They made it inside Twilight’s room tripping over each other and giggling, as they called goodnight to the adults. Sunset pushed the door shut behind her just in time to turn and catch an armful of her girlfriend. Twilight squeezed her around the middle in a hug, and Sunset responded by pecking her lips with a brief kiss. “Nerd,” she teased. “You need to watch where you put your feet—that could have ended badly.”

“You’d never drop me, Sunny.” Purple eyes met hers, bright and still full of laughter.

Another soft kiss on those grinning lips, and Sunset made a show of rolling her eyes. “Not on purpose, no, and if I can see you to catch you, I will…but when my back is to you? Even I’m not that flexible, Sparky.”

Twilight pressed closer, squishing Sunset between her and the door, standing up on her toes to kiss the redhead, tongue flirting across parted lips teasingly. “How flexible are you?” she asked when they came up for air a few minutes later.

Growling playfully, Sunset twisted in place, and a moment later, she had Twilight swung up in her arms. “Flexible enough, nerd. Five years of martial arts and a regular gymnastics routine make a body pretty limber…”

Cheeks flushed, her girlfriend squeezed the unicorn plush that had ended up on her stomach when Sunset had picked her up. “Don't say things like that,” she mumbled. “…it's putting thoughts in my head…and I can't do anything about them yet…”

Sunset sucked in a breath, heat racing from her head to her toes in a tingling rush. “Oh…um…oops?” She coughed, adjusting her hold on Twilight.

“I’m not pushing, Sunny. You're ready to go further when you're ready. I’m just saying…” Twilight bit her lip. “If you’re worried about me, I’m…I’m more than happy to go as far as you want.”

Oh. Oh. Sunset took a few slow breaths to slow her heart rate. “That’s…good to know….but I shouldn't tease like that, I guess. It's not fair, and I’m sorry for not thinking about what I was saying.” She bent her head down to kiss the girl in her arms. “Teasing you is a lot of fun, but I’ll try to avoid the more…obvious innuendo until I’m ready to follow through.”

Silence settled over them, both girls blushing madly and feeling more than a little flustered and awkward. Twilight looked down at the toy in her hands and found a change of subject. “I…didn't know the unicorn on your shelf was made by your mom.”

Maybe not a better one, Sunset decided, but at least it wasn't about the sexual tension thrumming between them like a magical feedback loop. Clearing her throat, the former unicorn moved and sat on the bed, one hand moving to brush along the toy’s mane. “…she made a bunch of them when I was really little. I…had these awful nightmares back then—about what exactly, I couldn't tell you. All I can remember are…flashes. Heat. The smell of smoke. Shrieking and screaming. But they were awful, and I’d have them if I was in my own bed.”

A lavender hand rested over hers, squeezing gently. “Night terrors are a pretty common occurrence in young children, but more so with any that have any trauma in their background.”

The redhead gave a humorless chuckle. “Yeah…doesn't get much more traumatic than being an unwanted orphan, I guess. Anyway…nothing else seemed to work, so she took fabric from old dresses that were hers and made me these…stuffed toys. Princess Sunbottom was my favorite, but I had a whole bunch of them, a horde of monsters and animals. A bear made of stars, a dragon whose head was too big and his wings too small, a manticore with a mane made from her hair, a deer, a cat-boy with mismatched beads for eyes, even a cow.” Memories pushed their way to the fore, of lessons and games and stories played out with her horde of stuffed toys, and of nights surrounded by a soft textured pile, all stuffed with feathers shed from the princess’ own majestic wings. “They were pretty much the closest thing I had to friends when I was little, and I felt…safe…at night, surrounded by them. Like the bad things in the dark couldn't get me.”

Twilight pulled her into a hug, quietly comforting while Sunset was lost in memory for several minutes. Eventually, she raised a hand to brush a few stray curls back from Sunset’s face. “Sunny?” she queried in a soft voice, pulling her out of the memories.

“What is it, Sparky?”

“Can…do you mind if I ask for clarification on something that's been bothering me for a while? You…don't have to give me the details if you don't want to…” At Sunset’s nod, the younger girl continued, “…you told me a long time ago that you didn't remember your parents, that they actually died when you were really young…but you’ve mentioned your ‘mom’ several times now to me, or to mom, or dad, or even Cady and Shining…”

Oh horseapples. She’d forgotten about that long ago talk in her loft, not long after they'd started dating. Sunset breathed a sigh out. “Yeah…I…did…and I didn’t lie. I don't remember them. Anything about them, really. I don't know their names or what they looked like. It’s…it’s just an empty space and me on my family tree.” It hurt to say it aloud, but she clenched her jaw.

Nodding in acceptance of the answer, Twilight pushed on. “Then…is the woman who made your toys, the one you call your mom…is she the same person you also call your guardian, or are they different people?”

Sunset couldn't meet her eyes. “The same person. It's…a complicated mess Sparky.” She grimaced. “It’s best summed up as ‘being an orphan sucks.’”

The arms hugging her tightened, and her girlfriend made a soft comforting sound, nuzzling into Sunset’s body. “Thank you for trusting me with that, Sunset…”

“Who else would I trust? You’re my best friend, Twilight.” Sunset cleared her throat to push away the emotions she didn't want to really unpack right now.

Fingers squeezed her shoulder. “Its okay to not be okay about something that hurts you. You don't have to pretend if you don't want to, and if you want to talk about it, ever, I am here. I may not entirely understand, but I’m willing to listen, just like you listen to me.”

Taking a shuddering breath, the former unicorn shut her eyes, debating…and realized she wanted to tell Twilight the truth. Maybe not all of it yet, but…

“She was never really my mom….but I wanted her to be, so badly that it drove me to do a lot of stupid things to try and prove that I was worth it. That she wouldn't be making a huge mistake if she adopted me into her family. When I was little…I thought she was my mom—I never called her that, but it was because I didn't even know the word until I was…almost six, I think?” The words, once they started, flowed out of her like a raging mountain river full of spring meltwater. “I never questioned it when I was that small, because she took me everywhere with her, taught me to read and write, taught me languages, and how to behave in different kinds of dinners, how to greet guests…she’s even the one who taught me chess, or took me to see plays and operas.”

