Twilight half stumbled as she climbed off the bike, feeling warm hands catch her and pull her up against a body that always smelled of leather and sunshine. “Easy, Sparky,” Sunset murmured in her ear. “It's been a good night—falling in the driveway would be a terrible way to end the evening.”

She found her arms hooking around an amber neck and pulling the taller teen down into a quick kiss in the safety of the shadows of that moonless night. “….night’s not over,” she responded when they parted. “You're staying over, which means I get to fall asleep next to you…”

“Wouldn't be Friday if I didn't,” Sunset laughed.

Twilight kissed her again. “Perfect end to a perfect night.”

What little light was around seemed to catch brilliant blue-green eyes, making them visible in the dark. “I did okay tonight then? With the date?”

The question was tremulous, far too nervous and shy for Sunset, telling Twilight just how important the evening had been to her girlfriend. She hugged her tighter, giving her a soft smile. “It was everything I could have dreamed of, Sunny, and then some. No one could have done better, or found a way to do something that was us in such a perfect fashion.”

A laugh, ringing and bright, broke the night’s stillness and Twilight found herself in the air as Sunset picked her up and spun them around in excited joy. It was contagious, the laughter, and by the time she was on her feet again, neither of them could stop giggling. She clung to Sunset, dizzy from the spinning, and pressed her face into the older girl’s collarbone.

Sunset separated from her a minute later, still smiling and laughing, to press the backpack full of leftover food into her hands. “Carry this in so I can bring in the telescope? I don't want to leave it out in the cold.”

The two of them managed to get to the door without dropping anything, exchanging a few more stolen kisses on the way where no one could see them. They stumbled through the front door, shushing each other between bouts of laughter, not sure who might be awake and who might be asleep. Twilight knew someone had to be up—the living room had a light on and the tv going—but she couldn't take her eyes off Sunset, didn't want to shatter the happy bubble of freedom and joy they’d found themselves in for the night. Her girlfriend seemed so carefree in that moment, head tossed back as she laughed, eyes bright and dancing, all the normal tension just…absent from her frame. And Twilight? She now knew what it meant to feel like one was ‘walking on air,’ all while her heart raced and butterflies danced in her stomach.

A voice broke through the laughter. “I’m guessing you two had a great time tonight?” Cadence was grinning at them from Night’s favorite armchair.

Twilight found herself unable to contain her excitement. “It was amazing, Cady! The meteor shower was beautiful, and we got some fantastic photos of the Orion Nebula and the Pleiades!”

Sunset met Twilight’s glance her way with one of those crooked smiles. “I’m going to go put this in your dad’s office,” she said, hefting the telescope case. “You want to put the leftovers up, nerd?”

Rising from the chair, Cadence grinned. “I’ll help, Ladybug, and you can tell me more about your date.”

“I—How did you—“ Twilight tripped over her words on the way into the kitchen, and Cadence just gave her a long look.

“Twily,” she said, hugging her around the shoulders. “Sunset came to me for advice about her plans. How do you think she knew what sandwich shop to go to or what you like to order?”

The dark haired girl mulled that over for a few minutes, then practically pounced on Cadence with a tight hug. “Thank you,” she told her sister-in-law. “Thank you so much for helping her…tonight was everything I ever dreamed of…”

Cady hugged her back. “Oh, I can't take that much credit, Ladybug. Sunset planned the whole thing. All I did was offer my opinion on her plan and answer a few questions…this whole night was her doing.” She pulled back so they could start putting the leftover food away. “Sooooo…We can call your first date a success, then?”

Twilight couldn't help the giddy smile that spread across her face. Her first real date and it had been perfect for her and her girlfriend, regardless of what society often portrayed. “It’s…it's a night I will never forget,” she answered truthfully. “It was perfect for us, and…I didnt feel…”

Another hug from the woman she had always confided in soothed the small burst of anxiousness in her throat. “Like you were doing something wrong?” When Twilight nodded, the arms around her tightened. “Because you weren't, Ladybug. There’s nothing wrong with your relationship with Sunset. It’s sweet and beautiful and surprisingly healthy given your age and experience, and you shouldnt be ashamed for how you feel about her.”

