Sliding into the passenger seat of Cadence’s cheery little car, Twilight couldn't help the smile that seemed permanently affixed to her face that morning. Waking up when Sunset’s alarm went off, her face snuggled into soft breasts and her cheek pressed to warm amber skin, had been like opening her eyes from one dream into an even better one. And when Sunset had been convinced to indulge in fifteen minutes or so of needy kisses and soft touches before she slipped out of bed to go shower, it had left Twilight feeling downright giddy. It had been all she could do to keep her goodbye to Sunset at the front door a few hours ago to a hug. She let out a dreamy sigh as her gaze turned in the direction of the park, knowing her girlfriend was there right now, taking charge and coordinating the large scale event.

“Sounds like you’re having a good morning already,” Cadence said from the driver’s seat as she tested the heat—it was still a little cool until the sun had been up for a few hours.

Twilight felt her cheeks heat, and she nodded, knowing that she was firmly in a “sisters having girl-talk” zone. “…Sunset and I spent a little time together before she left…” she admitted, simultaneously hoping that would be enough and knowing it would only pique her sister-in-law’s interest.

Backing the car out of the driveway, Cadence smiled slyly. “Is that what they call it these days?”

“Cady!” the dark haired girl protested. “We haven't—” She broke off with a distressed sound.

The woman laughed. “It sure sounded like you were last Saturday. And last night when I got up to pee. You might want to invest in a gag, Ladybug. Neither of you is any good at being quiet.”

A mortified noise escaped her, and her stomach twisted with sudden worry. Had her parents heard anything? They hadn’t given any sign they had when she had come downstairs earlier, only hugged her and Cadence, with heartfelt wishes for the two of them to have a great “Sisters Day Out.” Surely they would have—

“Ladybug, you need to breathe.” Cadence broke through her racing thoughts in a calm, familiar voice. “I was mostly teasing, and if I had thought it was loud enough to be heard by anyone else who wasn’t walking right past your door like I was, I would have interrupted to warn you.”

Right. Cady was right…she knew how much Twilight was struggling with this. They’d already discussed it several times. She did as she was bid, working to calm herself down.

Twilight finally found her voice as Cadence pulled into a drive-thru for one of their favorite unhealthy fast food places. “…so where are we going today?” She asked the pink skinned woman, deliberately changing the subject.

Her sister let her. “Oh, I thought it might be fun to make the drive up to Everton. They have the big outlet mall and all those different specialty shops we both like.”

“Everton?” Twilight blinked—she’d assumed they were going to do something local. “Isn't that a bit far?”

Cadence grinned. “Maybe, but if it gets too late, we’ll just get a hotel room and drive back tomorrow. Already cleared it with Mom.” She winked at the teenager. “Besides…you know that old, antique looking theater?”

“…yesssss…?”

“I happen to have it on good authority that they are showing a marathon of ‘Questicon Galaxia: 2099’ tonight…” She dangled the knowledge like a baited hook, and Twilight could not stop herself from taking it.

Purple eyes were wide and excited at the mention of her absolute favorite bad B-movie science fiction franchise. “Ice Fields of Abraxus? Cyborg Amazons from Alpha Centauri?”

As the car moved forward in the line, Cady nodded. “And the best of the dozen: Captain Stardust and the War of Tomorrow,” she pointed out. “This weekend only, in Everton.”

The dark haired girl could barely contain herself. “Yes! We have to go see them, Cady—we’ve never had the chance to watch them in the original theatrical environment with full widescreen aspect ratio and surround sound! And I’d love to hit some of the electronic and second hand appliance stores…I’m looking for a few replacement components that they just don't make anymore, not since they switched to LCD screen manufacturing!” She paused when it was their turn to order. “Two of the loaded breakfast croissants, an order of hashbrowns, and a large Coke, please?” she told Cadence with a grin.

Cadence relayed that while Twilight pulled out her phone to make a list of the stores she wanted to visit. “Oh, and the big bookstore for new books—the next volume of the Dresden Files is due to come out soon, and I need to find a replacement for my copies of For a Few Demons More and some of my Earthsea books…and I want to see if I can find a book on Mesopotamian mythology—Sunny and I are just about finished with the one on Norse Myths, and I think it might be fun to go back to some of the oldest civilizations for their stories…there's also a couple of thrift stores and second hand bookshops too, and I’d love to see if there’s anything interesting…”

Her sister interrupted as they reached the window. “I was also thinking we could do some clothes shopping—see about getting you a new wardrobe.”

Twilight looked over, puzzled. “A new wardrobe?” she asked. “…what’s wrong with the clothes I have?” She took the drinks from Cadence, noting as she did that the teenage boy manning the drive thru window was staring at the two of them oddly. Probably another of Cadence’s fans.

“Besides the fact that in the last year you’ve outgrown them?”

Shrugging, she held up her phone. “It's not that hard for me to just have Mom order the next size up in things I like—I have a lot of my lists saved.”

