Sunset balanced the tray carefully so she could open the door to Twilight’s room. It was a challenge; breakfast for two was fairly cumbersome, particularly when she had to balance the heavily loaded tray with one arm so her free hand could twist the knob. Several failed tries where her movements almost unsettled the tray and she had to let go of the door to stabilize the food made her long for her telekinetic abilities. Hands had some definitive bonuses, however, multiple object manipulation was not one of them--as a unicorn, she could juggle carrying a few dozen heavy objects in varying, complex orbits and patterns, as well as never spill a drop from a rapidly moving porcelain tea service and never even blink.

All the same, she managed, shutting the door behind her with a hip...though that part was more accidental than anything because of how she had to maneuver herself through the doorway with the delicious smelling breakfast. The sound of it shutting caused Twilight to stir in the bed, purple eyes blinking owlishly around, one hand fumbling to find her glasses. Chuckling, Sunset set the tray on the desk. “Easy, Sparky,” she murmured. “Here...” She picked up the glasses that had been on the nightstand on her side of the bed, sliding them onto the other girl’s face. “You fell asleep with them on last night after our talk. I took them off so you wouldn't mess them up.”

There was still a little twinge of discomfort in her guts when she thought about the night before, but it was rapidly dissolving away before the eyes staring at her with so much affection in them. “Thanks,” Twilight responded, sitting up further. “You’re up early...”

“No, I’m not, nerd,” Sunset countered. “You’re up late. It’s almost ten AM.” She couldn't help the smirk that played across her features, especially when Twilight whipped her head around to check her alarm clock in surprise.

“I never sleep this late...”

Sunset sat on her side of the bed, leaning over to twine their fingers together. “Hey,” she found herself saying, automatically trying to make her girlfriend relax a little. “You had a rough week, Sparky, and you said yourself you didn't sleep well. You needed to rest.”

The dark haired girl shifted closer, tilting her face up to brush Sunset’s lips with a featherlight kiss. “I always sleep better when you're here,” she whispered, voice soft and eyes bright.

A shiver passed through the former unicorn, and she reflexively clamped down on the stirring magic that wanted to respond to the emotions. “And I’ll be here anytime you need me, Sparky.”

A lavender skinned hand came up, tucking some of her hair behind her ear before pressing a palm against her cheek. She nuzzled into the touch, her lips quirking into a smile, and realized she shouldn't have been worried. Despite the rough night she’d had, it hadn't ruined their closeness, or the feelings of affection and trust between them. Twilight still occupied this special place within her mind and heart that made her different from any other human or pony Sunset had ever known. Cadence’s words played through her mind, and she exhaled slowly. She wasn't going to let fear paralyze her anymore.

“Sunny?” Twilight’s voice broke her out of her introspection. “Are you okay?” The hand pressed to her cheek shifted, fingertips stroking delicately against her skin.

“Yeah...” she responded, her own hand tangling into Twilight’s loose hair so she could drag her forward. Covering her girlfriend’s lips with her own, she stopped fighting against the rising hunger in her soul quite so fiercely, letting it influence how she explored Twilight’s mouth with a playful tongue, the surprised squeak from the other teen becoming an eager whine.

That sound echoed in more than her ears and she pressed forward even more, until they tumbled back against the pillows, wanting—no, needing—to hear more sounds like that from her companion. Her mouth reluctantly parted from kiss-bruised lips, but she found other places to press it, nibbling and dragging her teeth against the smooth, soft skin of Twilight’s throat, each playful love bite eliciting another of those whimpering noises...and when she made her way to the place where neck and shoulder met, she bit down lightly, on flesh already marred by a mark from the night before. That action drew a gasping cry from her Sparky, and eager hands tugged her back up to crash their mouths together again.

They broke for air when they could no longer fight the burning in their lungs, and Sunset finally pushed back the urges into the corner of her mind, dazedly panting. Blue-green eyes met purple ones that were equally dazed and passion-drunk, and Twilight let out a little puzzled noise. “Sunny...you taste like strawberries...”

Strawberries? Why...oh. Right. Oops.

Sunset rolled off her girlfriend and back into a seated position. “Um...right, because...” she stammered, before twisting to retrieve the tray. “I made us breakfast. Well....Cadence and I made breakfast, but I wanted to bring it to you and surprise you?” Heat made her ears—thankfully still human—burn with a bit of embarrassment.