Cadence moved out of the hug to stand in front of her, both hands on her shoulders. “I know you're still working up the courage to come out, even if only to the rest of the family, Twilight, but I cannot stress enough that there is nothing wrong with who you are—you are valid, and have just as much right to exist and be happy with yourself as any other person, even if your love just happens to be different than most people. Don't let small minded bigots convince you that you have to be ashamed of how you love.”

“I…I’m trying, Cadence,” she admitted, “but it's not always that easy or simple.” Twilight pulled from the hug. “As much as I try to acknowledge that there is nothing wrong with my sexuality, and that bigots are just that, the fact is that that bigotry can impact my life, my education, and my future career. I’m already facing an uphill fight simply because of my gender and neurological differences…and I cannot just pretend my sexuality won't give those detractors more ammunition. As much as I would love to not care at all, it would be shortsighted and foolhardy of me not to recognize that.”

The pink skinned woman squeezed her shoulder. “I know…I just don't want you to believe the things they spew, even if you have to play some of the social games, Ladybug. You deserve love and happiness just like everyone else.”

Twilight nodded. Cadence had a valid point, one she was aware of, but as much as she loved her brother’s fiancée, as much of an elder sister as she was, her situation had never been quite the same as Twilight’s. Still…the support was welcome, and she hoped her smile communicated that where words could not.

Light footfalls from behind her that she instantly recognized were all the warning she got before Sunset, still in a good mood, tugged her away from Cadence and into a warm embrace. Twilight pressed her body back against her girlfriend’s front as Sunset dipped her head to nuzzle her cheek. “Food all put away, nerd?” she asked, before kissing Twilight’s cheek.

The goofy, bubbly feeling in her chest made her smile widen, and the dark haired girl nodded. “All taken care of, Sunny. I now have lunch for the rest of the weekend.”

“Good.” Sunset glanced towards Cadence. “…thanks again for your help with tonight. I…really appreciate it.”

The woman laughed. “I was happy to offer my extensive knowledge of Twily’s sandwich preferences to the cause.” Her smile softened to something that Twilight knew was heartfelt and genuine. “I am really glad you both had a wonderful time on your date—not every date is a winner, especially not first dates, but you two deserved it.”

Sunset and Twilight glanced at each other at the same moment, their noses brushing together in the motion. Feeling bold, Twilight pecked Sunset’s lips with a brief kiss, one hand coming up to run fingers through red and gold hair. When they finally parted, She looked to her sister-in-law, still smiling. “Thanks, Cady. For everything. It…means more than I can explain.”

“I know, Ladybug,” Cadence responded. “Now it's late, so we should probably call it a night before all this girl-talk wakes the rest of the house.”

That made Sunset chuckle and nudge Twilight along towards the stairs. “She’s right, Sparky. I don't want to accidentally wake up your parents…” Then the redhead lowered her voice, lips barely an inch from a lavender ear. “Besides…nothing says we have to go right to sleep…”

Heat rushed through her, forgoing her already reddened cheeks in favor of settling a lot lower, and Twilight threaded her fingers through Sunset’s to tug her hurriedly up the steps. Outside Twilight’s bedroom door, Sunset separated from her, gaining a confused look from Twilight.

“I’m going to grab my pajamas from my room and rinse off quick. I feel kind of sweaty and I don't want to smell myself all night,” she explained.

Twilight nodded in understanding. “Okay. I’m going to change then…see you in a few minutes?”

“Fifteen minutes, tops. I promise I’ll be quick.” Sunset gave her a crooked smile. “I won't leave you waiting long…”

Leaning in close, Twilight captured her girlfriend’s lips sweetly. “Trust me, Sunset Shimmer….you're worth waiting for.”

Sunset blushed, and pulled back reluctantly. “I still want to make it quick. You might be patient, but I’m not good at it.” Then she slipped away to shower, leaving Twilight to enter her room.

It took only a few minutes to change into her pajamas, and Twilight stretched out on her side of the bed, grabbing her phone to check on the day’s science news; she needed something to help avoid thinking about Sunset in the shower. When it showed “6 Unread Messages” on the lock screen, the teen pulled up her texts in confusion. The only people who texted her were her immediate family and Sunset…so who…?

