When they’d left the house, Twilight’s entire family seemed to be having one of those silent conversations that she couldn’t quite decipher. Under any other circumstances, she’d have been agitated, but tonight, she couldn’t bring herself to care. Not when she felt so good, pressed up against Sunset’s back on the bike, arms around her girlfriend’s waist and feeling the warmth of her body soaking into Twilight’s arms and palms, and they were on their way to engage in one of Twilight’s favorite pastimes, something that had become intrinsically bound up with the beautiful redheaded girl that made her heart beat faster just by being in the same room. Her parents had given them permission to stay out as long as they wanted to stargaze…and the night was perfect for it, crisp and clear—even while on the road, looking through the visor of the helmet Sunset had given her for Christmas, she could see how bright the stars were.

Some time later, after handing over their tickets to the security guard at the road entrance to the observatory, they pulled into the parking lot just down the hill from the big observatory, amid the last vestiges of light from the setting sun. They were early—only a few other cars were in the parking lot, and given where they were parked, they were likely staff at the observatory and planetarium. Twilight released her girlfriend and they both stood up and stretched—as fun as being pressed together on the bike was, a forty five minute drive out of town on a mountain road when the bike was in desperate need of new shocks left both of them a little sore.

The backpack Sunset had handed over to Twilight to carry was fairly heavy and didn’t make it easy to stretch, but when her girlfriend retrieved a thick bundle of blankets from the bike’s storage when she stowed their helmets, the dark haired teen only adjusted the bag and looked around to see if there was anyone nearby. Determining the coast was clear, she leaned close to Sunset and kissed her.

The older girl blinked at her in surprise when Twilight pulled back. “…what…was that for?” she asked, also casting her gaze around the area.

“For you to think of bringing blankets. It's colder up here and now that the sun is going down, it's going to get cold fast.” She kissed her a second time. “You’re an amazing girlfriend for thinking of it—with all the work I’ve been putting into my project, I completely forgot to make a checklist of things to remember for tonight.”

Sunset laughed. “…you’re such a nerd, Sparky. You’re lucky I like you.” She rubbed her now cold nose against Twilight’s, before stealing a third kiss. “Now come on. Let’s go get our spot—I think you’ll like where we’re going to set up.”

Hurrying after the tall redhead, Twilight couldn’t help but ask, “What do you mean? We have to find a good spot, there’s no assigned seating.”

Blue green eyes danced as Sunset turned around to walk backwards for a moment and talk to her. “…That’s true…but…maybe I drove up here the other day and scoped the place out, and found two or three great places for us, but there’s one in particular I really wanted to snag, because I think it's perfect.” She turned back around, her lopsided smile faltering with sudden uncertainty. “…I just hope you agree when you see it…”

Twilight couldn't help but respond, wanting to assuage Sunset’s worries and bring back the smile that she loved to see. She skipped a step or two forward so she could hook her hand on her girlfriend’s arm, fingers pressed to the inside of her elbow. "Sunny...whatever place you found, it's going to be wonderful because I’ll be there with you. As much as I’ve been looking forward to seeing the meteor shower, it's like I told you when we were talking about New Years…the most beautiful panoramic view of the heavens in the world feels empty if you’re not at my side to see it with me.” She leaned her head against Sunset’s shoulder briefly. “This is going to be a great night because we’re spending time together, because you were really sweet and got me these tickets and are sharing this experience with me.”

That seemed to restore Sunset’s confidence, and she gave her one of those smiles, the kind that always reminded Twilight of the sun her girlfriend was named after, brilliant, fiery, and all warmth and light, sending a tingling shiver all the way down to her toes. The night had barely started and it was already the best night she’d had since Christmas.

Sunset led them along confidently despite the gathering shadows—her girlfriend had the best night vision Twilight had ever seen—her blue-green eyes almost seeming to glow in the dimness that left Twilight more than a little impaired. “Just a little further, and then we can unpack everything,” she said, after the shorter teen had stumbled and caught herself with Sunset’s arm for the fourth time in their trek across the grassy slope that terminated in the edge of the ridge that the observatory was located on.