The toy was in her hands now, turned and squished in her fingers. “Everything back then was so easy. I believed that she loved me, that she wanted me, wanted to be my mom…” She sniffled a little. “It was a fantasy, beautiful and wonderful…and not real….but it drove me for so long…right up until I almost got myself killed at the Fall Formal. I realized that I was destroying myself for a dream that would never come true…and letting it go is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Oh, Sunny…” A hand was pressed to her cheek.

Laughing, the sound a little wet and choked, the redhead kept talking, letting the words spill out.. “It's funny if you think about it. I spent years trying so hard to belong to her family, and the same night I finally gave up on it as an impossible thing…I met you.” ‘And your family,’ she thought, avoiding voicing it…but the look in Twilight’s eyes told her that she picked up on the unspoken addition. It was bittersweet, admitting it, and Sunset was afraid of the potential that it could be used against her, but she thought maybe if she laughed enough, it would be taken as a joke.

Twilight’s fingers moved to card through flame colored locks gently. “…you don't have to give up entirely on a family, do you?”

Blue-green eyes flicked to her, sharply, and Sunset wondered if Twilight could feel the way her heart raced. “What do you mean?” she asked hesitantly, aching for the answer and terrified of it in equal measure.

Her girlfriend looked…shy. Nervous, almost. “…you…you're part of my family…if you wanted to be, I mean. That's…why Mom and Dad gave you a room. We want you with us…” She chewed on her lip. “Even if something happens in the future and you and I break up…you’d still have a family. I’ll still be your best friend, as long as you wanted me to be, and you would always have a home here.”

Sunset squeezed her in a hug so tight Twilight made a squeak of surprise. “I don't even want to think about breaking up, not now or ever. I never want to lose you, Sparky.” The words were heated, intense, and fierce, and it brushed against a subject that Sunset had been putting off with herself for too long. She needed to face it soon, before it ate her alive.

“I…don't want to think about it either,” Twilight soothed, bringing Sunset’s head down to rest against hers. “But I want to make clear that you being part of this family is not conditional based on whether we are romantically involved or not. As long as you want it, you have a place here, just like Cady would, even if she and Shining called off the wedding for some reason.”

Sunset cleared her mind of the conversation she wasn't ready to have with herself, not here and now at least, and found herself smiling crookedly at Twilight. “Like they ever would. They’re so sappy it's sickening sometimes. Do you think she calls him embarrassing nicknames in private?”

Giggling, the other girl responded with a cheery, “She does, but I swore never to tell.” Her hands tangled in Sunset’s wild mane. “Also…” Her voice was soft again. “…you do realize that there's a good chance that when I do finally tell them about us, they're going to want you to call them Mom and Dad too, right?”

She went still. “…they would?”

Twilight’s smile made her feel lighter in her soul. “Mom absolutely would—she’s slipped and referred to you a few times as her third daughter.”

Sunset’s lips curled into a full smile. “…I suppose that explains your dad’s little speech earlier.” The smile became an impish smirk. “If you decide you want to come out to them on Easy Mode, I could do it instead. Introduce you to them as my girlfriend.”

The girl in her lap blinked, made an odd sound, blinked again, then beamed at Sunset. “Sunny, you're brilliant! I mean, you always were before but that's pure genius!”

“Uh….”

“No, really, it is! One of the things I talked with Dr. Soft-Spoken about is that I struggle more with telling someone who doesn't already know…but if you told them that you have a girlfriend, and then tell them it's me, then they’d kind of know, and it…would take away the pressure of having to tell them!”

The poor unicorn-turned-teenage-girl felt like her head was spinning as she tried to suss out the logic her girlfriend was using. It all sounded more like a snarled tangle of Pinkie Pie’s ‘logic’ than anything she was used to from Twilight. “Um…I was mostly joking, but we can do it that way, if…if you want?” She fixed her with a look. “Are you sure that's what you want?”

Twilight’s expression faltered and became uncertain. “I…I still want to try on my own…but…if I can't…I would be okay with this as an option, yes, if you would be willing?”

She chuckled. “I wouldn't have made the joke if I wasn't. I don't care if they know that I…” she paused, trying to decide how to explain it. “…enjoy the company of other females far more than I would from males,” she settled on. It was true, although she was leaving out the part where she definitely preferred mares to any option that wasn’t a pony…other than Twilight herself. “Or that I prefer your company to anyone else’s.” Sunset winked at her. “You…just have to tell me when.”

The smaller girl turned thoughtful. “I think I still want to try coming out on my own…but if I find I just can't…maybe then, when a moment like what happened tonight comes? Tonight would have been a perfect moment, and I…I’d want it to be like that. Relaxed, where we’re all happy and feeling good, and then it wouldn't be a huge deal. You could just say it, and I could be like ‘yeah, I’m a lesbian and Sunset is the best girlfriend ever, can I keep her?’… and then they’ll make a huge fuss about you being theirs and me being gay won't be a huge deal!”

It seemed a bit convoluted for a plan, but if it would make her girlfriend feel better and more in control of telling her parents that she was dating Sunset, then the redhead was happy to do it. Tonight’s conversation had solidified in Sunset’s mind, at least, that there would be none of the social backlash she’d heard about when some teens told their parents about their preference in partners. Besides, her affection for Twilight was the absolute least of her secrets that she was keeping…

Shaking herself off that train of thought, Sunset tweaked Twilight’s nose. “If that's what you want, Sparky, then consider that our backup plan, and you can even write it down in some kind of seven step form if it’ll make you happy.”

Her words earned her an exuberant hug and several ecstatic kisses. “You really are the best girlfriend I could ask for,” Twilight told her. “How am I so lucky to have you?”

Sunset shrugged lazily. “If you ask me, I’m the lucky one—after everything I’ve done, I don't exactly deserve to end up with an amazing best friend and an adorable nerd that I get to kiss whenever I want in the same package.”