Glamour’s contact name was highlighted as the source of all six messages, all in the last forty minutes. Twilight checked them, worry knotting in her throat.

-Twi?-

-You awake?-

-I really really need to share this with SOMEONE, Twi, message me ASAP!-

-I dont have anyone else I CAN share this with-

-doesnt matter how late it is, plz let me know when you get this-

-Twi?-

Lavender fingers raced over the keys. -Sorry, Glamour. I was out with Sunset, and we were driving home. Are you still up? What’s wrong?-

Almost immediately, her cousin responded—still with grammar that made Twilight cringe. -Nothings wrong-

-Tonites wonderful. Can i call?-

Twilight took a breath, letting it out slowly. -You can call. I have a few minutes.-

Her phone rang, and she answered, more than a little confused. “Hi Glamour.”

“Ohmigosh, Twi! I'm so glad you're still up! You’ll never guess what happened tonight!” Glamour’s perky, excited voice was almost too loud, and Twilight pulled the phone back to lower the volume right as it dinged with a picture message. Staring back at her was her cousin’s hand, wearing a pretty ring in gold, one stylized with what looked like wings or feathers as it wrapped around the digit. “Song gave me this—it’s not technically an engagement ring, because we can’t get married yet, but it's a promise that when we can, she wants to!”

Breath catching, Twilight found herself with a few happy tears in her eyes for her cousin, her own mood returning to its previous high. “Oh wow, Glamour,” she managed, smiling even though the young woman on the other end of the line couldn't see her. “That really is amazing, and I’m so happy for you!”

“Right?!” Glamour made a sound that was both a laugh and a sob. “I’m laughing and I’m crying and I’ve never been this happy, not once in my entire life, and I just needed to tell someone before I exploded!” Her enthusiasm waned a bit. “You are really the only one I could tell that would understand why it's such a big deal…”

“It's a huge deal,” Twilight agreed. “And I understand why you would be so ecstatic.”

“I know I still have two more years before I can risk anything,” Glamour said, her perky, bubbly optimism returning, “but this…this is something I can hold onto to get me there, even when we can only be ourselves in this dorm room, and I can wear it anywhere, because it doesn't look like people think an engagement or promise ring should look!”

Thinking of her evening and the epiphany that Sunset had helped her reach, Twilight answered in a quiet but happy tone, “And that’s okay—it doesn't matter what society says it should look like. You can give it whatever meaning you want it to have, and it can mean that to you.”

“Twi?” Glamour sounded a little confused.

“Sunset…made me realize something tonight, and she was right, and maybe you already know it, but…” She was smiling so hard it was starting to make her face hurt. “…it's not the eighteenth century anymore, or even the fifties. It's the twenty-first century, and we’re allowed to define our own relationships instead of being hidebound by our grandparents or great-grandparents traditions… A couple can decide for themselves what they want to be, how they express their commitment, what is and isn’t a date, not centuries of heteronormative mandates that are designed to treat women like property and allow males to show off to other males like peacocks flashing their tail feathers.”

Her cousin giggled over the phone. “You're right, but did you have to give me that image? Now every time I have to put up with the men my parents try to throw at me, I’m just going to see their suit coats as peacock feathers!”

Twilight laughed with her. “Oh! Now that you’ve said it, I think that’s all I’ll be thinking of at New Years next year!”

The pair of them giggled and laughed for several minutes, until they couldn't breathe right and there were tears of mirth on Twilight’s face. When she’d caught her breath, Twilight wiped the tears away. “Anyway…as I was saying, I could go on a two hour lecture into the intricacies of the diamond industry and deceptive marketing, but neither of us wants to spend time on that tonight…especially since I’m fairly certain that you will never have any intention of walking around with some oversized hunk of compressed carbon on your finger like Summer does, flashing it to anyone that looks her way to show off how much she was bought for.”

“Ohmigosh, no! I love Mom…but I hate that about her, how everything is always about money! It's like ‘there’s more to life for me, Mom,’ but of course she doesn't get it.” More giggling. “You know, I never realized you had a sense of humor.”

Sobering a bit, Twilight took a long few heartbeats to answer. “…not a lot of people even understand my jokes, much less find them amusing, so I suppose I’ve learned not to bother most of the time unless I’m with family or Sunset. People I trust.”