There was silence as Cadence passed her the food and pulled into a spot in the parking lot so they could divide up their food. “Except, Ladybug, you really need to try things on. It's not just a matter of growing a few inches taller.” She took the offered hashbrowns first since and they were best while still hot.

She shifted uncomfortably, and focused on powering through one of her sandwiches, avoiding the problem for a minute. “…I don’t…what is it then?”

“Twily…you aren't the same shape you were eighteen months ago or even a year ago. You're not a little kid with a kid’s proportions anymore.” Cadence spoke softly, gently, but the truth still hit her in the face.

The teen hugged herself. “…I know I’m not, but what does that have to do with anything? I don't need anything other than clothes that fit. A larger size will do just fine.”

Sighing, she took a sip of her drink before answering. “Twilight,” she said, using her full name instead of a nickname in a tone that made the dark haired girl twitch. “…we have this same argument every time…do we really have to do it again?”

Defensively, Twilight countered, “We just did this a year and a half ago. It's too soon. I should be good for another two years at least. You know I hate clothes shopping.”

Cadence shifted to face her, since they were parked. “I know, Ladybug, and I don't do this to be cruel…but you need new clothes, and more of the same but a larger size isn't going to help…especially because you are probably close to the limit on the sizes meant for middle school girls.” She reached over to rest a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “Plus, you’ve got a figure now you didnt have eighteen months ago—I’d wager that everything other than your school clothes and your baggiest sweatpants and hoody…which I believe you got from Sunset…I’d wager everything else, including what you're wearing now is not half as comfortable as it used to be. It's pinching in some places, loose in others, isn't it?”

Twilight refused to look at her sister-in-law, frowning at her sandwich instead. The words had opened a floodgate to a stream of data in her mind she had been mostly ignoring. “…but I like what I have…and I don't want to look like I see a lot of girls looking. It's…”

“Oh, Twily,” she said with a soft laugh. “I would never do that to you. The lucky thing is, there are clothes made for every type of body and comfort level. Just look at Sunset—well, more objectively than your staring usually is…”

Her ears heated. “I don’t stare!” Twilight protested. When one eyebrow went up, she deflated a little. “…much…”

The woman smiled. “Of course you don't,” she teased. “The point is, though, that if you look at Sunset, she wears clothes that fit the shape of her body—her body type—but they are clothes that are both modest and flattering, not things that attach a flashing sign to her chest saying ‘Stare at me, I’m hot.’”

As far as Twilight was concerned, Sunset didn't need a sign for that. People noticed it anyway. Sometimes to a frustrating degree.

Cadence continued, unaware of Twilight’s thoughts. “There are clothes that will fit you, Twilight. Clothes that will not only feel good to wear but look good on you without having to be overly revealing or flashy.” She looked at her very seriously, before chiding lightly, “Do you really think I would try to dress you up like a doll or stick you in a tube top and a miniskirt?”

The dark haired girl winced. “No,” she admitted. “You never have…”

“And I don't intend to ever start, Ladybug. I love you, and I’m trying to make this as easy as possible on you because I know it's not something that you enjoy doing too much.” Cadence squeezed her shoulder. “That's why I figured we could do like we did last time, and space out the clothing stores in between visiting other stores. Plus a break for lunch—even if we just pick up something snacky at the food court to go with something hot to drink.” She made a face. “That place is always a freezer!”

Twilight managed a faint smile. “That…sounds like something I’d be amenable to…though I want an extra hour in the bookstore and six extra books as payment for all of this.”

Her sister-in-law narrowed her eyes. “That’s highway robbery! Twenty minutes and two paperbacks.”

Oh. It was on. Twilight rolled her eyes. “No way. Fifty minutes, four paperbacks, and a hardback of my choice, or…”

The store around Twilight hummed with the faint buzzing of a thousand and one electronic devices and appliances. Many people would have found the sound annoying, but for Twilight, the low and constant noise of electricity and the things that used it was as comforting and familiar a companion as the scent of old books. She headed for the big bins marked ‘clearance’—it didn't matter to her if the items were outdated, since most of what she bought was going to be cannibalized for components anyway.

“So what are you looking for?” Cadence asked from the next big bin that was full of discontinued radios.

Twilight picked up a clunky, obsolete laptop that was clearly a model from a few years back, turning it over in her hands. “I need parts for a new detector for my project—I’m having to redesign it almost weekly because none of the previous designs seem to work quite right.”

Her sister-in-law looked at her in puzzlement. “You seem to be having a lot more issues with this semester’s project than I can remember you having with any of the others. Is everything okay?”

That made the lavender skinned girl sigh heavily. “…it's…complicated,” she responded vaguely. She really didn't want another lecture about signing the special project contract with her principal.

“Well, I’m all ears if you want to uncomplicate it,” Cadence said.