“Whenever you want, huh?” Twilight rubbed her nose against Sunset’s. “What about whenever I want?”

A low, burbly sound escaped her throat. “That too, Sparky. You just say the word, and I’ll kiss you until you can't remember math.”

Twilight’s grin turned sly. “You already do. I can think of several times already where you kissed me until I couldn't function!” Her proclamation was followed by her bursting into giggles.

Blue-green eyes blinked, and it took about ten seconds for Sunset to put it all together. When she did, she groaned. “Did you seriously just make a horrendously awful math pun?”

Still giggling over her joke, Twilight nodded. The redhead rubbed her face. “You aren't just a nerd, you're a huge dork,” she told the younger girl.

“But I’m still your dork, right?” came the giggled query.

Sunset gave a long suffering sigh that wasn't as legitimate as she tried to make it sound. “Yes, Sparky, you are. I've got to protect the rest of the world from your awful jokes.”

“Dad laughs at them!” Twilight informed her with a grin.

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. “Of course he does. He’s as dorky as you are and his jokes are equally awful—it must be where you learned it.” Stealing a brief kiss, she smirked. “You're just lucky I think you being dorky is cute…although you might want to lay off the bad puns for a bit if you want your Valentine’s gift.”

Purple eyes went wide and startled behind thick lenses. “You…you…even after…l-last weekend? You s-still—” Twilight broke off, unable to articulate whatever she was trying to say, and Sunset was genuinely concerned she was going to cry…which was not the reaction she had been going for with a present for her girlfriend on the strange imitation of Hearts and Hooves Day that humans celebrated.

“Hey…” she responded, trying to salvage the mood. “I said last week and earlier that I forgave you for that…I didn't want space because I was angry at you, Sparky. I needed it to deal with some stuff from my past that our fight and the whole mess with Wallflower dragged loose—something that left my emotions all over the map. I didn't want to take all of that out on anyone, like old me would have, that's all…” Rubbing the back of her neck, Sunset added, “I’ve actually been working on this for a while anyways…back when I started planning our date to the observatory. I was coming up with ways to do things for you that could…mean something between us that wouldn't be obvious to others, but would…you know, let us feel more like we can just…be together?”

The redhead had more to say, but once again arms viced around her hard enough to compress her ribs slightly, forcing the air from her in a gusty huff. She was starting to wonder if Twilight was somehow either part boa constrictor or related distantly to Pinkie. Tilting her head down, she listened to the happy sounds being emitted from the vicinity of her chest, where Twilight had once again mashed her face—a very different experience since she’d swapped out her sweatshirt for a sleep shirt without a bra.

Sunset tugged her up out of her hiding place a bit. “I need to breathe, Sparky, you think you could ease up on the grip a bit?” The arms loosened with a faint apology, and she chuckled. “It's okay…I was going to say, it was actually a fun project, coming up with ideas...and…this one, it took me a while to get just right, so that it…said what I wanted, put how I feel into something that you can see and touch. Something that you can look at and know those things are true, even if we fight or say the wrong things, or if I’m not here for whatever reason…”

Twilight sniffled a little, but there was a big smile to go with it, so Sunset hoped they were happy tears. “Oh, Sunny…I wish you could see how amazing you are…how you really are the best girlfriend anyone could ask for—you put so much thought into not just what you want to do, but how I feel about you doing those things…” She wiped the tears off her cheeks. “You really are so much better at friendship and our relationship than you ever give yourself credit for. I mean it…and I really wish I hadn't totally forgotten the holiday, because I wish I had something to give you that's even half as sweet as what you’ve done!”

Suddenly she froze and sat up, pulling out of Sunset’s arms. “Oh!” A second later she was on her feet. “Sunny? Do you mind if I go get something real quick? It won't take long, I promise.”

By this point, Sunset was truly beginning to wonder if there really was some connection between her girlfriend and her bouncy, zany, pink friend, but she gave the dark haired girl a sort of bemused nod. “…sure, Sparky. That’ll let me get your present out of my backpack.”

Grinning brightly, Twilight ran out of the room with a call that might have been a thank you, but given that it started in the doorway and finished at the top of the stairs, it could have been a lot of things. Sunset shook her head with laughter as she could hear the heavy sound of her favorite bookworm taking the steps two or three at a time like an excited foal on their birthday.

It did give her time to retrieve the rectangular package, neatly wrapped in brown paper that had once been a couple of grocery bags. To make up for the plainness of it, Sunset had doodled animals and monsters of Equestria all over it, peeking out from behind large hearts or holding little bunches of flowers or sometimes eating them, because she’d been daydreaming about her favorite honey dipped daisies with powdered walnuts dusting the outside in a bit of a crispy crunch at the time.

True to her word, Twilight was back in under five minutes, reentering the room at a slightly more sedate pace. Closing the door, she moved to stand in front of Sunset, one hand presenting the older teen with a white envelope. “It's…not exactly a Valentine’s gift, since it's really more from Mom and Dad than anyone, but…after tonight…it feels like the right time to give it to you…”

Curious now as to what it could be, Sunset took the envelope, taking in the little details: how the contents felt stiff and heavy despite being small, her own name written neatly on the front in Velvet’s smooth cursive script, and how Twilight was practically bouncing in place as she waited for Sunset to open it—the former unicorn could almost taste her excitement.

When she opened it, the envelope spilled a key and a rectangular card with a string of numbers and letters on it into her palm. Reminded of her secret Christmas gift to Twilight, Sunset looked at her girlfriend with a tiny little flower of hope starting to unfurl inside her chest. “Is this…?” she trailed off, unable to finish.

Twilight nodded excitedly. “A key to the house? Yes! And that’s your personal code so we can download and install the program for our security system onto your phone…that way you can come here whenever you need to, even if no one is home.” She reached out and curled Sunset’s hand closed around the key. “Just like you gave me a place in your home, I want you to know you have that same place here.” She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around Sunset’s trembling shoulders, letting the redhead press her face into a lavender skinned neck and dark hair. “You do have a family, Sunny, and a home, for as long as you want it.” A little laugh escaped her. “I should probably work up the courage to come out before Mom decides to file adoption paperwork, honestly.”