Glamour made a soft noise into the phone, not quite a sigh, and Twilight couldn't quite identify the emotions. “It means a lot then, Twi, that you are comfortable enough to trust me enough to get to know the real you. For what it's worth, you’re the one member of the family I really trust—ever since New Years, it's been amazing to have someone I can just talk to without having to remember what I can and can't say.” A soft laugh escaped her. “Especially because you understand in a way most people don’t the parts of my life that are secret from everyone.”

Twilight played with a bit of her hair. “I know what you mean—I was talking with Cadence before I came up, about coming out, and I love Cady, She’s the best sister ever, but…it's not as easy as she talks about.”

Her cousin sighed. “Twi, Cadence is a wonderful person, and for all she’s supportive of you, she’s with your brother, and always has been. Even if she likes girls too, when she goes out with Shining, no one can tell she’s anything but normal. Your parents are great, and it sounds like her parents are too, so her family loves her anyway, and her career doesn't come with those expectations of fitting a particular mold. She’s never been terrified that someone will read into your friendly outing and see more, or look to ruin you out of some kind political or financial agenda by trying to cause a scandal.”

“I know my anxiety problems are a big contributor to my stress over telling anyone,” the teen acknowledged, “but Cadence doesn’t seem to quite understand what I mean when I say it's more complicated than just talking to my therapist and working up the courage to be open about it. I know it won't be all sunlight and rainbows—not with my desire to get into science and technology fields for a career.” Her words carried a hint of frustration.

There was a sound of a person snorting from the background loud enough for the speaker to pick it up, and a voice Twilight didnt recognize commented sarcastically, “And the sciences are worse than even the corporate ladder for women as is, let alone those who follow in Sappho’s glorious lesbian sandals.”

She and Glamour both laughed, with her cousin introducing the speaker—Wildsong, as Twilight had already guessed.

“They are, and I have a plan, if people will just let me do it at my pace without trying to pick apart what I’m doing. The only one who hasn't really been pushy about this is Sunset—she’s so sweet and understanding with respecting my wishes and space, while still somehow knowing exactly when I need to be shown a different perspective. Like tonight!” Twilight glanced up as her bedroom door opened to admit the very girl she was gushing about, unable to stop the deliriously happy smile that crossed her face.

Sunset closed the door with a click of the lock, and finished getting as much water as she could out of her damp hair with a towel. A moment later had her slithering under the covers with Twilight, arms going around her in order to cuddle close to her. Sunset was delightfully warm against her back, and she could feel her placing little kisses against the back of her neck.

“What happened tonight, Twi?”

Lavender fingers rested over amber. “We went to watch a meteor shower that Sunny got tickets for back at Christmas. I thought it was just another outing, but she surprised me by telling me it was supposed to be a date—but a date that was perfect for us, that no one could tell was a date!” She thought back to Sunset’s confession under the celestial tapestry, the quiet, fervent intensity in her murmured voice, and the soft kiss they’d exchanged by accident. “It was magical.”

Sunset made a throaty sound close to her ear, nuzzling into her happily. “I’m glad,” the redhead whispered for Twilight’s ears alone.

Glamour squealed with glee, and Twilight had to pull the phone away from her ear with a wince. “Ohmigosh! Twi, that’s fantastic! What did she do for the date?”

Twilight gave Glamour a summary of the date itself, her fingers drawing constellations on the back of Sunset’s hand. “…We were out way later than we really should have been, but Sunset had gotten Mom and Dad’s permission, because we were testing out her new camera for some stellar photography.”

“I’m so happy for you, Twi! Sunset sounds like she’s a keeper!”

In the background, Twilight could hear the other voice talking too low to make out, and Glamour giggled. “Song is reminding me we have a fairly early day tomorrow and that Sunset is probably waiting for you to finish talking, so I should let you go. I’ll text you later in the week, okay?”

“Yeah…it is really late. I’ll talk with you another day, hopefully not so late at night next time?” Twilight yawned.

After setting the phone on her nightstand, Twilight twisted in Sunset’s arms and hugged her tightly. Her girlfriend brushed lips against her forehead. “Hey…” she said.