Twilight adjusted herself so she was sitting up with her back against the headboard. “That was sweet, but you never get up early. Are you sure you're okay?”

“...yeah, I am now,” Sunset said, scooting to join her so they could share the breakfast tray. “I woke early—I was really stuck in my own head, all twisted up, ya know? I went to get some coffee, and Cadence was there. We ended up talking and she...she gave me some good advice, made me realize a few things.” She gave the dark haired girl one of her crooked smiles. “I realized I’ve been letting fear control me, letting it make some choices for me...and that’s not who I am.”

Twilight gave a nod, then looked down at the plate Sunset was offering her, piled up with heart shaped pancakes, real butter and a light coating of syrup drizzled over it, with an arrangement of sliced strawberries around the base of the fluffy stack, all of them trimmed into heart shapes. Curious eyes flitted back to Sunset, who blushed. “Cadence showed me how to cut them like that. I made the pancakes though...it's a recipe from when I was little. She loved to make pancakes for breakfast, since she always got up with the Sun.” The former unicorn was proud of herself; she was getting better with talking about those early moments without the heart wrenching longing and ache that had plagued her for years. “....Do...do you like it?”

Twilight leaned over to kiss her cheek. “It looks delicious, Sunset, and it means a lot that you used a recipe that has such a special connection to your childhood…that you wanted to share something special like that with me.”

Pleasure warmed Sunset’s heart as she watched her girlfriend dig into the meal with even more than her usual enthusiasm, fighting the urge to laugh. Twilight always seemed to eat like it was going to be taken away from her if she didn't finish it fast enough (so did Shining Armor, now that Sunset considered it), and Sunset wondered where she’d acquired that habit. Still, the fact that she seemed to really enjoy the pancakes she was rapidly decimating into a few crumbs and sticky syrup puddles made her feel accomplished, and she turned her attention to her own breakfast, her stomach reminding her irritably that it too desired food.

For a long few minutes, there was only the sound of silverware on plates as the two teenagers made short work of the meal. Once both had finished eating, Sunset stacked the plates back on the tray and put it back on the desk so it was out of the way. When she turned back, she found Twilight studying her intently. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

“No...I’m just...wondering what it is that you were afraid of, and...” she bit her lip worriedly, “...and why you didn’t say anything to me? Did I do something wrong?”

Sunset blinked, then reached out to put an arm around Twilight’s shoulder, pulling the smaller body close to her side. “No!” she told her urgently, resting her forehead against dark hair. “You did nothing wrong, Sparky, and I don’t want you thinking that! You have been nothing but patient and accepting of everything about me that is strange and backwards and messed up.”

“You’re not messed up, Sunny,” Twilight responded firmly. “You’re you, and it's you that I care about.” Her fingers found Sunset’s, lacing them together and squeezing. “But if it wasn’t something I did, what were you afraid of?”

That was the million bit question she still wasn’t ready to explain. She needed a little more time to get her thoughts in order, preferably at home alone, where Twilight’s....everything...wasn’t slowly driving her to distraction. The redhead fidgeted a little, trying to focus."I...I'm not ready to tell you yet,” she admitted at last. “Not about that, or about...well...everything I haven’t told you about me. I’m...just not quite there, but...I’m getting there." She gave the other girl a solemn look, "I promise, when I am ready, I’m going to tell you everything. No holding back, no secrets, everything about the screwed up life of Sunset Shimmer, yours to know...Just...give me a little more time?”

Her girlfriend stared at her blanket covered toes for a long time, brow pinched and eyes narrowed, before she blew a frustrated breath out between her lips. Sunset had to swallow a giggle at just how pony-like the sound was, before tilting Twilight’s face towards hers and kissing her softly. “I promise, Sparky, okay?”

"I know…and I meant what I said last night about waiting until you were ready—that goes for this as much as anything else really," the lavender skinned girl said finally, eyes wandering to the picture frame on her desk where the colorful flowers could be seen still announcing their secret message in bright colors. "I...just…I hate knowing that I don't know something...but that's what Doctor Soft-Spoken calls a ‘me thing.’ Not having an answer I know exists to a question does things to my brain, because when that happens all it wants is to figure out the answer."