“Here we are, Sparky,” came the announcement a minute later, and Twilight did her best to get a look around. They were on the downward slope, towards the far edge of the grassy field, about halfway down its distance. Sunset had set down her blankets and was spreading one out on the grass near a broken boulder that had fallen over into several pieces and created a rough L shape, picking up some fist sized fragments and using them to hold the corners down. “Come take the backpack off and sit down. The rock makes a great backrest.”

Twilight did so, and realized something else. “Oh! It blocks the wind! Sunset, this is a great spot! We won’t get as cold here!”

Her girlfriend chuckled. “…It’s also off and away from the main area, so unless it's really crowded, we shouldn’t have too many people close to us, so there will be less noise, and less chance of some little kid with a flashlight shining it at us. It was the best spot on the entire hill, and it's one of the main reasons I wanted to get here this early.” She was carefully unwrapping the other blanket. “…and it means we’ll get full use out of this.”

She held up the object that had been concealed in the blanket, and Twilight gasped. “When did you get an Aldebaran Startracker?” she asked, stunned. She had assumed that Sunset had brought their normal telescope, a small affair that was easily portable, and much cheaper than the one Sunset was putting together. “Those are expensive!”

“It's…not actually mine. I talked to your dad about telescopes, and he offered to let us borrow it…with the camera attachment…so we could try and take some pictures,” Sunset explained. “…you keep talking about wanting to get more into stellar photography as a hobby, but I also know that our normal setup just doesn’t do well to get you the kind of detailed shots you really want…”

Twilight was speechless. “Dad let us bring the Startracker? He never lets anyone use it without him…”

“I was pretty surprised too, but…I’m not going to complain—after all, it means I had the budget for this.” From the blanket came another object. “This right here was the best rated digital imaging camera for stellar photography on the market that I could find and afford,” she explained, “and it's a match for the telescope attachment…I also got the sixty-four gigabyte SD card for it, so we can take all the photos we want tonight.”

Sunset passed her the camera to look it over while she finished setting up the telescope. The younger teen turned it over in her hands, marveling. “…Dad’s been talking about getting one of these for the Startracker himself,” she murmured.

“Yeah,” Sunset agreed. “He told me when I showed it to him. I already told him he could borrow it if he ever needs it as long as we aren’t using it. After he was willing to lend us the telescope, I figure it's the least I can do to say thanks, you know?”

Twilight chewed on her lower lip, her thoughts darting around like particularly energetic minnows, and as the silence stretched on between them, Sunset turned away from the telescope in concern. "Talk to me, Sparky?" the older girl coaxed. "Please? Did I do something wrong?"

At the words, the dark haired girl shook her head quickly. “Oh! No no, Sunset…it’s perfect. You did perfect, and I’m excited and I love that you put so much thought into all of this…” The words tumbled out, Twilight desperate to erase the note of pained worry she could hear. “I really do like all of this, and the idea of being able to do the things we’ve talked about is amazing and wonderful, so please don’t think that I’m upset or that you did anything wrong…”

She took a breath. “…It’s just…Sunny, this camera costs a small fortune—that’s why Dad has only been thinking about one and not actually bought one yet. It’s amazing and wonderful for stellar photography, the sort of thing a professional would use…not a beginner like me.”

Her girlfriend canted her head to the side a fraction, going from worried to confused. “…That’s why I got it, though? It had the best reviews and highest rating for this specific type of photography. You deserve to have a good one, because otherwise you’re just going to get frustrated and disappointed with all the flaws you’ll pick up on—just like you have the times we’ve tried before….right?”