Did she? Cadence had been the quietest out of everyone she knew on the whole thing, only asking questions so far about Twilight herself and not expressing too much of an opinion one way or another. “…it's a lot of little things,” she finally said. “The energy I’m researching is…proving elusive to locate, and I am uncertain if it is my detection devices or the source of the energy itself…” She frowned—that was a bit of an understatement on the situation, but she wasn't sure Cady would understand the anomaly she was studying. At present, it wasn't just elusive, it defied all logic and several of the laws of thermodynamics; sources appeared and disappeared seemingly at random, with no consistency in time, duration, location, or intensity. Sometimes the sources were stationary, but sometimes they were mobile, and she’d tracked them all around town, only for the source to vanish before she arrived and leaving only dissipating remnants behind. “So far I have found only locations and plants affected by the energy…”

Picking up a large blender box and looking it over, Cadence asked, “It’s affecting plants? Is it dangerous? It's not radioactive is it?”

She shook her head. “No, no, nothing like that. I have a Geiger counter I reference as part of my standard tool kit of detection devices. I have no desire to end up as an honorary member of the Fantastic Four.” Sunset was way more attractive and engaging than the Invisible Woman, in her opinion. In a world of hypothetical super powers, Sunset’s would be far more interesting than manipulating and refracting light and magnetic fields. Given her personality and her name, Sunset would probably throw fireballs or something.

Laughter brought her out of her musings. “That’s good—there aren't many people that can pull off brightly colored spandex, neither of us is one of them,” Cadence said with a grin. Then she winked. “I bet Sunset is though.”

Heat burned up her cheeks to her ears. “Cady!”

More laughter filled the air. “Oh come on, Ladybug, you know I’m right!”

“That's not the point!” Twilight felt like her face was on fire, and she hissed, lower, “You can't just go saying things like that—what if someone heard?!”

Cadence lost her smile. “Twily…there's no one near us, and even if there were, they are strangers who don't care…” She studied Twilight for a minute. “I thought you were working towards telling Mom and Dad—that's what you said before.”

The teen winced. “I am…but…I don't know. After everything with Wallflower…”

“…what happened with Wallflower?“

She placed the obsolete laptop in the cart next to them. “…Mom didn't tell you?”

Her sister-in-law shrugged. “She mentioned you and Sunset got into a fight, and that she and Wallflower didn’t seem compatible as friends. So what happened?”

While she may not have wanted to discuss the details of her project, Wallflower was another story, and before Twilight could stop herself, she was spilling the whole sordid mess to Cadence—minus the bit about trespassing onto CHS, of course.

Cadence listened without comment until Twilight was done, before drawing her into a hug. “I’m sorry, Ladybug…I wish you had called me when it happened.”

She leaned into the embrace. “Thanks, Cady…when it all happened, I…had a lot of thinking to do. And after my most recent conversations with Wallflower, while I don't want to break off our friendship completely, I feel like I need to seriously reevaluate and consider how close a friendship I desire to maintain until she does some emotional growing.”

“That’s a good way to look at it. It can be hard to find out someone you think of as a friend holds views that are biased and even bigoted. I’ve had it happen more than a few times in the past, especially in high school and college.” Cadence sighed. “But…who knows? Maybe she’ll come around, and realize that it's just who you and Sunset are. That Sunset is a nice person, despite what Wallflower has heard…and until then, maybe a little space would do some good.”

Twilight’s face twisted into a grimace as she went back to digging through electronics. “…I…don’t necessarily disagree, but it is not exactly feasible to put actual physical distance between us at school for the foreseeable future.” At the confused noise from the woman, she elaborated. “Principal Cinch elected to offer Wallflower a position as my assistant and is allowing her to do her own project as well, so we are sharing the laboratory space at school for the rest of the semester.”

Wincing, Cadence made a face. “Oh. I can see where that would be a problem.”

“Indeed. Particularly since she has decided that being my project assistant means she can help herself to my samples, findings, and research for her own project, without even so much as asking me. It is throwing off my organization and her careless disregard for lab protocols has already invalidated an entire collection of samples!” Twilight shook her head, setting another laptop and three two-way radios in their cart. “Yet she fails to see that what she is doing is wrong!”

A hum of understanding escaped from her sister-in-law. “And you can't really say anything to the principal because things there are already tense enough, and it would make the issue with Wallflower worse, not better, right?”

“Yes! That's it exactly!” Twilight rubbed her face. “So all I can do is put my all into this project and finish it as soon as possible. Until then…I just have to deal with it.”

There was a moment of hesitation, before Cady said, “I’m worried about you, Twilight…is the stress you're under really worth what you're getting out of all of this?”