She gave Sunset a sheepish smile. "I was even worse when I was younger, because I didn't understand the concept of personal privacy and social boundaries. It took Mom and Dad a long time to teach me how to realize when someone didn't feel comfortable with something...and I still miss the cues sometimes when I get fixated on something…which you've seen.”

Chuckling, the former unicorn nuzzled her affectionately, dropping another kiss on lips that tasted faintly of syrup and strawberries. “It’s fine, Sparky. Most of the time, your enthusiasm is kinda cute. And...again, it's complicated, but I don't want to let my issues keep getting in the way of being as close to you as I really want to.”

Purple eyes searched hers intently, a faint blush rising in Twilight’s cheeks as she ascertained exactly how Sunset meant those words, and she stumbled over her next sentence. “...You...and...but...I...”

“Sparky, breathe, and try that again. I only speak one language here, not whatever that was,” she teased.

Twilight gave her a long look, but it was hard for Sunset to find it intimidating in any way when the smaller girl was blushing to the roots of her hair. Composing herself, her girlfriend tried talking again. “I just want to make sure you don't feel pressured—last night was…intense…and even though I told you we could go at your pace…I…know I was a little pushy last night.” She glanced away, then back. “...but if you really wanted...to…advance things further physically…I would…enjoy that a great deal.”

Swallowing the flicker of nervousness, Sunset pressed her face into the crook of Twilight’s neck, kissing that sensitive spot that never failed to get a reaction. “I…think I’d like to…” Her fingers trailed down the other girl’s arms, then back up to her shoulders, before moving down to her hips, all so she could tug her girlfriend into her lap. Twilight went willingly, blankets left behind as she sat facing Sunset, smiling brightly. Amber skinned fingers found the place where Twilight’s pajama top had ridden up, exposing her stomach, running over the skin there, Sunset taking in not only how Twilight reacted, but how she herself did. The flesh quivered beneath the pads of her fingers—for once, Sunset definitely appreciated human anatomy over her pony body’s limitations, because sweet sunlight, fingers were wonderful!

She leaned back on the pillows so she could watch Twilight as her hand crept higher. “Is...is this okay? Going under the shirt?” she asked, placing her palms flat against a lavender skinned stomach, scant inches below the bottom of Twilight’s breasts, watching for any sign of discomfort.

Something twitched across Twilight’s face, too fast for Sunset to identify it, but she melted into the touch. “I...I love it when you touch me, Sunny...” she confessed. Pupils blown wide, cheeks still flushed, she rested her hands over Sunset’s. “Please...don't stop?”

The echo of the needy, desperate pleas from the night before made Sunset’s nerve endings burn, and she had to take a few heartbeats to breathe and make sure her grip on her magic was secure—this would be an absolutely terrible time to sprout pony ears. Her hands felt steadier than they should have been, her thumbs ghosting along the bottom curve of Twilight’s breasts, blue-green eyes focused entirely on the girl in her lap. Twilight’s back arched slightly, a shaking sigh escaping parted lips, and from the angle she had ended up at, Sunset realized she could see the definitive outline of nipples distorting the fabric of the dark haired girl’s shirt. “Still good?” she murmured, though she was fairly confident in what the answer would be.

Nodding, Twilight shifted and squirmed, leaning into the touch. The redhead felt the goofy grin quirk her lips upward into a lopsided smile, savoring the expression on her companion’s face and the way the soft, pliant flesh felt when her hands moved higher. Experimentally, she squeezed just a little, trying to work out exactly what would feel good for her girlfriend. She hadn’t done much more than squeeze them through the shirt last night, which was not helpful in figuring out where all the sensitive spots were. It also didn't help that she couldn't remember any time that she manhandled her own breasts where it felt like much of anything, so she was still a little dubious on how they could possibly be some kind of erogenous zone. The quiet gasp when her fingers pressed into them confirmed that, at the very least, she was doing something right, and the way that Twilight’s hands found purchase on her shoulders, grip tightening when her thumbs flicked over her nipples made it very apparent that Twilight was enjoying herself. Confidence growing and a heated knot of desire settling into her center, Sunset set to exploring every inch of Twilight’s breasts with the intense focus that she brought to bear on every important task she’d ever encountered.

She found it difficult to keep her concentration a few minutes later, when the hands on her shoulders found their way down her sides, the tips of lavender fingers brushing against the bottom of her shirt, occasionally finding a bit of exposed skin where the fabric had shifted. The touch was gentle, careful, and she realized dimly that it remained firmly in a place where Twilight had touched before, never progressing further. Her heart ached from the emotions swelling in it, all for the human Twilight Sparkle, who, even in the midst of such a moment, was trying to remain respectful of Sunset’s comfort level.