Heat rushed to her cheeks, and Twilight was gratefully it was probably too dark at this point for her blush to show up easily. “…I…well…maybe? But…” Pausing again, she struggled to gather her thoughts up into something coherent, trying to identify for herself what it was that left her uneasy. “….I’m worried about just how much you spent on this camera, Sunset. It’s really expensive, and I don’t want you to go without things you might need, just because you wanted to buy something for me…I would feel awful about that…” Twilight bit her lip, the sting of pain from the act helping to ground her and give her focus. “…and I don’t want you thinking you have to…”

Sunset scooted closer, slipping an arm around her and pulling her into a warm hug that smelled clean and faintly of Sunset’s shampoo. “Don’t have to what, Twilight?” she asked, her palm rubbing affectionately up and down the smaller girl’s shoulder.

Considering and discarding a dozen ways of wording it, Twilight finally just blurted the thought out as it was, cringing and hoping that Sunset wouldn’t take it as an insult. “…It’s this…thing in relationships in media and popular culture. This idea that…a person has to buy expensive gifts for their significant other as some kind of proof of their feelings…which is stupid and discounts entire other methods of showing affection and committment and I really hope you don’t feel like you have to do that because I really do care about you no matter what and I don’t want you to feel like this is something you have to do for our relationship to be real or my affection for you to be genuine and—”

An amber finger came up to place itself over her mouth, cutting off her rambling. “Twilight, stop,” Sunset said in a gentle but firm tone.

Heart racing, she blinked up at Sunset anxiously, hoping she hadn’t just messed up the night. Sunset glanced around to make sure no one was nearby and kissed her briefly. “That’s not why I did it. I did it because I wanted to, and I could afford it. I didn’t spend money that I needed for any of my bills or for essentials, and I didn’t feel pressured into doing it because of some societal expectation that equates dollars spent to the value I place on having you in my life, okay? I did it because I knew we’d get a lot of use out of it—not just for this, but any time we want to take really nice pictures and not just crappy phone ones—because I figured I’d keep it at your house, so anyone there can use it whenever they need it, and because I knew how much you really wanted to start trying to take better photos than what we were getting with our old setup. I did it because I’m happy when you’re happy, and I wanted to see you smile and be excited when you get those first photos of the meteor shower tonight, and later, when we point this whole setup at your favorite constellations to get some great photos of the stars.”

Twilight felt her thoughts start to settle and calm with Sunset’s explanation, the tightness in her chest from rising anxiety abating. “Are you sure?” she asked, needing hard confirmation.

Sunset nuzzled her, making a soft, throaty sound. “…Absolutely certain, Sparky. I even talked to your dad about keeping it at your place. He was all for it, and offered to add it to the list of things in the house they have insured, in the event it gets…lost, or stolen, or somehow broken. Maybe we can use it over the summer if we go to the beach or something? Your dad mentioned something about a beach house, and how taking pictures with the camera on a family beach trip would be great.”

She took another breath, and organized her remaining thoughts, some of the tiny sparks now able to coalesce into complete ideas that she could verbalize. “I…didn’t want to sound offensive or insulting with what I said…I’ve…realized…”

The dark haired girl wavered a little, and Sunset tightened her hug. “You didn’t insult me, Twilight. You were trying to express your feelings, and I’m able to listen to that without getting my own hurt.”

Breathing deeply, Twilight nodded again. “I…think…it's related to my issue with…the concept…of a public relationship… At the least, I want to add it to the things I intend to address with Dr. Soft-Spoken. I…think I’m…uncomfortable with the…expectations of society in regards to how a relationship is to look and progress.” She picked her words with care, taking time to breathe, both to avoid misunderstanding and to prevent another surge of anxiety that might overwhelm her. “I…don’t want to come off as ungrateful or demanding…because you always try so hard to be considerate and thoughtful in regards to my desires, and that means so much to me, and this…right here, with the camera, and the telescope, is another sign of how much thought you put into everything you do for me…and that means so much to me, that you listen to me, that you do try so hard…it means more than I can truly put into words.”