Pulling away, she turned her back to Cadence for a minute, wrestling with her own thoughts. Maybe she would understand when no one but Sunset seemed to grasp it at all. “I have to keep going, Cady. I have to prove I can do this, that I can hack whatever the world throws at me. I’m a woman who wants to go into STEM fields…the most misogynistic ‘old boys club’ in the world of academia. I have to be tougher, stronger, smarter, work harder, and have thicker skin than all of them or I’ll never make it. Especially because there will never be a ‘husband’ in the picture to act as some kind of checkbox of femininity that will make me acceptable. If I give up now…how do I know I wont always give up the instant it gets tough?”

Cadence stepped back to rest a hand on her shoulder. “It's not quitting if you're removing yourself from an abusive, hostile environment that’s impacting your mental health, Ladybug. Especially if there's a healthier environment you can go to.”

Twilight flinched. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Lu is the Vice Principal at another school in the city,” Cadence explained. “It's not a private prep school like Crystal Prep, but it is a good school, with a nicer environment. And while it doesn't have the upper class social clout that CPA does, Lu and her sister are members of a very old family and have their own sort of influence in the academic world. If you chose to leave CPA, you wouldn't be hurting for letters of recommendation when you choose a college.”

Her stomach twisted. “I…I don't know. I know I don't want to quit in the middle of the year. I need to at least finish the year. Which means finishing my project…”

“Which means sucking up the things CPA, Cinch, and Wallflower throw at you,” her sister-in-law acknowledged. “Just…think about it…and if you need someone to vent to, you can always call me. I’m here to listen.”

She gave the pink skinned woman a watery, grateful smile. “Thanks, Cady…”

“Now come on, let’s find the rest of the things you wanted for your lab, and then see about finding you some new clothes.”

The teen found herself being pulled along to a clearance bin full of bargain priced kitchen appliances.

Twilight stepped out of the changing room for what felt like the hundredth time—okay, so it was really only the twenty third, but after an hour and a half of picking out and trying on outfits, she felt like she was entitled to a little bit of self-pitying hyperbole—and held her arms out. “It's comfortable,” she told Cadence. “I think I like it. Does it look okay?”

The woman looked her up and down and had her do a slow turn in place. “Hmm…you know what, I think it looks cute. It falls well, the colors look good on you, and it makes you look pretty without being revealing. I bet Sunset will like it. You said it feels comfortable? Not pinching or rubbing weird? No odd or itchy textures?”

Lavender fingers smoothed the soft fabric of the skirt down as their owner flexed and bent and stretched. “No…I really like the way it feels to wear it, and it's something I could wear out but also at home...and it's the right type of thing that I could be not too hot or cold for a good bit of the year.” She bit her lip, and looked up at her sister-in-law. “This might seem silly, but do you think we could buy it and I could wear it for the rest of today?”

“Absolutely, Ladybug!” Cadence hugged her. “You still have to try on those fun shirts, so take it off and I’ll go get it rung up by itself so you can just change back into it before we leave.” She pointed a finger at Twilight. “No less than six of those fun t-shirts, young lady. I know you love sleeping in your brother’s dorky hand-me-downs, but a lot of those are reaching a state where they need to be retired to a quilt square or Mom’s rag bin.”

Ducking back into the changing room, Twilight was quick to hand the outfit over the top of the door to Cadence, and busied herself with sorting through a dozen and a half or so t-shirts they’d picked out from the extensive offerings of geek paraphernalia. Some had a texture she didn't like, and others on a second look didn't really make her laugh. The remaining ones she tried on, looking at herself in the mirror; by the end, she had a selection of nine of them that she could use to replace her night shirts and her ‘super casual outing’ shirts, including a periodic table one and a programming one that sent her into giggles every time she read them.

“All taken care of, Twily,” Cadence’s voice interrupted her laughter. “Also, what do you think of this shirt for your brother on his birthday?” Black fabric draped over the door, allowing her to read the words written on the front of the t-shirt. Once again, Twilight succumbed to laughter. “I’ll take that as a yes. I figured I’d get this one to go with it for me…” Another shirt was draped over the first to show off what it had written.

Twilight snickered. “Absolutely! Those are hysterical, Cady!”

The shirts disappeared, pulled back by her happy sister-in-law. “Perfect. Now, we’ve gotten you all the basics for outfits, so is there anything else you want or need in clothes before we hit the bookstore?”

Looking down at the neat pile of clothing that she was going to be taking home, Twilight considered. “Shirts, skirts, pants, pajamas, a light jacket, two new pairs of sneakers…I should probably pick up a package of socks to replace the ones that have holes in them…” Was there anything else she needed? She and Cadence had even managed to find her two or three fairly formal outfits that she could use for fancy events—like the next family New Year’s Party.

As she looked everything over, an idea occurred to her. Chewing her lip, she said, “There is…something. Maybe. I…could use your opinion, I guess?”

“On what, Ladybug?”

Swallowing, Twilight pushed the words out before she lost her nerve. “Glamour and her girlfriend are coming down, and Sunset and I are going on a double date with them!” It came out in a bit of a jumble, the words almost running together at points.