Laughing and crying at the same time, Sunset kissed the smooth skin of her girlfriend’s neck. “Probably—it’d be weird to date you if she did. Be a weird way to tell her about us too. ‘I’m sorry, Mrs. Velvet, I can’t—I’d love to be one of your children, but I make a habit of kissing your daughter on weekends, and I think that would be frowned on if we became sisters.’”

The response from her girlfriend was soft laughter and a wistful admission. “You could kiss me a lot more if I came out though…and then we could do things like hold hands whenever we wanted…oh, Sunny, why can't I just do it?”

Pulling back, she nuzzled Twilight’s cheek with her nose. “You will…but you need to tell them when you're ready, Sparky, and not before. It's okay. I can wait, and when you're ready, I’ll back you up the whole way. Now…smile for me and open up your present so I know whether I guessed right or chose horribly—the suspense is killing me!”

Dropping a kiss on Sunset’s nose, Twilight took the package off her lap, taking a moment to turn it over in her hands, studying the drawings on the brown paper and searching for the seams so she could undo the wrapping with as much care as she might handle a fragile gift. “I love the paper…did you draw all these yourself?”

Shyly, cheeks hot, Sunset nodded, resisting the urge to crib on her thumb. Instead, she clenched her hand tightly around the house key she’d been given. “I…didn't have wrapping paper at home, and I didn't have time to call Pinkie about where to get some.”

Twilight carefully set the actual gift on her desk so she could neatly fold the paper and slide it into the drawer in her nightstand. “I’m going to keep it…and when my parents know about us—when, not if, because it's going to happen—I’m going to have Mom help me use the drawings to add to the photos I have of us, so I can always remember this.”

Sunset squirmed in uncharacteristic nervousness as she watched Twilight pick up the picture frame and take the last of the tissue paper off it, revealing the image preserved under the glass.

It was representative of weeks of work, carefully researched and replicated in a unique design, the colors chosen with care and the cost of the art supplies putting quite a dent in Sunset’s fun budget for the month…but she thought the results had been worth it, even after she’d had to restart the piece three times (especially after she’d learned that humans had a flower language of their own.) The end result was a crystal vase, the kind Princess Celestia used to use in her private quarters during spring and summer to display the bounty of the palace gardens, filled with a faithful reproduction of a complex floral arrangement that, to Sunset’s gaze was heavily laden with layers of a deeply personal message for the human girl who occupied so many of her thoughts.

She knew Twilight would recognize some of the flowers, maybe even realize they had meaning, but others she never would, since the flowers and their meanings were entirely unique to Equestria and the ponies who loved there. What she didn't know was if Twilight would understand why she had done it like this.

Twilight sucked in a breath, one shaking finger tracing some of the depicted blooms, her voice barely more than a tremulous whisper. “Oh, Sunset…” The smile on her face was everything Sunset had hoped it would be when she saw the gift, and the nervous feeling melted away into joy-filled relief and satisfaction that her girlfriend was so obviously moved by the painted flowers.

“…I couldn't get you regular flowers,” she offered. “They’re too obvious, and I didnt want to do that…but I thought…something like this…it's just art, and I do take art at school, so…it could be explained away as something like that. That you liked it so I gave it to you, but secretly it’s…flowers for my girlfriend…you know?”

The dark haired girl’s smile and the light in her eyes as she flicked them between Sunset and the picture in her hands was better than sunshine and summer summer flowers. “…oh, Sunny…I do, and it's perfect…thank you so much…”

Lavender cheeks flushed a little and Twilight murmured, “I’m not the expert Cadence is…and this is me assuming here that you do know the meanings and chose the flowers you did specifically for them…” Fingers ran over the shapes of petal and leaf, fern and ivy, dancing lightly across the glass to outline wild roses in soft pinks and yellows, sprigs of lavender with tones that blended with those smooth fingertips, across chamomile and the coriander peeking shyly from between Equestrian blooms… “…but…” her eyes raised to meet Sunset’s steadily. “…I treasure you and our friendship too, and I will be as patient as you need me to be to wait until you are ready…I promise you that.”

Another breath, and Twilight scrubbed a few stray tears from her eyes. “Friendship that will last a lifetime, yet is becoming so much more…which is more that I ever could have dreamed of…Sunny, this is a beautiful gift.” She faltered, reaching the center of the arrangement. “I…don't know this one…but…” Purple eyes glittered with emotion. “It looks like my star. And that one…it's like fire—like you.”

Sunset leaned forward, guiding Twilight’s fingers over the rich purple petals and the small white star shaped flowers carefully placed around it. “We call it a Nightlily, and these are Moonlit Stars. They…only bloom under the full moons in summertime…and when paired together, they mean a hidden treasure, something of undiscovered majesty and wonder…something of great worth that not everyone notices. I…made them look like your star…because it's you. That’s why it's in the center, and everything is arranged around it…it's you, and all the things you make me feel, and all the things I see about you that no one else does.” She led those fingers over to the fiery bloom twined with another nearby. “Which is what this is. A Sunfire Bloom—” she didn't explain the symbolism in the barely open blossom so deeply associated with Princess Celestia’s sun, or how the alicorn had always put them on the table for her birthday meal every year: “little suns for my little sun,” was the soft joke from the solar ruler the first time. Instead she focused on the flower with it, three blossoms on a single stem, each one a rich riot of color that was its own pattern. “—with Wishful Wonder…it means I See you, Twilight. The real you, not a false front or what I think you should be…but the truest parts of you.”