Sunset pressed her forehead to Twilight’s. “…It's not about what other people expect from a relationship, or from us, I promise. It's about me doing things because I thought they would make tonight even better. I know how long we’ve been looking forward to this, how long you’ve been looking forward to this, since you told me about it back in…November?”

Pulling back a moment later, the redhead confessed, “To be honest, I really don’t understand ‘normal dating’ at all. My one experience with it was what I told you: a carefully planned manipulation for the sake of reputation and an end goal. It was scripted and I let Flash do most of the work on the activities because I didn’t really care what we did, only that people saw what I wanted them to see. So everything I do for you, for us, is based entirely on you and I, and no one else…though I did ask Cadence for some advice on what to get for dinner for us.”

Twilight was still absorbing the first part of Sunset’s words when the ending statement registered. “Wait—dinner? What?”

Her girlfriend laughed. “I told you I had us covered for food, didn't I?” She reached over and grabbed the backpack, pulling it into her lap and unzipping it. “What did you think I meant?” A small battery powered lantern was set on the blanket and switched on, casting a soft light to see by now that the sun was below the horizon.

“I thought maybe you brought snacks and drinks?” Twilight said, her nose catching a faint whiff of delicious odors from the heavy bag.

“I did, but I got us dinner too, since I wanted to get here so early. I got us sandwiches from that sandwich place you keep talking about taking me to—Cadence told me several of the sandwiches you like to order from there, and I picked them up on my way over. I got a couple of different ones, because I didn't know which one you’d want tonight, but I figured what you don't eat tonight can be lunch tomorrow or Sunday.” Sunset pulled out an insulated soft cooler, and opened it. The smell of hot sandwiches hit Twilight’s senses, making her stomach growl hungrily. “I really liked what I saw on the menu there—I haven't seen anyone in this place that knew how to make a hot sandwich with grilled eggplant and zucchini, let alone one with mushrooms and cheese. And they didn't even look at me weird for asking for them to throw some peppers and onions on it.”

Lips curling up into a smile, still trying to process the fact that Sunset had gotten them dinner, Twilight stared as Sunset started pulling out paper wrapped packages. “…that’s why I wanted to take you sometime,” she said. “They have a whole bunch of real vegetarian options that aren't based off ‘fad veganism.’”

Sunset nodded. “And it's amazing—I love places like that, because it's so hard to be a vegetarian here. It's like either you put dead animals on everything or you are expected to eat only plants and weirdly processed pretend animal products that smell awful and taste worse. Or they think all you eat is salad.” She inspected the label on each wrapped sandwich, setting two aside that were hers. She held out three more. “You, on the other hand, have three choices, nerd. A chicken Florentine panini with added tomatoes and extra cheese, their bistro turkey sandwich, or the calorie laden offspring of a BLT and a grilled cheese on steroids.”

Every choice made her eyes go just a little wider—those were the sandwiches she liked most from the restaurant. The fact that Sunset had asked Cadence for the information was touching and sweet, and it made her want to kiss the other girl until her head spun.

The only thing that stopped her was the sound of voices nearby as other people were starting to arrive and set up their own spots. So she settled for letting their fingers brush when she took the loaded grilled cheese. “I’ll settle for the calories—I worked through lunch today.”

Sunset sighed as she put the other sandwiches back, and retrieved two small thermoses meant for soup. “You shouldn’t skip meals, Sparky,” she said. “I’m glad I got your Mom to heat us up some of her vegetable soup to go with the sandwiches then.” She passed one of the thermoses over to Twilight with a spoon.

“Mom was in on this too?” she asked, worry starting to rise. What did Sunset tell them? Was this why they were looking at them the way they were on the way out? Did they suspect?

“Hey…it's fine. I just told them the truth: that I wanted to make tonight as amazing as possible since you’ve been so stressed the last few weeks. I wanted to make sure you had fun tonight and got to relax. They were all too happy to help, because we’ve all been worried about you.”