The lopsided smile brightened as she pulled her hands free of Twilight’s shirt. When the other girl whined in disappointment, pulling her own hands back and looking worried that something was wrong, Sunset tugged one of Twilight’s hands to her lips, kissing the palm. “You’re okay, Sparky, really,” she soothed. “I...um...I just thought you might like...that maybe it would be easier if...” She knew she was completely red in the face now, her voice failing her as she found herself unable to put what she was trying to communicate into spoken words. Giving up on explaining that way, the former unicorn lifted herself up off the pillows she’d reclined against just enough so that she could lift her shirt up and drop it onto Twilight’s currently vacant side of the bed.

Cool air made goosebumps rise along bare amber skin, but the chill was worth it as she took in the sight of wide purple eyes drinking her in with something akin to awe. “Oh,” Twilight managed in a squeaky voice. Sunset relaxed back against the pillows once more, Twilight’s reaction so typical of her nerdy girlfriend that she almost burst into laughter..

When it didn't seem like Twilight could muster the cognitive ability to do more than stare, Sunset tugged at her hand again, this time bringing it to rest just over where her heart pounded in her chest. “You...you can...touch...if you want. I...” she took a breath, drawing strength from the familiar hand and its warmth seeping into her.

The action brought Twilight back to reality, and she tore her gaze away from Sunset’s chest, meeting her eyes with concern that had quickly banked the arousal. “Are you sure, Sunny?”

“I... I’m okay, Sparky.” She exhaled, the breath shaky on its exit from her lungs. “I’m making this choice on my own, no pressure. I want to do this right now.” It was still a struggle to hold both magic and the fire in her veins in check, but she could manage, enough to take this step. She was Sunset Shimmer, and she wasn't going to be beaten by her own insecurities and fears.

Twilight leaned forward to rest their foreheads together. “At any point, if you say stop, I’ll stop. Don’t hesitate to do so if it becomes too much, or if you don't like it.”

Even after months of the gesture, even with the lack of a horn on either of them, Sunset still felt the rush of good feeling and emotional intimacy from the sensation of their foreheads touching. “I know,” she responded. “I trust you.”

The girl in her lap kissed her sweetly, little, light, short brushes of their lips coming together, while her hands snaked around Sunset’s body. There she ran her hands up and down Sunset’s back, mapping and exploring the contours, angles, and curves with slow and careful touch, almost like she was painting a mental picture of how amber skin would look when she moved. Much like a blind woman might use her hands to ‘see’ Twilight let hers slowly move outward from Sunset’s spine as they strafed up and back down in a light caress, eventually bringing them to ghost up Sunset’s sides.

The redhead dropped her head back against the pillows, her senses consumed by the feeling of those hands on her back sending hot tingles through her nerve endings. Her breath came in short pants, in between kisses, she found herself grinning that silly smile against her companion’s mouth. “...wow...” she managed, before giggling goofily.

Twilight’s hands came up Sunset’s sides again, but this time she let her thumbs stretch out and run in a gentle arc against the sides and bottom of Sunset’s breasts, just as Sunset had done to her only minutes before. Blue-green eyes went wide and a weird noise burbled up from her throat, her brain registering tactile sensations that were completely new. Twilight immediately stopped, concern taking precedence over physical desire.

“Sunny? You okay?”

Sunset was quiet for a moment, mulling over her response to the touch and how it made her feel. Then she nodded, releasing a slow, somewhat shaky breath. “Yeah,” she confirmed, her voice catching, “...that was...new. Very new. I wasn’t expecting it to feel...good. I’ve never felt much of anything when I’ve handled them.”

“Did you want me to keep going?” Twilight asked carefully. “Or did you want to stop?”

Did she want her to stop? A tiny part of her said yes, but the heat building in her core that was starting to feel like fire in her veins demanded more, and the magic she was spending so much time trying to understand, the very magic that Twilight was doggedly researching and pursuing, that magic thrummed in harmony with her emotions and encouraged the desires in her heart. “I...don’t want you to stop...not yet. Keep...keep going, Sparky. I’m okay.”