Silence reigned for several seconds, long enough that Twilight began to wonder if her sister-in-all-but-blood was preparing to unleash a squeal that would achieve frequencies normally considered the purview of dog whistles and the echolocation of bats. …but she was wrong, and Cadence surprised her with a soft intake of breath and a sniffle, before answering in a quiet, serious voice, “…I would be honored to help you pick out your first true date outfit, Ladybug.”

Twilight let out a relieved sigh, glad she didn't have to spell it out. “Thanks, Cady. I…I think I’m hoping this double date, even though we’ll be a couple of hours away in Glamour’s girlfriend’s hometown, will…get me that much closer to being able to tell Mom and Dad.” She hugged herself, rubbing at the goosebumps prickling her arms from the cool air. “…I want to be able to tell them by summer break.”

“Of course, Twilight…you know I’ll always be here to help and support you. That's what sisters do.” Cadence was right on the other side of the flimsy door. “In fact, would you like me to take some pictures of you in the outfit we pick out, to hold onto so that when you do come out to Mom and Dad, you can share the moment with them too?”

Her heart ached—she knew that things like this, with Cadence, were more traditionally something a girl was meant to go to her mother about, and some part of her felt guilty that she typically sought Cadence for help instead. Maybe…this was a way to bridge some of that unintended gap. “I think I would like that a lot, Cady.”

Purple eyes pulled themselves away from reading the spines of the books on the shelf. “Are you sure you don't mind me borrowing them?” she asked hesitantly.

Cadence smiled. “I’m sure, Twilight. This is important—I know Mom has yours ready, but I also know she wants to give them to you herself, and if she knew she would. This way, I’m helping carry on the tradition, since she gave me mine for my first date with Shining.” She hugged Twilight around the shoulders. “And then, after you tell them, Mom can give you yours and you can wear those on your first real ‘out to the family’ date with Sunset.”

The teen leaned into the hug. “Thank you, Cady…that…means a lot.”

“I just want you to have a great time out with Sunset. Do you know what you guys are going to do for the day?”

She shook her head, going back to running her fingers along the book spines. “No, but I’m guessing that Glamour's girlfriend has some ideas? Or we’ll talk about it the night before—they're coming down that Thursday, having dinner with us at the house, and spending the night so we can get up early and go.”

Nodding sagely, her sister-in-law tapped her chin in thought. “Doesn’t Dad have to go to the big fundraising event at the university on that Friday? The one that ends in the big dinner and awards thing? Sort of an all day event?”

Twilight shifted evasively, pulling a book of Mesopotamian myths off the shelf. “….yes?”

“And Mom always volunteers to help out at the bake sale booth in the quad, since we all know college students love homemade baked goods?”

“…yesss…?” The teen’s voice was even more forced.

“Which means they’ll both be out of the house nice and early, and gone until really late…meaning you likely can avoid them seeing you before you have a chance to change.” Twilight could feel the force of Cadence’s stare.

Giving a half hearted shrug, Twilight caved, knowing that the woman saw right through her. “That’s basically it. If they don't see me, they won't ask questions or suspect anything.”

“Twilight…”

“I know!” she exclaimed, grimacing as she heard her own voice edge into whiny. “…I want to tell them, I do! I promised Sunset I’d deal with this, and I’m trying…but it's hard…and after Wallflower found out, it's even harder…”

Cady’s voice softened. “Because she pulled your confession from you without you really wanting to tell her. You weren't ready for your friend to know, and she manipulated the conversation unfairly.” Twilight nodded. “Twily, that's one of the most awful ways a conversation about sexuality can go. I can tell you one hundred percent that Mom, Dad, and even your brother won’t react negatively.” She ran her fingers through Twilight’s ponytail lightly. “Look at what they said to Sunset on Valentine’s Day…and they didn't freak out when I expressed my attraction to all kinds of people, male, female, and otherwise. All Mom did was give me a hug and Dad?” She laughed. “He just sort of looked up over the top of his glasses, and asked me what I thought of that actress from Lord of the Rings, and if I thought they could have cast her better.”

It was something she could see her father doing, Twilight acknowledged privately. “Intellectually, I know that…well, about them reacting positively. Not the bit about the actress. That’s new.” Shaking her head, she forged on with her actual point. “It’s…it's not them. It's me. I want it to be perfect—I only get one real chance at this—and I want it to happen when I’m capable of saying it, when Sunset is there, and when I’m in the right mindset to answer questions that I know they’ll have about our relationship…it’s not as simple as saying ‘I like girls,’ and walking away. I’ve kept this whole side of my relationship with Sunset away from them, and they love her as much as they love you and me. They are going to want to know…and they deserve to know. Part of me wishes I’d found a way to tell them earlier because I wish I could have included them from the beginning…but I can't change the past unless I build that time machine idea I came up with in seventh grade.”

Her sister-in-law chuckled. “We talked about how you shouldn't mess with temporal physics, Ladybug.”