Twilight was quiet as she took in the food, the blanket, the fancy telescope and camera, and of course, the beautiful girl sitting shoulder to shoulder with her. She had not come out expecting any of this, and it left her having to completely reevaluate her emotions. “I…didn’t realize I had worried everyone so much…have I been that bad recently? …I mean, I know I got into that fight with them…but…”

“Not bad…just…not like you. Stressed, and…something I don't know how to describe, but not bad? I just thought maybe a fun night would be a good thing, and this is…you said yourself that this is kind of our thing, looking up at the stars, you know? So what better night to try and make even better than the one where we’re doing something that's special to you?” That crooked smile, shy and hopeful, was flashed at her as Sunset opened her own soup. “Did…did I do okay with this?”

“Oh, Sunny…” Twilight murmured, taking amber fingers in hers and squeezing tightly. She could feel the heat in her cheeks and the way her heart raced—it was an effort to keep her voice steady. “…this whole evening is…it’s already so far beyond just being okay that I’m having a hard time remembering that we aren’t alone, that there are other people around, because I just want to kiss you until neither of us can remember our own names.” She swallowed, her voice growing choked up and happy tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. “Sunny…this has been the most amazing, wonderful, perfect evening…and we haven’t even gotten to the stargazing yet!”

Sunset perked up, bringing their linked hands surreptitiously to her lips and pressing a brief kiss to the knuckles. “I’m really glad to hear that. I thought you would be happy but there was always a chance.” Then she let go, bumping Twilight’s shoulder with hers. “Eat your food, nerd. I know you’re hungry; your stomach sounds like a rock slide.”

Laughter bubbled up from inside her, the kind that left her heart lighter afterwards. “It's not that loud!” She protested, only to have half her words drowned out by her stomach voicing its opinions on the matter. Sunset merely raised an eyebrow and pointed as if to say ‘You were saying?’

The dark haired girl dug into her food after that, the sandwich and her mother’s soup leaving her comfortably full and warm. Once they’d polished off the main part of the meal—and Sunset had gathered up their trash to put back in the bag—they sat in comfortable quiet, Twilight murmuring occasionally as she pointed to the stars that were now visible, naming and describing them.

At some point, Sunset pulled out a pair of sandwich sized bags, offering her one. “Cookies? They're double chocolate fudge.”

Twilight beamed at her, and took the bag. “You said the magic word.”

“Cookies?”

“No,” she giggled. “Chocolate.”

“That was my next guess,” the older girl admitted, taking a berry from her snack bag and popping it in her mouth with a blissful sigh.

Twilight tilted her head. “No cookies for you?”

Sunset shook her head. “Not tonight—I found some of my favorite types of berries, and I haven't really had them since before I…came here. They don’t grow anywhere nearby.”

It didn't take much to read between the lines: It was some kind of foreign fruit native to the place she’d run away from. Probably a rare subspecies or offshoot that only grew in specific climate and soil conditions and would cost a small fortune to buy in Canterlot. Twilight nibbled on a cookie. “Are they good?”

Sunset was quiet for a minute. “You ever have something you loved but then you forget about it because life happens, and when you remember it again later it's ten times better than nostalgia tells you it was?”

“Not personally, but…I think I understand what you are getting at.” She gave the redhead a soft smile. “Can I ask to try one?”

In response, Sunset held a dark berry up to her lips. “Here.”

The berry was a burst of flavor in her mouth she wasn’t expecting. Sweet but with a little tang of tartness, it reminded her a little of a blackberry, but also of strawberries. What really shocked her though was the odd sensation on her tongue, the faint buzzing, tickling feeling like a mouthful of soda from a freshly opened can. “Oh! They're good! And…” She realized the taste was familiar…but where…

She began looking back through her memories. There had been something recent that tasted like this… It came to her, with the memory of Sunset in her kitchen, offering her a tart that tasted even better than chocolate. “...these taste like those pastries you brought over! Is this what you used in them?”

A grin met her question. “Sure was. My friend helped me turn some into the filling. You like them?”

“They’re really delicious--not too sweet but not too sour either….but…what is it doing to my tongue? Are they supposed to do that?”

