.

If you think she loves you, then why haven’t you told her what you are? Why haven’t you told her that you’re a siren?

She cringed a bit at that thought.

Because you know how she’ll react. You know that she’ll see you as the same monster that everyone else always sees you as… If not prove me wrong, tell her the truth, tell her what you really are…

Those words stuck with her, despite how much she tried to forget them. She wanted Aria to be wrong, but somehow she still lacked the heart to tell Shimmer the truth of what she was. It wasn’t exactly an easy conversation to bring up either.

Hey, guess what, babe. I’m not human! Yeah, I’m actually this magical siren thing from another universe and I was banished here by some unicorn! Adagio shook her head at how stupid that sounded. However, if she wanted to truly have a life with this girl, she would need to tell her eventually, right? She couldn’t go on forever making her believe she was human when she wasn’t. Eventually being cryptic and mysterious about her past would not be enough, and Shimmer would want proper answers.

She had no choice, if she wanted her happiness with Shimmer to last, she needed to tell her the truth. The question now though was when to bring it up, and how. Adagio knew she couldn’t wait until they were married, and she couldn’t marry Shimmer without telling her first either, she deserved the chance to walk away if-

Her mind froze. She had never considered what would happen if Shimmer did not want anything to do with her after she was informed that she had been dating a few-thousand-year-old siren this entire time. Would Shimmer reject her? Was it possible? No. It wasn’t. Shimmer would accept her how she was, her personality and demeanor up to this point suggested that. She loved Adagio, and a little factor like being a siren wasn’t going to change that, right?

The woman finished with her hair and began to rinse it out as she prepared a generous amount of conditioner to help tame her massive amount of hair. If Adagio didn’t use conditioner, it made her hair a nightmare to brush.

She needed to take her mind off of the subject it was currently stuck on. She needed to focus on better things. She had a lot to be thankful for right now, a girl who loved her, a chance at a real future that wasn’t just selling drugs, and place she might be able to really call home.

Finishing with the conditioner, Adagio rinsed her hair once more before applying body soap. After a few more minutes of washing and scrubbing, she was satisfied with the state she was in and turned the water off.

The siren wrung her hair out first before stepping out and grabbing a towel to dry herself. She wrapped it around her slender form and picked up the blow dryer to make her hair less damp. She would spend about eight minutes with the device before hanging it up and shaking her head to remove as much excess water as she could.

She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled, she felt sexy. Dropping the towel on the floor, she made her way back into the room and picked up her bra and panties, slipping on the purple articles before climbing back onto her side of the bed and digging around for her pack of cigarettes.

Once she located the box, she retrieved one and lit it. She then felt a hand grab her thigh. She looked down and then behind her to see a smiling Shimmer gripping her thigh. “Hey…” Shimmer said.

“Hey…” Adagio replied before returning her attention to her cigarette, trying to avoid eye contact, but a small blush was still appearing on her cheeks.

“That was incredible…” Shimmer commented as she crawled up and nuzzled her cheek against Adagio’s side.

“You weren’t bad yourself…” Adagio smirked as she took another puff.

“I love you, Dagi…” Shimmer cooed as Adagio reached down to pet her head.

“I love you too…” Adagio smiled, glancing down at the girl affectionately rubbing against her side.

“We should get married…” Shimmer purred.

Adagio froze but remained calm. “You keep saying that…”

“I mean it this time…” Shimmer giggled playfully.

“Marriage that’s… Well, it’s a huge step, I guess…” Adagio kept her gaze forward as she considered the girl’s words.

“Think about it… You could quit being a dealer, we could live here together… We could be so happy…” Shimmer spoke as she was fantasizing about it.

“Are you sure you’re not just letting the orgasm high talk for you?” Adagio raised a brow.

Shimmer shook her head. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before…”

“Me either…” Adagio replied.

“Then we should get married…” Shimmer giggled.

“I… I’ll think about it, okay? I’m not saying no, I just… I need some time to think about some crap… Tie up some loose ends, you know?” Adagio said.

Shimmer sighed but nodded. “Always mysterious, aren’t you?”

Adagio took a long drag and exhaled before she answered. “I promise… After this… I won’t keep any more secrets from you. I’ll tell you everything, okay?”

Shimmer reached forward and offered a pinkie. “You have to promise.”

Rolling her eyes, Adagio nodded and took Shimmer’s pinkie in her own. “I promise, I’m going to open up a lot more to you.”

“I’ll hold you to it, Adagio Dazzle.” Shimmer winked.

Hey, Sunset's back!

I know, it's weird having such a long stretch with her not appearing in the story at all isn't it? Special thanks to you guys for keeping me motivated to keep going!