It took them a full fifteen minutes away from the Sparkle house before Wildsong flicked her eyes up to look at Sunset and Twilight in the rearview mirror. “Didn't get to ask before with everything else going on, but how long’ve you two been together?”

“Since...early November?” Sunset answered, glancing at Twilight for confirmation. “We were friends before that, best friends. We ended up talking about it, and decided to...try, because...there was something there that was...special.” She didn’t want to go into the personal details, but that much felt safe to say.

The young woman laughed. “That’s way better than the awkward crush on your straight best friend, let me tell you! You want to talk about uncomfortable times? Shit. My best friend in sophomore year couldn’t look me in the eyes for two months.” Wildsong laughed.

Glamour Shot giggled. “At least you all knew! I dated so many boys in high school—they were nice boys at least, interesting and funny and friendly—and I couldn't figure out why I never really clicked with any of them!” She shook her head. “It never occurred to me to even look at girls.”

“Not even a little?” Twilight asked curiously.

“Not even,” her cousin confirmed, her whole mien becoming quiet and serious. “You know how my mom is, Twi. Always going on about how to attract and win the perfect rich boy? She never ever even mentions anything even remotely resembling an alternative to heterosexuality. It never really crossed my mind that I could look at girls until I was at college, and even then…I…fought it, pretended it was anything else—this one’s make-up, that one’s fashion, anything that didn’t mean admitting that it was the girls themselves I was drawn to.”

The dark haired girl frowned. “I...always kind of knew,” she admitted, leaning her head against Sunset’s shoulder.

“Oh yeah?” Wildsong chuckled. “Who was your first girl-crush? Mine was this singer, Pink Lemonade. I had it baaaad.”

Twilight blushed. “Cadence,” she confessed. “When I was younger, she was the only one really outside my parents and brother who I felt comfortable around—plus she was my babysitter. And she’s just...so pretty, and I loved spending time with her. But...she was dating my brother, and I got over that childish infatuation super quick.”

“Oooo...crush on the babysitter. Yeah...that happens more than you’d think. What about you, Sunset? Got a stereotypical ‘baby-dyke’s first crush?’”

Sunset blinked. “Um...no?” she ventured hesitantly. “Wasn't really my thing. I...had a lot of trouble with fo—kids my age when I was young and...mostly I stayed in my rooms and studied.” She nuzzled her face into Twilight’s hair, inhaling the familiar honeysuckle scent. “The only other person I dated was this guy at school, but it was entirely for the sake of popularity, back when I was the Queen Bitch of CHS.” She wrinkled her nose. “Don’t get me wrong—Flash is a nice guy, and one of my best friends now, but kissing him was...something I had to force myself to do, and I hated it. It felt…wrong. Dirty. It's why I only ever did it when it was absolutely necessary for public appearances.” The former unicorn tried not to dig too deeply into it, and part of her wondered how much of what she had felt had come from her lack of attraction to humans in general and how much had been from the remnants of her conscience railing at her for using her body to manipulate a good person for her own gain.

Glamour sighed from the front seat. “It does feel weird and off, doesn't it? Kissing a guy, I mean. I always thought maybe I was doing it wrong, but the first time I kissed Song it was...” she trailed off, hand waving loosely as she tried to find the words.

“Different,” Sunset supplied, thinking back to the first kiss with Twilight, how she had compared it to kissing Flash and learned that was almost impossible. “It just...was...you can't compare them because it's not even the same thing. Feels different, tastes different, is different.” She found herself kissing Twilight on the cheek before she could stop herself, murmuring for her girlfriend’s ears alone, “For me, it is better in every way...”

Twilight blushed. “Sunny!” she whispered back, flustered.

Oblivious to the private exchange, Glamour responded to Sunset’s statement. “That’s it exactly. It's so different and it makes me feel different, feel something instead of nothing at all, like I found something I never realized I was yearning for.”

“You're getting sappy again, Angel. Try to rein in the bodice-ripper speak.” Sarcastic as the words were, Sunset saw Wildsong reach across between the seats to squeeze her partner’s hand affectionately. “Especially around the kids. They don't need to know what kind of trashy literature you indulge in.”