“Hey,” Twilight answered. “Missed you.”

The taller girl chuckled. “Sparky, I was gone for like fifteen minutes.”

“Fifteen minutes too many,” came the response into her shirt as Twilight pressed their bodies together tight enough to send a shiver up her spine at the way their contours fit together nicely.

“Nerd,” Sunset teased, tilting Twilight’s chin up.

She smiled. Trust Sunset to be able to turn the word into an endearment. “As long as I’m still your nerd, Sunny.”

“Always,” the girl holding her responded, before kissing her. The lips working against hers sparked a fire in Twilight, and she pushed harder into the kiss, hands moving until one gripped Sunset’s shoulder and the other was tangled in damp hair. Sunset made a throaty sound into her mouth as her tongue begged entrance, one of her long legs hooking over Twilight’s hip possessively tight.

By the time they parted for air, both of them were breathless and grinning, and Twilight felt the heat on her back from Sunset’s hands through her shirt. She left a trail of little kisses along the other girl’s jawline. “…are you tired yet…?” The soft question barely disturbed the air.

Sunset rubbed their noses together lightly. “Not really, why?”

Twilight teased her girlfriend’s mouth with her own. “Me neither…” She nibbled on Sunset’s lip. “And after all the effort you went to to make tonight so special…I find myself wanting the night to last just a little longer.”

One of those soft, lopsided smiles tugged at Sunset’s lips, and she stroked her hands up and down Twilight’s back. “Then kiss me again,” she said in a voice that was practically a purr, “and we’ll make sure the night doesn't end just yet…”

Streaks of light lit up the night, passing from one end of the sky to the other against a backdrop of stars. It was beautiful, and made all the more wonderful by the presence surrounding her, holding her with warm arms. As they sat there, leaning back against the rock, Twilight could feel sharp nails sneak up under the hem of her shirt, stroking along her skin in a way that sent tingles through her body. And when heated breath ghosted over her ear to wash down her neck, it trailed its own fingers along her nervous system to send lightning jolting along parts of her as yet untouched. The teen had to bite her lip to avoid reacting audibly, not wanting to draw attention to them with a sudden, loud sound.

“Do you like that, Sparky?” The voice that murmured to her was husky with desire, but still welcome and familiar in the best of ways. “Or are you just cold?” her companion teased. “You're trembling…” Those fingers became a palm pressed to her stomach, searing hot in all the right ways.

With a soft whimper, Twilight arched into the touch, shuddering. Her mouth opened to answer, but the feeling of sharp teeth nipping at the side of her neck turned it into a gasp. “Can’t have you getting cold on me,” her paramour chuckled. “Let’s see about warming you up…” A snapping noise of thick fabric filled her ears right before a warm, fuzzy textured dark blanket was wrapped around their shoulders and covered her front all the way to her thighs. “How’s that?”

She nodded, tilting her head back to try and look at her companion. “It’s perfect….” the dark haired girl managed to get out, catching a glimpse of gleaming blue green eyes shining in the dark. Her hands came up to touch the blanket, feeling along the thick, heavy surface with its soft, plush texture, feeling it shift against her touch.

Twilight’s head lolled to the side as a mouth descended on her neck, placing little kisses and love bites on the skin. It quickly put her mind into a dreamy haze where the only thing that mattered was who she was with and how good she felt, quieting the constant storm of mental noise that was her normal state of mind. She savored the sense of…drifting, just like she did every time that those arms held her tight.

More hot breath tickled her ear. “Twilight Sparkle,” came the soft murmur from lips just barely tickling her skin, “I want to make you mine and mine alone…if you would let me…”

Her mind still hazy, Twilight mumbled something incoherent in reply. Forming a structured sentence was hard when she was so very relaxed and content. Still, more words drew her mind back from that space full of nothing but the pleasure of just Being. “Be mine, Twilight Sparkle, until the last star of eternity cools…mine to have…to keep…to hold, so that no other may touch you who are my light, the keeper of my soul…”

Something nagged at her, further grounding her and coaxing a response that she knew in some undefinable way she needed to give. Twisting around in the embrace and unsettling the heavy, dark warmth blanketing her, Twilight slid her arms around her girlfriend’s body and pressed them together in a tight hug. “I want that too,” she whispered. “I want to be yours, to feel you hold me, to know I’m safe with you…”