Giggling, her girlfriend nodded. “They are! We called them fizzleberries because of it! Most po—people don't like the fizzle, but I do. I used to eat them by the bowl….I…just kind of forgot about them after I ran away, you know?”

Twilight nodded in understanding. "You had to move on with your life, to worry about your well being in the here and now, and looking back on something you could no longer have would have been detrimental to that." She winced inwardly when she realized how detached that sounded, like the recitation from a passage in a textbook.

“Yeah…but I’m able to enjoy them now, and share them with my best friend in the universe, so…it's not all bad.” She ate another berry, with a happy smile.

“There is something to be said for that,” Twilight conceded, trying to parse why the scent and hard to make out fruit was making an almost thought flit through her mind just out of reach, like she was forgetting something important. Unable to catch it, it faded away, and she was left leaning against her girlfriend with a slight shiver. Sunset was always so warm to the touch, even in the dead of winter, and she enjoyed the way that warmth seeped into her.

“Getting cold?” Sunset murmured in her ear, sending another shiver down Twilight’s spine for a completely different reason.

She nodded, hoping the lantern light was too dim for her blush to show. “A little,” she responded.

Amber fingers grabbed the blanket that had concealed the telescope and camera. “That’s why I brought this.” Sunset draped it around both of them, trapping both teens in a cocoon of soft warmth. “Better?” she asked, her hand resting on Twilight’s leg just above her knee and squeezing now that no one could casually glance over and see the touch.

Another nod, and Twilight rested her hand over Sunset’s. “You really thought of everything tonight,” she joked with a light laugh. “The only thing you’re missing is a by the minute timetable.”

Sunset’s free hand reached over and tweaked her nose. “I thought about it, nerd, but that's more your thing. Didn't want to step on any toes.” Then she checked the time on her phone. “Although if I remember the timetable of astronomical events I did look at, the meteor shower should be starting in half an hour…so I need to finish setting up our telescope so maybe we can get a good view.”

While Twilight stayed wrapped up warm in the blanket, the redhead finished working on the telescope, even going so far as to move the bag with their leftovers and extra snacks out of the way so she could bring the telescope close enough where they could use it while seated leaning against the rock.

Sitting back down next to Twilight, she asked, “How’s this? Good view of everything?”

Twilight peered through the telescope, panning it carefully to do a sweep of the sky. “It’s perfect, Sunset, and this attachment with your camera is everything I wanted for stellar photography—plus I was looking through the camera bag, and it's got all the individual lenses and adaptors for taking sky photos from a tripod too.”

“It should,” the taller teen laughed. “I ordered all of them with it for just that purpose. There's even the easy tripod in the bag too.”

Opening her mouth to respond, Twilight was interrupted by an excited exclamation further along the slope, right as a brilliant streak lanced across the sky. Sunset squirmed back under the blanket with her. “It’s starting!” she pointed out gleefully, reaching out to switch off their lantern and plunge them into darkness.

Twilight couldn't help her own excited sound as she hurried to snap the camera into place on the telescope. Even with the sudden rush and the way her heart raced, her fingers were sure and steady, methodically securing one expensive piece of equipment to another, and she felt a broad grin form on her face as she finished just in time to capture what she felt was going to be an amazing shot of a triple streak of meteorites arcing across their view, as well as half a dozen ones of meteors passing through some of the winter constellations, including Orion.

Next to her, Sunset made one of those indefinable sounds that Twilight knew meant the other girl was happy to the point of giddiness, her face turned heavenward to watch the celestial show. Something about it all made her pause in her own scanning of the sky to lean over and kiss an amber skinned cheek, barely even registering the ever present worry that murmured ‘Someone might see.’