“It’s not trashy! It's romantic!”

Laughing eyes look in the mirror at the couple in the back seat. “The covers are riddled with nearly naked women half a breath from a nip slip, and half naked, oiled up men with bulging expanses of rippling muscle. It's basically porn written for desperate housewives. And lonely college girls who haven’t managed to realize they’re gay yet.”

“So...basically you and your mom, Glamour?” Twilight offered with a straight face, though Sunset could see the humor dancing in purple eyes.

Silence lasted for ten or fifteen seconds before Wildsong burst into laughter amidst Glamour Shot’s incoherent sputtering. Even Sunset found herself smirking at Twilight’s playful dig, and secretly she felt that Rarity should be added to Twilight’s list—she’d seen some of the covers of the books Rarity read, and outside of her penchant for noir detective novels, most of them looked exactly like what Wildsong had described.

The laughter died down after a few minutes, and they rode in companionable quiet. The former unicorn indulged in lacing her fingers with Twilight’s and bringing their linked hands up so she could press affectionate kisses to lavender knuckles. It was nice to be able to do this without worrying that someone from Canterlot High might see her with someone who looked like the Princess they knew, to not have to consider proximity to where her classmates were likely to go in their free time, and to just be able to relax totally with Twilight somewhere other than her loft.

It didn’t hurt that her girlfriend was pressed into her side, watching her, her face lit up with one of those brilliant smiles that sent warmth all the way to Sunset’s toes and made the magic inside her thrum in response. Grinning back crookedly, she nuzzled the hand she was holding, trying to communicate without words what she felt.

When Twilight tugged her hand free, Sunset opened her eyes in confusion, trying to figure out why the smaller girl had pulled away. Twilight’s fingertips brushed some of her hair back, tucking red and gold strands behind one ear, before she leaned up to press their lips together in one of those soft, sweet kisses Sunset couldn’t get enough of. She sighed happily into her girlfriend’s mouth, slipping an arm around her shoulders to hug her even closer, wanting to enjoy the moment of intimacy before they were interrupted by the other occupants of the car.

Sure enough, it wasn’t more than a few minutes before Glamour let out a squeal Rarity would have been proud of. She and Twilight broke apart, and the nerdy girl straightened her glasses, cheeks flushed. “Glamour...”she grumbled in annoyance.

“I'm sorry, Twi, it's just so neat to see you so happy! It's so different from any other time I've ever seen you! You always look so tired and frustrated at the estate, just...miserable and lonely. Seeing you like this makes me so happy, because you deserve to be happy and smile like that all the time!”

Sunset kissed a lavender skinned temple. “She’s right, Sparky,” she murmured. “Your smile makes me feel like nothing else. It’s like the Sun: it makes the world brighter and beautiful, and when it's not there, everything feels a little grayer and more lifeless.” She wasn’t sure what drove her to voice the thought aloud, and in front of two people she’d only just met, but something in her needed to say it so Twilight could hear.

Twilight’s eyes went wide, and the smile that had faded into annoyance with Glamour’s interruption came back full force. The former unicorn ducked her head down to rest their foreheads together, reinforcing her sincerity with the gesture that had come to mean so much to both of them. “I mean it,” she breathed, audible now only to the girl who was gripping her arm tightly. “…you and I might be named for the end of the day, but for me, everything began the night I met you.”

Somehow, despite being tethered by a seatbelt, Twilight managed to wrap her arms around Sunset’s torso in a bearhug tight enough that the redhead wondered briefly if there was any kinship between her girlfriend and the Apple clan. The smaller girl didn’t offer any verbal response, beyond a tiny sound in her throat and a sniffle from what Sunset thought were happy tears, but the hug and the way her body quivered said more than words could have. From the front seat, Glamour let out another one of those gleeful noises, which finally prompted a response from Wildsong, who had been focused on driving.

“Okay, kids. Try and keep it PG-13 in my backseat, alright? I’m open to a lot of things, but watching Glamour’s cousin and her girl get busy in my rearview isn’t one of them, sorry. Besides, I wanted to have a serious talk before we get into town, so…gonna need your focus for a few. You too, babe.”