Those hands moved again, calloused fingertips tracing the curves of her breasts, palms gently cupping and supporting their weight. Sunset bit back a groan, arching into Twilight’s hands. “Ooooh...yeah. Waaay different...but....aaah...way better...” she panted, before kissing Twilight, hard, to make sure the shorter girl knew how much she liked it.

When they parted, Twilight lightly pinched her nipples between index finger and thumb, making Sunset gasp. “Would you...be alright if I tried something a little different, Sunny?”

She restrained herself just barely from making the noise that her pony instincts wanted her to make, knowing that not only was it nigh impossible with her current vocal chords but would probably freak Twilight out. Sunset settled for making a throaty sound instead. “...o...okay...”

Twilight shifted in her lap, sliding her body down slowly, which made Sunset angle her head down to watch in confusion. Purple eyes met hers once Twilight was level with her chest, and all rational thoughts vanished from her mind a half a heartbeat later.

Discord’s mismatched horns! Suddenly the human interest in teats made more sense than she would’ve cared to admit; the hot mouth that had closed around her nipple sent signals to her brain that made her feel like every nerve ending was hypersensitive, and the only thing that stopped her from crying out loudly was the quick act of biting down on two of her knuckles. And when that same mouth began to apply sucking pressure, tugging and teasing on its prisoner? Sweet sunfire flooded her veins, making her feel lightheaded and hot, like she was charging her magic without the intent to release it as a spell. Nothing short of gagging her could’ve stopped the sounds that fell unbidden from her lips, a babbling mess of pleas, groans, moans, and gasps, intermixed with things that might’ve been words, drawn forth as the dark haired girl switched from one breast to the other and then back again.

When Twilight finally slid back up, Sunset was shaking and trembling, limp on the pillows and struggling to catch her breath. Purple eyes danced with affection and humor, as her hand came to rest against Sunset’s cheek, and she drew in close to kiss her. “...was that okay?” she asked shyly.

It took her pleasure-addled brain a minute to comprehend the question being asked. “Was that...oh, Sparky,” she chuckled breathlessly, before tilting her head and snaking an arm around Twilight’s back so she could drop a searing kiss on the mouth that had worked magic on her. “...that was...amazing. You’re amazing.”

For several more minutes, Sunset allowed herself to indulge in the way the intimacy and closeness made her heart race, the way Twilight whimpered against her when she slid amber skinned hands back up under her shirt. Just as she had managed to wrestle Twilight’s shirt off, leaving them pressed together with skin on skin from the waist up, there was a knock on the door that almost made them both jump right out of their skins.

Twilight froze in Sunset’s arms, eyes wide and fearful. Sunset nuzzled her. “Hey...it’s okay. Breathe, Sparky.”

“Girls?” Cadence’s voice calling through the door made Twilight relax.

“Um...yes...?” Twilight asked nervously.

The door opened a crack, enough for Cadence to poke her head in, the one hand shielding her eyes. “Ladybug, I know you’ve got decent insulation in the walls, but...if you don't want Mom and Dad to clue in about you and Sunset, you might want to keep it down. They can’t hear anything downstairs, but it sounded like you were watching amateur porn from out here in the hall.”

Twilight whined in mortification, burying her face in Sunset’s chest.

Not gonna lie...for the longest time, the working beta title for this chapter so we could keep track of what it was was "Twilight's Trip To Titty Town."

A lot of our chapters have some silly titles while we work on them. Thankfully I get veto power over my spouse's more eye-rolling, ADD inspired suggestions for the actual chapter titles....

Though there've been some gems. I guess it depends on if they are channeling their inner Pinkie or their Inner Rarity for the day.

Anywho.

Looks like Sunset's making some decisions, Twilight's getting her brain short circuited, and both girls are getting frisky,...only for Cadence to act like a cold shower.

Siblings, amirite?

We're almost out of the weekend, which means the fluffy parts are about to end, and its back to this disaster train to the friendship games and whatever Cinch and their master have cooked up. ALL ABOARD!

*train whistle blows*

I do appreciate people being invested and patient with how long this arc has been--its turned out about 4 times longer than anticipated, but when I first outlined it, I didn't realize just how much set up for the second half of the larger story I was going to have to do.

We're getting there though. And I'll just make sure to have plenty of fluff and snacks on this ride we're all stuck on. It makes up for it being driven by a trio of lunatics.