“Then open your eyes, and answer me…”

Without a second thought or moment’s hesitation, Twilight opened her eyes, taking in red-amber skin and catlike eyes glowing in the dark. “Yes,” came the fervent, heated reply that fell from her own lips and onto Sunset Shimmer’s. “A million times yes, Sunset. I’m yours…”

In the darkness, under a blanket of stars, there was heat and pleasure coursing through her veins as hungry lips fastened on hers, rough passion communicated from one body to the other. Sharp teeth nipped her lower lip as Sunset pressed her to the blanket, flared wings silhouetted against the night. Clothing was pulled aside or vanished as if it never was—Twilight couldn’t tell which and it didn’t really matter anyway. What mattered more was silken skin pressed against her own, warmth and softness over strength like she’d never imagined that her girlfriend could possess, and how right it felt to her.

More kisses left a trail of fire down her neck, and the dark haired teen could hear that voice breathing words like a mantra and a prayer. “You are mine, Twilight Sparkle…I swear it on all that I am…you belong to me and no other… my light, my soul…” Every word uttered resonated with the core of her being, making her body thrum with energy and growing need that passed between them, shared without words, as their bodies sought to melt together into one…

Waking was a shock to her system, not unlike frigid ice water upended over her, and she panted and gasped painfully for breath as her heart hammered against her ribs. The surge of adrenaline that kickstarted her body into a waking rhythm from deep sleep left her disoriented, her nerves hyper-sensitized, and her brain frantically clawing for a rational explanation as to what sent her so roughly from the arms of sleep.

It hadn’t been something in the room, she decided, taking in the stillness and shadows of the familiar darkened space. If it had, Spike and Sunset both would have alerted her, yet both slept on, undisturbed. That also ruled out either of them having woken her. Spike was curled up in his bed in the corner, snoring soft little doggy snores, and Sunset? Twilight could feel, even through pjs that felt like sandpaper against her skin, the too warm body pressed against her back, the sensation of breasts pressed against the top of her shoulder blades, of a leg still hooked over her hip and trapping her close. Slow and steady breathing and the sleepy murmurs against Twilight’s scalp gave her every indication that her girlfriend was still sound asleep. There was a possibility of a far off noise, but that too should have woken Sunset, at least, who she knew from experience didn’t handle exceptionally loud noises with any sort of decorum when they jolted her awake.

Twilight sought to bring her breathing under control, running her fingers over the amber arm that was around her waist. It could have been the dream, she decided, cheeks heating at the memory and her body aching in response. The dream had been an intimate, visceral thing, full of the desires that had been plaguing her since the early part of December, and like so many before it, left her feeling entirely unsatisfied in the lack of conclusion. Her body throbbed again, reminding her that this was the first time she’d had such a dream when the subject of it had been curled around her in bed. It had been her Sunny in the dream—no matter how bizarre the form her subconscious liked to fashion for Sunset might be, Twilight would always know who she was. If she was ever struck blind she would still know Sunset Shimmer by presence alone, because the way Sunset filled a room was unmistakable to her….and the memory now, of a dream where that presence was wholly fixed on her, where Sunset’s touch and breath and being was fulfilling every sordid little desire Twilight had possessed in her slumbering state set her ablaze with renewed want that sent a shudder through her.

Suddenly it was hard to breathe again—not from panic, but from the feelings that made it hard to keep quiet, to keep that moan from escaping to wake Sunset up. Twilight squirmed, managing to extricate herself from the hold without disturbing her dreaming girlfriend, needing a few minutes alone to deal with the way her feelings were affecting her physically….

What she never noticed, in her hurried rush to escape to the bathroom, was the way glowing blue-green eyes followed her exodus, or the frustrated tears that stained the pillowcase.

*grins wickedly*
So yeah, brief return of Glamour. Cutesy date wrap up. Arent these girls precious?

Hope you kids enjoyed the "Observatory Date Chapters". Next up on our scheduled progamming:

"Proverbial Excrement Hitting a set of spinning blades at high velocity."

*ominous sounds*