Blushing, Twilight joined her in laughing. “I know, but you get my point, right?”

“I do…but remember…no moment is ever really perfect,” Cadence cautioned. “It's the memories and our attitudes that make them special. And I just want you to know you have more support than just Sunset. I’m here too.”

Twilight let the words sit in silence as she flipped through the book in her hands, reading the titles of the various myths, some of which she recognized, all of which were accompanied with beautiful illustrations by someone who had done at least a modicum of research into the historical cultures involved in the myths. There was a version of the creation myth involving Marduk and Tiamat, pieces from the Epic of Gilgamesh, the stories of Adapa and Etana, the post-flood story of Atra-Hasis, Ishtar’s Descent into the Underworld—a rather interesting one to compare to other similar myths in other cultures—half a dozen stories of the various gods, including some she’d never heard of, and at least as many on various mortals—usually kings—who sought out something mortals weren’t allowed to have. Like immortality.

She was pulled from the splash page illustration for a story called ‘The Long Shadow of King Simush’ by Cadence clearing her throat. “Sorry…I…I know, Cady, and you’ve been the best sister ever with all of this…and not just with me, but Sunset too. I would have messed this up a long time ago if it weren’t for you to give me perspective.”

“That’s what sisters are for. Besides, you and Sunset really are good together—anything I can do to promote that kind of healthy relationship is part of my job as both a sister and Canterlot’s own Goddess of Love!”

Twilight eyed the store that specialized in women’s intimate apparel. Intellectually, she knew a properly fitted bra was a wonderful, comfortable thing, but like the girl’s locker room, there was something about the store that made her feel like an intruder doing something wrong. “…let’s make this quick please?” she pleaded quietly with Cadence. “I always feel so weird about being in here.”

“We’re not here to ogle the models in the catalog or peek into the changing rooms,” was the response, Cadence patting her shoulder in solidarity and understanding. “And if there are some cute ladies in the store, there's nothing wrong with appreciating that as long as we don't act like drooling idiots.”

She rubbed her neck awkwardly. “I guess. I still don't want to linger—you said the Galaxia marathon starts at six? And we should probably eat before then—breakfast and those pretzels are not going to last me that long.” Her stomach offered its input with a low growl. “See?”

That got a snicker. “Curse that teenage metabolism?” The dark haired girl nodded sheepishly. “Don't worry. We’ll head to the car after this and pick a place to eat.” Then her sister-in-law rubbed her hands together. “Now, I do have one question before we get started.”

The excited gleam in Cadence’s eyes and bubbly manner set off a warning alarm in Twilight’s brain. “What…?” she asked worriedly.

“Well…we got you date clothes, and I know you and Sunset have been…getting more frisky as of late, so…did you want to maybe pick out something pretty to wear that only Sunset will get to see?”

The air in Twilight’s lungs turned into a solid in a nanosecond, and her face felt like it was about to achieve nuclear fusion all on its own. Was Cadence really asking if she wanted to buy se—no. Her brain shied away from even completing the words in the space of her thoughts. Twilight Sparkle and fancy undergarments didn't belong in the same paragraph let alone as a single idea…

Then her mind wandered back to the night before, and the way Sunset had tugged her shirt up and off with quiet fascination. She shivered at the recollection of amber hands running over her skin under that heated gaze…and she wondered. What would Sunset think of something designed for form as well as function, something pretty and accentuating her body—not that Twilight felt she had that much to accentuate, especially compared to her drop-dead gorgeous girlfriend. Would she appreciate the effort, the attempt at…seduction…was not the right word…but… Twilight searched for a word that felt right, and came up a little short on finding the right terminology. Perhaps…attractive presentation? Effort at her appearance? Whatever the word was, she…wasn't sure. Sunset barely seemed to notice physical parameters—she had admitted as much, on her own, that she was less focused on physical attraction…

By the same token, though, Sunset had also confessed to finding Twilight attractive in all sorts of ways…and the way their explorations had gone verified that Sunset wasn't immune to physical attraction. Like last night, when she had—

Anyways. Did…Twilight want to brave the embarrassment of the shopping aspect for the potential but unknown reaction her girlfriend would have?

A husky voice seemed to murmur next to her ear. “It's kind of adorable to see you worry so much about whether or not I want to see you in lacy nothings, but you're really over-stressing, Sparky,” Mental-Sunset told her with a smirk.

She barely registered that her rising anxiety had conjured her latest favorite coping skill. Was she over thinking?

“Absolutely.” She could practically see the older girl winking at her. “It's not some big question of if I would like it or not—I’m happy with whatever you want to wear, because it's you, Twilight Sparkle. You’re magic to me, no matter what you wear. The more important thing to ask is if the panties with pink fluffy unicorns dancing across rainbows is fitting the mood you want to establish the first time your girlfriend takes your pants off?”