With a voice full of emotion, Twilight breathed out, “Sunny…” like it was some kind of prayer, even as she set the frame onto her desk, upright so it could still be seen from the bed. Her fingers then moved to twine with Sunset’s, bringing their joined hands up so she could press her lips to amber knuckles and then rest them over her racing heart. “I am going to treasure this gift for the rest of my life…” She glanced towards it, unable to resist another look, then focused on Sunset again. “You put everything I ever dreamed a relationship could be into something I can see and touch…into something so beautiful…” A few tears made tracks down her cheeks but her smile was full of soft affection and happiness. “I…this means so much…I could almost run to my parents right now, even though its late and they're probably asleep, and come out to them tonight, just so I can share how truly wonderful and touching this is, so they can know the real meaning…and not just appreciate it for how beautiful your artwork is…”

The former unicorn felt dizzy and light, her magic bubbling and thrumming under her skin and making her nerve endings feel hypersensitive and tingly everywhere she and Twilight touched. She wanted…needed…that touch, because words paled beside the emotions arcing between like lightning in the clouds of a mountain thunderstorm. Amber hands squeezed tighter around pale lavender, using their touch to pull Twilight closer. There was no resistance to that or the soft command that fell from her lips. “Kiss me.”

Their lips met in an awkward kiss, one girl leaning forward over the other’s legs to reach. Sunset made a sound of frustration in her throat; she wanted her girlfriend as close as possible, and the position wasn’t cutting it as far as she was concerned. Twilight seemed to feel the same way, breaking off the lip-lock in order to solve the proximity issue in the most expedient fashion available—by climbing into Sunset’s lap, straddling long, toned thighs and bracing her palms on the taller girl’s shoulders. Sunset hummed in approval, one hand reaching up to pull Twilight’s hair tie out, even as she captured her mouth in another heated kiss. Dark locks tumbled down around her girlfriend’s shoulders, allowing her to run her fingers through it.

Twilight whined into Sunset’s mouth, but she was eager, pressing for more and shivering when the redhead flicked a tongue against her bottom lip, lips parting under the silent question. The hand not tangled in dark hair splayed against the star-speckled fabric of Twilight’s pajama top, keeping her flush against Sunset and unable to escape from the way Sunset explored her mouth, aggressive and hungry for more. A tingle of heat and pleasure went through the unicorn-turned-girl with every tiny whimper and soft moan that her ministrations coaxed from her girlfriend, pushing out any thought but ones that utterly revolved around the smaller form in her lap.

Unfortunately, air was a necessity, and they had to part far too soon to catch their breath, though Sunset refused to relinquish her hold—having the smaller body pressed so close against her was intoxicating, burning hot wherever they touched. She nibbled on Twilight’s lower lip in between little kisses. “….Sparky…” she whispered, the word made up of all the things she didn't know how to voice right then.

Her girlfriend leaned back a fraction. “…are you…okay…with this, Sunny?” she asked, hands squeezing Sunset’s shoulders.

In response, she pulled Twilight back close, nuzzling her, cheek to cheek, in an action that was all pony but seemed to work well enough with the human girl as an intimate gesture. “…mmm…yesss…” she murmured, giving Twilight a half smile. “…you? Not too much?”

“No…it’s…I like it,” Twilight wiggled a little on her lap. “Being this close…having you hold me…feels good…”

Making a nickering sound before she could stop it, Sunset latched onto a lavender skinned throat, kissing and sucking on a spot she knew would get a reaction. She took full advantage of the hand in Twilight’s hair to tip her head back and expose her throat even more fully to Sunset’s efforts…and to stop her from wriggling in such a distracting way…Though that might have backfired, she realized a moment later when Twilight moaned and for all it was good at trapping heat, flannel was not so good at dulling any sensation from a lapful of her girlfriend instinctively grinding against her.

Magic pulsed in her soul in response to the rising feelings and the ache in her core, but it had become a familiar sensation over the last few months, and Sunset pushed it down under her skin with control born of long hours of practice and iron will. She did her best to focus on Twilight, distancing herself from what her nerves were telling her brain about her body’s reaction.

The hands on her shoulders clenched and flexed against them for support, bracing the shorter girl just as much as her knees did on either side of Sunset’s hips. To Sunset’s ears, sensitive as she was to all the little variations in Twilight’s vocalizations, the sounds her girlfriend was making shifted in some subtle way, taking on a breathless quality that almost broke Sunset’s control and stoked the heat in her from a low smolder to a burning hearthfire. Distracting herself, the redhead went back to kissing her partner’s neck, dragging her teeth along flesh as she worked her way down and over, lipping at Twilight’s collarbone where the neck of her top had left it exposed.

Twilight gave a low cry, arching against Sunset and twisting to give her better access. “…ahh…yes…please, Sunny….” she pleaded, one hand leaving a shoulder to dig into red and gold curls and clutch at the back of Sunset’s head.

Sunset growled in response, a thing more felt than heard, and nipped sharply at the exposed skin before she could stop herself, and then realizing that what meant ‘hold still’ to a pony had a completely different effect on her very human girlfriend. The gasp and moan that escaped were loud, loud enough to make the former unicorn freeze and strain her ears to make sure they hadn’t alerted Twilight’s parents.

Silence broken only by a panting, mewling plea met her ears. “…don’t stop…” They were in the clear…but it wouldn’t stay that way if she didn’t do something to muffle those outbursts. A smirk tugged at her lips as she pulled back from a patch of lavender skin now peppered with love bites. It was a good thing she preferred being on top, she decided, before putting her plan into action.

Like she had earlier when she’d picked Twilight up, the redhead twisted in a complicated maneuver that relied on her being more flexible than the average high schooler—her recent decision to go back to honing her body in case of magical problems turned out to have a few benefits she hadn't thought of at the time. Twilight was deposited neatly on her back on the pillows, Sunset looming over her on hands and knees. A perfectly executed switch of positions, she thought smugly, leaning down to cover Twilight’s mouth with her own, the cascade of red and gold around their faces creating a private space of heat and passion for just the two of them.

Except for one small detail: when she shifted her weight from one arm to the other, her hand inadvertently pressed into soft flesh, and Sunset became acutely aware of the fact that under the old, worn Star Trek shirt, her girlfriend was definitely not wearing a bra.