Sunset felt Twilight let go reluctantly, and they both sat back normally in the seat. Wildsong had sounded far more serious than they had expected. “Um…Sure,” Sunset began. “…We’re listening, Wildsong. What’s up?” Her hand rested over Twilight’s, calming the rising nervousness she could feel in the air.

“Cool. So you girls are all used to being in the closet. That’s not what today is. Today, all of us are out. We’re almost a hundred miles from where you two kids live, and after everything, Angel, you don't have a reason to hide anymore. No one knows any of you here, and more than that, my town is big on Pride. We’ve got a large queer community, and even most of the straight folks here support us. A lot of places are super open and accepting, and no one there looks twice. More than that, I know a lot of the safe places for us to go, where we will be with other people like us, and we all understand the closet. Most of us have spent time in the closet, a lot are still in, and we know. We know how hard it is, we know about that constant fear of discovery, and we take care of our own. You’re all safe with me today, and I want all three of you to just…be yourselves. Enjoy being in love, enjoy yourselves, and don’t worry about being anyone other than who you are today.” One hand ran through striped hair. “…Its okay to love and be loved today, even if that love is with another girl.”

The whole speech evoked that surreal disorientation that Sunset experienced every time she was reminded of the glaring and harsh differences between her culture and the one she was trying to blend into. The concept of concealing one’s affections towards their Special Somepony was still alien to her, at least, it was if it was based on something so trivial as gender—the only reason she had wanted to keep her relationship a secret had had nothing to do with being ashamed of dating Twilight Sparkle, and everything to do with protecting her girlfriend from the level of paradigm shattering weirdness that came from the ‘whole other worlds, magic, and princess doppelgänger’ thing. It was present in her life—Twilight’s anxiety over their relationship being public had become a more and more prominent issue as time had gone on, and they did discuss it, but at some point Sunset had filed it in her mind as a Twilight thing, more than as an actual human cultural thing. Especially since it was something that just didn't crop up elsewhere in her immediate social circle, despite people like Lyra and Bon-Bon or Rarity and AJ; no one at school mocked them and they didn't seem to have issues with their families being judgmental. To hear it this way, from someone’s else’s mouth, as if it were the standard of normal rather than the exception or the rarity was more jarring than she had expected, and reminded her once more that she was an outsider and a pretender…and that Twilight really deserved to know the truth if they were going to make this relationship work long term.

The other two were silent, so Sunset took it upon herself to speak first. For her, the simple act of being far enough away that no one here would know who she was all she really needed to be able to just relax for the day. There was no magic here, no people who knew her as the horrible tyrant or the she-demon, no monsters or mayhem, nothing to interfere with her spending time with her girlfriend, nothing to worry on or fret over, not school or magical defenses, or balancing the busy facets of her newfound social life and responsibilities. She hugged Twilight. “…I like the sound of that,” the redhead said with a grin, before she nuzzled into dark hair affectionately. “…nothing matters today but us, Sparky, and she’s right, we should enjoy this—who knows when we’ll have a chance again?”

She could feel the tension in Twilight, the way her breathing sounded, the way her pulse had quickened, all signs of the rising anxiety brought up by the subject. Nuzzling her again, Sunset tipped her chin up. “Hey,” she murmured. “It’s going to be okay, Sparky. I’m here, and I’ve got you. You’re safe. Anyone tries to bother you, bother us? I’ll teach them not to mess with a girl who wears boots.” Kissing her lips teasingly, Sunset winked. “I know you. You’ve got this, Twilight. There’s nothing we can’t do, as long as we do it together.”

Twilight exhaled, nodding. “You’re right. I can do this. We can do this. It's going to be a great day.” She snuggled closer. “Thanks, Sunny. You always seem to know just what I need.” Purple eyes looked towards the young woman driving. “So…where exactly are we going today? Besides your hometown?”