Oh no. She could see it now, Sunset, kneeling on the bed, having hooked her pants with dexterous fingers, pulling them down…only to come face to face with the aforementioned underwear—in her defense, it was cute when she had picked it out at thirteen—and stopping cold. She could even picture what would follow, of one eyebrow arching upwards, even as blue-green eyes sought purple. Sunset would give her that amused look, mouth turned up in that crooked smile as she fought the urge to start giggling.

That was, without a doubt, not the reaction she wanted when under those circumstances. She wanted more of last night, of what she saw in her dreams in a Sunset that had glowing eyes and sharp teeth and those adorable, fuzzy ears like some kind of fan service-y anime version of her girlfriend…where her Sunny looked at her with raw Desire and carnal hunger that made Twilight go weak in the knees.

Swallowing and hoping she wouldn't find a way to defy the laws of physics and spontaneously combust from embarrassment, Twilight nodded to the patiently waiting Cadence. “….yes…but I…don't know…” The words trailed off.

Her sister-in-law smiled reassuringly. “It's okay to not know, Ladybug. I’ll teach you the basics, and you can narrow the specifics down with future experimentation.”

“I’ll help too,” the construct provided by her less than helpful subconscious offered with a smug smirk. “You try stuff on, and I’ll let you know which one is going to completely ruin my underwear.”

Twilight really needed to mention her concerns about her subconscious to her therapist.

They were waiting on dessert at a quiet little eatery that Cadence had stumbled across at one point, when Twilight’s phone buzzed insistently on the table. The pair were seated outside at one of the tables arranged on a cute little patio that benefited from being warmed by its proximity to the kitchen. Cadence grinned at her. “I’m surprised it took this long for Sunset to message you.”

“She was extremely busy today—she’s been planning this thing for months with one of her friends.” Twilight flicked her finger over her phone screen to reveal the message and a selfie of a sweaty, tired looking Sunset with her hair tied back from her face flashing her a peace sign.

-We survived, nerd, and the park looks great! Your lists were the real mvp of the day!-

She tapped a quick response, smiling at the knowledge that her attempt to contribute to Sunset’s efforts had proven valuable. -That’s great! You look exhausted though—you didn’t overdo it, did you?-

-No, I’m OK. Had to call CCPD on a Bob-Cut tho. That was fun. It’ll be storytime next Friday. How was your day with Cadence?-

Her surprise must have shown on her face, because Cady asked, “Is everything okay?”

“She says she had to call the police on someone,” Twilight explained, sending a series of shocked and worried emoticons before she asked, -The police?! No one was hurt?- She really hoped it had been for someone throwing a verbal tantrum and not assaulting people.

Then she read the second part of the text, and wavered on what to say, initially only sending an image of a blushing smiley, before attempting to compose a response. -…Cady took me shopping in Everton. Clothes shopping…among other things.- That was informative without delving into the details she wasn’t comfortable sharing over something as unsecured as a cell phone owned by a teenager who went to a public school full of other, often nosy, teens.

In the meantime, she told her sister-in-law, “I don't think anyone was hurt. It sounds like a Bob-Cut wanted to speak to someone’s manager.”

Snorting, the pink skinned woman shook her head, just as their server returned with two old fashioned diner style milkshakes for them. “Oh no…I’ll have to ask Shining later if he heard anything about it.”

“She said she’ll tell the story next Friday.”

The phone buzzed again as Twilight sipped at her shake. -Cadence wanting you to kiss and tell? I hope you told her that I’m amazing at it.-

-…-

She considered the text, and thought about a response and realized she was feeling suddenly emboldened. “Cady?”

“Yes, Ladybug?”

“Sunset thinks I should tell you she’s an amazing kisser.” A pause. “Which she is.” Then she responded to the message. -…I did…because you are. She decided I needed some new additions to my wardrobe. Especially when I told her we’re going on an outing with my cousin.-

Twilight could almost hear the smirk in the next message—though the smilies with the waggling eyebrows helped set the tone. -So do I get to see what you bought?-

Her cheeks warmed, and she bit her lip a moment. “Cady? Can…you help me take a picture? I want to show Sunset my new outfit.”

Grinning, the pink skinned woman plucked the phone from her hand and gestured to the nearby half wall. “Go lean up against that. Take your milkshake with you, yes, like that. Now make it look like you're taking a sip from the straw. Smile a little, Twily, and look at the camera.”

Following the instructions, Twilight felt a little silly, but after she could see beyond the afterimage of the flash, she realized that it was a cute photo. Cadence did have an eye for photography. “Thanks, Cady…” she said, as she sent the image to a certain redhead. -Hows this- she fumbled nervously, hitting send before she could erase the question and type something more complex. While she and Sunset had sent images back and forth plenty, few of them had been anything more than candid shots—this was the first time she’d sent the other girl one that was quite so deliberately posed to be attractive.