In that same moment, Sunset turned her head towards her with that soft, lopsided smile, and instead of Twilight’s kiss finding her cheek, she ended up brushing their lips together. It was a brief, light touch, yet somehow it seemed even more electrifying than kisses they’d shared to date, even the steamy ones taking place in her bedroom. “Sunset…” she breathed out, words filling her mind and demanding to be expressed. “…this evening is everything I needed. It's been beyond wonderful—you’ve made it a truly magical night, more than I ever could have dreamed it could be…”

Warm amber fingers threaded through lavender ones, and Sunset squeezed her hand tightly. “I’m so glad,” she murmured in response, “because tonight was meant to be special for a reason.”

Pulling back from the camera again, Twilight put her attention back on Sunset. “What do you mean?”

The redhead seemed to gather herself, and she gestured beyond their little piece of quiet serenity, where other star watchers were, some with kids running around, some talking loudly by lamplight, some just sitting quietly in ones or twos like them. “Look around, Sparky,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper. “All these people and barely any of them are looking twice at us. And when they do…they just see two friends who are sharing a hobby…”

Her brows furrowed. “Because we are best friends sharing a hobby?”

Sunset snuggled close. “That is true…but…that's not what tonight was. To everyone else, maybe we’re two friends sharing a hobby…but for me…tonight was getting to spend the evening with my girlfriend, making her happy and watching the stars together…to me, this was a date.”

Twilight’s mouth went dry. “What?”

“For me, I did this as a date….because…I know you aren't ready to be open about us…but…” Sunset paused, her voice faltering for only a second before she forged ahead determinedly. “Look, it's like I was trying to tell you a few weeks ago. We don’t have to check all these stupid traditional social checklists for something to be considered a date for us. It doesn't have to be some big obvious courting gesture, it doesn't have to involve me trying to impress your father, or fancy clothes, or putting on some visual show for everyone around us. It can just be something small, something we enjoy doing together, just us, whether that's getting milkshakes after school, or reading books together in your room, or just like tonight, sharing a picnic under the night sky and watching the most gorgeous meteor shower of the year.” She pointed up to where the sky was awash with streaks of light.

She felt like her head was suddenly spinning, whirling with the rush of new thoughts crowding her mind, everything about the night reevaluated in a blink through a completely new and different lens. At first she felt the shock of her perceptions being completely shifted, but the tender emotion in gleaming blue-green eyes made that melt away, replaced by a growing warmth and a sense of delighted wonder taking its place,

Sunset was right, Twilight realized.

All of the things that bothered her about the idea of dating, about going on dates, they were all, at the heart of it, about societal expectations and the opinions of others…something she hated even under normal circumstances, both because of her own inability to truly understand why they were given weight at all, let alone the sheer amount most people ascribed to them, and for her own situation of not wanting to conform combined with the number of ways she was simply incapable of doing so while still being who she was. Why had she never really noticed that before?

Twilight found herself backtracking through dozens of conversations, most of them with Cady, picking out her own worries and seeing them in this new light. They all matched her realization…and with that new perspective Sunset had provided, all of the suggestions and hints and advice her sister-in-law had dropped in those talks suddenly sharpened from vague, nonsensical statements into crystal clarity. She didn't need those things society declared a requirement to have the emotional and personal depth of meaning to have it be a romantic outing instead of a purely platonic one. After all, tonight was proof of that, and in hindsight, dozens of little outings to museums or for milkshakes, or all the times they’d looked up at the stars had meant more to her, been more romantic and intimate than any traditional romantic date she’d ever read about or seen on television.

There were no words she could think of that were enough to encapsulate such a profound epiphany and all the emotions connected to it, so she acted on her feelings instead. Leaning in with a murmured, “Thank you,” she let her lips meet Sunset’s, expressing everything she was thinking and feeling in the tender kiss she shared with her girlfriend under the beautiful starry sky.

Wheeeeeee!

Second chapter of the observatory date! Sunny, you sneaky, clever horse! Looks like it worked out, and here you were worried.

Earned her some smoochies, thats for sure.

Next week, we'll see what the family is thinking of this "TOTALLY NOT A DATE" outing...

Heheheh.