She was not prepared for her girlfriend’s response to the touch. Purple eyes went wide behind her glasses, and she shuddered violently, a gasp quickly becoming a needy moan. “Oooh! Sun-Sunset!”

Sunset pulled her hand back as if burned. “Sorry! It was an accident!” she hastened to tell the other girl. “I didn't do it on purpose!”

The dark haired girl grabbed at Sunset’s hand with her own shaky one, and tugged it back down towards her body. “…it felt…good…Sunny,” she panted, smiling up at her. “I…please? D-do it again?” She released Sunset’s digits just above the soft, well-loved fabric of the shirt, looking up with a pleading expression and eyes full of desire.

It left the redhead suspended in momentary indecision, wrestling with her magic and with the hearthfire that was threatening to turn into a raging wildfire. She wanted to…her resolve was crumbling under the onslaught from so many directions…and the way Twilight arched her entire body underneath her made something break free inside. She wanted more…wanted to see Twilight writhing and panting under her, pleading with that needy voice and wide eyes, for something that was entirely in Sunset’s hands to give her…She needed to hear her name fall from her best friend’s lips in that breathless whisper laden with passion…

Her hand moved, almost of its own accord, and she found herself squeezing pliant, yielding flesh through thin fabric to another of those noises of pure pleasure from Twilight. She could feel the nipple pressing into her fingers, a counterpoint to a piece of anatomy that would never be found on a mare, not like this. The former unicorn didn't know how to feel about it at first—pony bodies were soft, but not in the same way. Not far under the padding was always muscle, and even a nursing mare didn't have anything that matched a human’s breasts….

But there was something intensely fascinating and satisfying about squeezing slightly and having Twilight squirm and cry her name in response, in feeling contrast of the soft flesh and pert nipple even with cloth in the way, and Sunset leaned into it, indulging in seeing just how many different sounds she could coax out of her if she paired this new touch with what she was doing before to Twilight’s neck. Lips found that delightful place where neck and shoulder met, and the redhead sucked hard on the sensitive spot of muscle and nerves. She wanted to leave a mark on Twilight—even if she couldn't announce to anyone that she was dating this girl, Sunset wanted some sign of her affection painted on her girlfriend’s skin.

Twilight’s reaction was everything she wanted and more, her body thrashing and voice keening something that may have been intended to be Sunset’s name but came out as a garbled mass of syllables. Hands had already been gripping her back, and she could feel nails through her own shirt as those digits clenched and unclenched, searching for something to hold onto and just not finding it…

Until they moved lower in their frantic movements, and Sunset’s eyes snapped open in surprise at the feeling of Twilight’s hands gripping her rear. Her mouth came free of the skin she’d been worrying at, a blustering, snorting whinny mixed with a human yelp rending the air.

The hands she could feel on her froze. “Sunny?” her girlfriend asked worriedly, her voice still breathless and soft but now laced with concern rather than desire. Slowly, as if she were afraid of making it worse, Twilight moved her hands back to the small of her back, loose enough that Sunset could pull away if she wanted.

She didn't want to—for all the way it shocked her, moving away from Twilight was the last thing she wanted. “…sorry…I…wasn't really expecting…” she trailed off, slowly pushing herself up enough to meet Twilight’s eyes—and to take her hand off Twilight’s chest, placing it on the mattress instead. “…you surprised me,” she finished lamely.

Echoing Sunset’s own long, slow exhalation as a sigh, the dark haired girl studied her. “Okay…but was it a good surprise or a bad surprise? I…couldn't really tell there.

Sunset grimaced a little. “I…don’t know? I’ve never really had anyone do anything like that to me before—at least not besides a couple of handsy guys freshman year who learned my boots aren't for show—and…I didn't exactly have time to decide if it felt good or not…” Her brows furrowed. “I’m not sure if that makes sense or not?”

“It makes sense to me, yes.” Twilight gave her a slightly wry smile, running fingers through her hair. “Sometimes unexpected things can…override anything else. Is it something you would be okay with me doing again, so you can determine if you did like it, or…would you prefer I didn't?”

The former unicorn took a minute or two to think it over, doing her best to ignore the tingling heat where their bodies pressed together and the racing of both of their hearts that seemed strangely in sync. “I…I think I’d like the chance to see if I like it,” she answered at last, acknowledging privately that it was an area she would have expected another pony to pay attention to, and that…made the prospect that much more enticing. “I don't know if I will, but so far…” Her grin to Twilight was more than a touch sheepish. “…anything you’ve done has felt…good. Sometimes too good.”

Twilight’s soft laugh and embarrassed smile made Sunset feel less flustered. “I feel like I need to say the same back to you,” she confided, looking away as her cheeks darkened with a blush. “What you were doing? It felt…amazing.”

She watched Twilight as she spoke, searching for the little signs of distress or hesitation. “All of it?” Sunset asked, fingers brushing her cheek and turning her back to meet blue-green eyes. “Even me…being on top of you like this while I was? I never want to hurt you, Sparky, or scare you.”

Her girlfriend’s blush grew, until her whole face was reddened under the pale lavender skin tone. “Uhhh…actually…” she stammered, “…that was part of what…felt so good.” She chewed on her lip as she searched for the right words. “Being…pinned down…like that, I mean…” One hand twitched, like she was fighting the urge to gesture with it. “…I think…not just anyone…could get away with it…but…it's you, Sunny. I’ve told you before, I trust you, so much…and something about it, when it's you on top of me like this?” A little wiggle of her body drove home the position they were still in. “Physically it feels…good, and in my head it feels…even better. It’s like…I know you’ll never hurt me, and I can trust you when you want to be…like this, when you seem to need to be more in control…” Purple eyes were surprisingly bright in the lamp light and shadows of the room. “I…like the way it feels to let you.”

Sunset swallowed hard, and the breath she took was shaky from how thoroughly what Twilight said affected her. “O-oh.” Another attempt to swallow with a throat that felt way too dry. “…you…do?” Control…was that what it was about? The way it made her body hum with something that felt so good in so many ways? Sunset wasn't sure what to make of that idea…or if she wanted to connect it with the way every beat of her heart was echoed in her groin with a whisper of need and desire.