The response wasn't long in coming. -Wow. It looks great on you, Sparky. I like it…-

-…you think so? I thought it looked okay, and Cady says it looks cute, but…-

-Sweet sunfire, yes, Sparky. If the rest of what you got looks even half as good on you, I’m in trouble. I won't be able to stop kissing you.-

Twilight felt her ears go hot as she processed the words, sipping fast enough on her shake to risk a brain freeze in an attempt to cool down.

“Soooo?” Her sister-in-law was grinning like a loon from the other side of the table.

“…she says the outfit looks good.”

One eyebrow arched up. “Just good, huh? If that's how you react to ‘just good,’ you're in trouble when she really turns on the charm.”

“Shut up!” Twilight retorted with more embarrassed laughter than anger. Her fingers flew over the screen. -…we might both be in trouble then, because I already don't want you to stop kissing me.- She hesitated, then with a burst of confidence that came from somewhere she couldn't explain, she added hurriedly, -maybe i can model soem otthem next weekens foryiu?- Okay, maybe not a lot of confidence—her hands were shaking so bad she typo’ed everywhere in the message, and mashed send in her haste to keep from once again deleting it.

She didn't have to wait long for the response. -I’d like that, if you want to- she told Twilight. -gotta go though—the girls are ready to head to Rarity’s. Oh, and Lyra said she’s good for milkshakes on Tuesday, around 4.-

By the time Twilight had recovered enough to finish her milkshake, it was half melted. It was worth it though—the smile on her face stayed with her the entire rest of the night, even when she and Cadence drove home at some awful hour in the middle of the night.

Sorry about the delay, folks--this would have gone up last week, but my editor/co-author was down with a cold and I didn't want to bug her too much about doing the final editing pass while she was miserable. Couple that with Comcast doing something that has made my internet more unstable than Pinkie Pie on meth, and I just decided the universe was saying "wait til next week."

Anyway.

Back in the saddle, as it were, and we've got some hilarious stuff to unpack here.

Like the fact that Cadence and Twilight are both enormous DORKS. (I've decided Cadence has to be at least moderately dorky, since in the episode where the pony versions try to have a sisters day, Twilight decides a traveling Starswirl museum thingie is the best idea, and Cadence is not only super sold on it before Discord interrupts things, she's geeking out over the artifacts in the same way as Twilight.) I simply translated this to the fact that Cady and Twilight both share some very similar dorky fandoms...its probably also why the dynamic for Cadence, Luna, and Shining works so well. They're all huge nerds.

The movie series the pair are geeking out over was completely made up, but I was kind of imagining that really corny 70s-to-early-80s over the top sci-fi. The kind of stuff that was in that weird transition era between Bad 40s and 50s sci-fi and Star Wars' revolution of the genre.

Twilight does not like shopping--the crowded stores, the clothes themselves, the awkward navigation of the social environment, it just makes her unhappy. But Cadence is unfortunately right. Even as small as Twilight is, having skipped two grades and being only 5'3" she's still...well, she's not elven or thirteen or even fourteen anymore, and a lot changes between those ages. Twilight is just trying to avoid it.

Not that I blame her. I'm pushing 40 and I live in sweatpants, baggy t-shirts, and blue jeans. Shopping for clothes sucks balls.

She should just be glad she has family who is willing to bribe her. I have to convince myself to go and I cant bribe me. I dont have the money to.

There's a few allusions to something of a family tradition on Velvet's side of things. I wont spoil it yet, because I want to get through the date stuff first, but its a sweet little tradition that goes back to Velvet's grandmother, who miiiiiight have fled a certain European nation when it was still feasible to do so before a rather large and unpleasant war. Anyway. I'll explain it in detail at some point because it was a cute little idea that we came up with accidentally and ran with it.

....I will freely admit, Twilight trying to decide whether or not to buy "slinky underthings" was a hilarious scene that I had to keep pausing in the middle of hashing out, because we were all laughing too hard at the various jokes Mental-Sunset could make. I finally settled on a somewhat meta-joke, and then a dirty joke later on because it was the best of the options available.

And of course, the running-gag of Twilight thinking she should tell her therapist about her runaway subconscious. She'll remember one of these days, you guys, I swear.

*rubs chin* What else?

Oh, the Fantastic Four and Sunset-in-spandex joke. That's sort of a reference to some hilarious what-if stuff I've batted back and forth with a friend, who has an unwritten "Superhero Sunset" story that might involve the Marvel Universe and Deadpool. Couldnt help but throw it in there.

....no, Twilight. No time travel. Bad.

And, of course, we see the other side of the text conversation with Sunset.

I also realized that I had apparently forgotten a correspondence chapter. Like a dumbass. That'll be going up next week, and it'll be posted normal, but after a couple of weeks, I'll be slotting it into where it was supposed to go, back between Chapters 123 and 124.

After that, you guys are going to want to brace yourself because the plot train is headed your way at full speed. Its pretty much all plot from here to the Games after this. And I might've broke the brakes.