It was impossible for Twilight to turn any redder, but she nodded. “I do…but…only with you.” Biting her lip again, she seemed to think it over, then repeated herself. “Only with you…I don’t think I could ever trust someone else the way I trust you.” Her hand, trembling slightly, moved from Sunset’s hair to rest against the side of her face. “You're special, Sunny.”

The redhead leaned into the touch, drawing comfort from the contact of skin on skin and the affection she could see in the other girl’s eyes. “Going to make me cry again, nerd,” she groused, trying to blink back the moisture forming at the corners of her eyes. “…but…thank you…for trusting me like that.” She leaned down, brushing her lips to Twilight’s gently. “And I promise, I won’t ever break that trust…you're safe with me.”

“I know,” Twilight said softly, taking a slow breath as if to keep her voice even. “…and Sunny?”

She nuzzled into the hand on her cheek. “Yeah?”

“I…just want you to know…it’s okay for you to like…being more…in control…and being the one to…do more things like…you were just doing to me.” Twilight still looked just as flustered as Sunset felt, and she realized that at the moment they both matched, with faces as red as they could get. “…I also…don't mind if you want to…to explore that a bit more…?”

Clearing her throat, Sunset decided she needed to do something to bring the tension down before one of them died of embarrassment. “Are you sure you can keep it down if I did?” she joked. “…because…that's also on the list of ‘awkward ways for your parents to learn we’re dating.’”

That was when Sunset learned that Twilight could actually turn redder, and she was a little worried that her girlfriend might combust. Even her ears were crimson. “Um…I…uh…p-perhaps we can…work out where the limits are for…noisiness?” She stumbled over the words a little.

“Sounds like a research project for our free time,” Sunset purred playfully, happy to redirect the topic. “Maybe we should pick up where we left off and test a few variables. What do you think—want to be my lab partner for this?”

Twilight couldn't seem to help the needy little sound that escaped her. “…yes, please…Sunny…” she stretched underneath the taller body pressing down on her, arching up against her, before letting her hands drop back on the pillows over her head. “…you can consider this an open invitation to explore whatever variables you want…”

Sunset inhaled sharply and this time when she captured Twilight’s lips, it was for a fierce, aggressive kiss that towed the line fairly close to indecent. She found herself returning to her earlier ministrations, and savoring the way Twilight whimpered into her mouth, every time her touch ghosted over a sensitive spot. It did feel more intoxicating than she wanted to admit, being able to cause these reactions…

Was it about control, she wondered as she found herself nibbling on one lavender ear. Did she…take pleasure in having power like this over Twilight, being able to wring sweet sounds of pleasure and desire from her with just a touch of the hand, a kiss from her lips on smooth skin…

And if…if she did…was it okay because Twilight had told her she could?

She didn't want Twilight to be right. It had been hard to walk away from old habits and terrible behaviors, and even now she still struggled when her temper got the better of her. What did it say about her if those negative qualities were seeking a new outlet…twisting up her physical desires for her girlfriend with a hunger for power and control over another person…especially Twilight, who trusted her to not to take advantage of her in a moment of intimacy…

Could Twilight really trust her so deeply with this? How could she be okay with…with surrendering control in any fashion? Sunset could never do that, even with Twilight—she had to maintain a little control over at least herself, her own body, or she’d never be able to relax. Yet here Twilight was, her arms pinned above her head now by one of Sunset’s hands, shivering and trying to keep her moaning cries to a low volume that wouldn't wake the house, while the redheaded teen left a new mark on the other side of her neck.

Her voice, in between cries, pleaded with Sunset…not for freedom…but for more of that touch, for Sunset to press down harder, to do more to stop the squirming thrashing movements of her body…and it didn't repulse Sunset to consider it.

Worse…

She wanted to do it. There was a hunger in her, a desire to trap Twilight under her and see how loudly she could make her beg and plead, how many different noises she could coax out of her, how much she could tease her until she—

A shudder went through Sunset and she jerked herself out of those thoughts. She wasn't going to do that to Twilight…no matter how enticing a prospect it was…

Sunset shifted her hand, sliding it away from soft breasts until it was curled around Twilight’s back, dragging her nails lightly against t-shirt fabric. The moaning cries slowly settled down into soft panting, the kind she was more used to hearing, and that grounded her. It meant she could feel good about hugging Twilight to her tightly, changing their positions just enough so that she could throw a leg over her girlfriend and keep her in a snug embrace despite the shivers and faint shudders that rippled through them both. “How was that?” Sunset breathed against one ear, before placing light kisses to her neck.

It took a moment for Twilight to reply, still panting and breathless. “…incredible…mind-blowing…indescribably perfect…” she managed.

“That good, huh?” The former unicorn smirked a little, the line of kisses leading her back to her girlfriend’s mouth slowly.

“…mmmhmm…” Twilight murmured. “…just like you…”

A snort escaped her. “I am far from perfect, Sparky…but I’m glad you liked it.” She kissed her, slow and soft, feeling strangely satisfied with the way the heated make-out session with her girlfriend had gone, even with the parts that had left her uneasy.

Twilight snuggled deeper into her, wiggling a little until she was comfortable. “…I hope you enjoyed it too…” she said with a yawn. “…though…for proper scientific procedure…we should repeat the experiment…” Another yawn interrupted her. “…several more times…on other occasions…”

Amber fingers combed through dark hair. “Tired?”

“Haven't…been sleeping well this…week,” Twilight explained.

Sunset frowned. “Nightmares?”

Purple eyes looked away, but the younger girl gave the tiniest of nods. “…some…when I could get my brain quiet enough to sleep.”

Making a soft nickering sound in her throat, Sunset leaned in and kissed her again. “I’ll take care of your nightmares, Sparky, and if any get through me, I’d bet Cadence has some ice cream at the ready.”

Her joke earned her a drowsy smile from Twilight. “You're here…don't have nightmares…when I’m with you…”

Still running her fingers through Twilight’s hair, Sunset hummed Princess Celestia’s lullaby, hoping to get her girlfriend to relax enough to doze off. Sure enough, in only a few minutes, she felt the body in her arms relax, breathing slowing to the familiar rhythm of sleep.

Ever so carefully, Sunset pulled the glasses off Twilight’s nose, twisting her upper body to set them on the nightstand before turning off the bedside lamp. The sleeping girl mumbled a protest until Sunset settled back, pulling one of the blankets over them both. “Relax, Sparky,” she soothed, kissing her forehead. “I’ve got you. You're safe. You can sleep now—I won't let anyone get you, I promise.”

Blue-green eyes cast one last look around the dark room that looked as bright as it did at noon, before she tucked her face into the crook of Twilight’s neck and sought sleep for herself…

*cackles wickedly*

I have been sitting on this and the next...four chapters? For like a year or more. They were actually scripted out a long time before I wrote them down, and boy oh boy, I've been excited about when I would get to post them.

So much to unpack, right? *plays with your emotions like a kitten with a ball of yarn*

First, we've got a rather emotional bit from Sunset, some confessions to Twilight--though not the ones I know you're all screeching for--and some real deep personal admissions about not just her relationship with Princess Celestia, but also some of that internal motivation that drove her character and...really a bit of acknowledgement that she had to let go of something that was, for a long time, a driving force in her life that ultimately consumed her. Its been hinted at before, but...this is the first time she's acknowledged it openly.

Our girl is getting there, slowly.

And yes, Princess Celestia...not exactly a good seamstress, but she tried to make plushies for a baby Sunset, so....have some adorabetes at the thought of a tiny little Sunset playing with deformed and misshapen plushies of Equestrian creatures. Making adorable baby pony sounds, of course as she....I dunno, vigorously chewed on their ears or whatever. She has a bad cribbing habit even now, after all.

Yes. In the backstory, all the plushies had names. Belch the Fiery, Lady Sparkly Nose, Princess Sunbottom, Sir Catterly...just to name a few. No. A small filly is not particularly good at naming, and Sunset would never explain this to just anyone.

If its not been made obvious, Sunset was a bit of a lonely foal--unable to go too far from the Princess because of unstable magic surges, no known family, and raised in the palace, she barely interacted with anypony that wasnt Celestia, the Guard, the palace staff, or the occassional noble.... and things clearly didn't get better when she finally got to go to school. Is it any wonder the character was....emotionally and socially stunted enough to "not know the first thing about friendship?"

...and yes, the reveal that Twilight very MUCH remembered the talk between them back in the very first Twilight Interlude. She just choose to wait and observe before asking.

Lets see....

Sunset knowing damned well she needs to deal with how she feels and have an enlightening talk with herself. Ah well. Teenagers are like that, and when you're a teen who has emotions as intense as Sunset does, its ten times worse, I assure you.

The "Coming out on Easy Mode" started out as a Writer's Room joke in passing, but it was too good to not use, given Sunset is a bit of a gamer.

Not that she expected Twilight to take her up on it at all...but hey, Sunset IS pretty good at adapting to curveballs, so she's definitely serious about that being a backup plan. ...and yes, Twilight probably will write it down as some kind of seven step action plan or something.

Little weirdo. (I say, as multiple people in my life are list makers, including my mother.)

Twilight makes bad nerd jokes. Math jokes too. Honestly, she just tells Dad Jokes. I'm not even making it up. That last part is canon. Sunset doesnt really think theyre funny, but she thinks the fact that TWILIGHT finds them funny is cute in a super dorky way.

I do apologize for anyone who lost braincells at the bad pun. Or for anyone who had to go look up the math to get the joke. *shudder* No one should have to look up math.

Let's see...what else...

Flower Language.

I'm a huge weirdo, and I always thought the complexity in some types of real (and fictional) flower languages was super neat. As part of the culture building we did with Equestria, we ended up down a rabbit hole about things like expression, signs of affection, gifts and meanings, etc. Flower language was one of them, and here you see some hints of the depths of that talk.

Interesting side note on that, the "Wishful Wonder" we made up as a flower usually associated with the very idea of a Cutie Mark. Hence why its a cluster of three flowers in bright colors--because one of the common patterns you see in the marks on the ponies in G4 is a pattern of three of a thing--three flowers, three candies, three balloons, three diamonds, three apples, three butterflies, etc. Subtle nod to that there, and even the heart of the meaning its used for, since to ponies, Cutie Marks represent the truest expression of a pony's identity--the thing that makes them unique and special, that drives them and is their gift.

The Sunfire Bloom is its own unique flower concept, but in a way its a nod too, to a few other stories on the site, including a rather famous one, since its a flower associated with the sun and of course, with Sunset. :P

Finally....the last part of the chapter...

I feel like I should probably add some kind of disclaimer, because I know that some of Sunset's thought process there is a bit...heavy, despite the steamy make-out session going on...and Twilight's behavior is also one that I'm sure some people will feel strongly about.

Truth is, Sunset is still trying to learn who she really is as a person(pony), and part of that is reconciling with the very parts of her personality that, when twisted by anger, fear, pride, or selfishness, become flaws and extremely toxic traits. She is still on the path of redemption, healing, and is doing a lot of soul-searching on a great many subjects and she has yet to decide for herself where her line is. Especially when it comes to the intimacy she's dipping her proverbial hooves into, because she has absolutely no true frame of reference. (See my previously mentioned statements about her upbringing.)

Give them time. I'm sure they'll figure it out...and while their relationship won't be perfect--none are--despite any bumps and bruises, I'm not going to be taking the main pair down any kind of toxic relationship road, especially not the kind where the relationship is horrifically toxic and unhealthy and yet being portrayed by the author as super romantic.

I'm not that kind of author, and this is not Fifty Shades of Abusive Bullshit. The author stance on that is pretty firm, and agreed on by everyone involved in the team. So yeah.

Anyway.

Hope yall like the chapter! Happy Friday!

Hugs and Cocoa,
The Author.