“Well, for starters, I thought we’d check out the local museum—it's mostly about the town, but a little bird told me you like things like that, and I thought it might get you into the groove of just relaxing. After that, I thought we could hit the park—it's actually really pretty this time of year, since everything is starting to bloom, but not so badly that you choke on pollen. For lunch, I know this cafe—at night it's a queer bar (Drag Competitions on Thursday nights)—but during daylight it's a restaurant, basically. Thought all of you could benefit from really being among your own kind for a change. Besides, Mama Orchid and I go way back. She marched with my uncles back during the early Pride events decades ago.” Wildsong laughed. “I think she’ll like you, babe. She’s been after me to ‘bring home a decent girl’ for years!”

At the word ‘museum,’ Twilight had gone starry eyed, which made Sunset laugh. “...probably a good thing we’re doing the museum first,” she told the other two. “I have a chance of actually getting her back from Nerdvana before the day is over with.” Twilight pouted at her, which made Sunset reach over and tweak her girlfriend’s nose. “Such a nerd. You’re lucky it's cute.”

Glamour had been strangely quiet for a while, but cleared her throat. “There’s something I want to do today, if it's okay with everyone…”

Twilight flashed Sunset a concerned look, but took it upon herself to answer her cousin. “What is it?” she asked.

“…I’ve talked about it before, with Song…about how when I was finally able to be free, I wanted to get a tattoo—Mom and Daddy would never allow that either, of course. ‘Proper ladies’ don't get tattoos or piercings anywhere other than the ears…” She took a shaky breath that sounded more than a little teary, and the air of bittersweet melancholy hung around her like a cloud before it was forcibly dispersed by something that Sunset could only classify as a desperate hunger, need that could not be silenced until it was sated. “And now…now I am. Free. This is…my life has changed forever. I doubt I’ll ever speak to Da—to my father—again, and I’m not sure about Mom...but it means now I can live my own life, be who I am instead of who they tried to make me into. I…do you think it would be okay if I did that? Today?”

Sunset understood the tremor in her voice, and the hungering desire that drove her to the brink of tears—how could she not, when it was an old friend? And the catharsis of a mark sunk into skin and hide, something unique that cried for all the world to see ‘This is me!’…any pony could grasp that instinctually. Combined together it was something the former unicorn could empathize with, and she was the first to speak. “Absolutely.” She couldn't deny something that came far too close to getting a cutie mark; the very idea of doing so made her feel ill inside.

Wildsong hummed for a moment. “There’s a couple of parlors not far from the park. We could do it after, if you guys didn't mind a later lunch. Or I could go with her while you two are enjoying the sunshine—it takes a bit and if you aren't getting ink done, it's boring to sit and wait.”

The dark haired girl at Sunset’s side looked thoughtful, and shared another glance with her. “Why don't we do that? This is your day too, Glamour, as much as it is any of ours.”

**********

“Oh! Look, Sunset!” Twilight grabbed her hand and tugged her over to another exhibit, eager to study everything written on the informational displays, before launching into an expanded explanation on the subject in that adorably dorky way of hers, eyes bright. Sunset didn't have the heart to stop her, even if she now knew more about nineteenth century seafaring vessels than she had ever wanted to know or thought possible for a single person to cram into a ten minute lecture. She couldn't—Twilight loved learning, but more than that, she loved sharing her knowledge with others, especially Sunset; the redhead suspected that stemmed from the fact that she was one of the few people who actually listened and engaged Teacher-Twilight on the level of an intellectual equal.

“Sparky,” she laughed, “there’s no rush! We have time!” She tugged her hand free so she could snag her companion around the waist, pulling her back against Sunset’s chest for a tight hug. “The exhibits aren't going to run away—I’m fairly certain those animals are all stuffed.”

The shorter frame tensed a moment, then relaxed back against her, Twilight leaning her head back. “There’s just so much to see, and I don't want Glamour and Wildsong to get bored,” she protested.

Sunset couldn't help but snort. “Twilight, they are bored, trust me. I looked back a minute ago and they were extremely invested in kissing each other. I think it's fine.”

Twilight glanced behind them and flushed. “Oh,” she responded, looking forward again quickly. “I...suppose you're right.”

She let Twilight go, looping their arms together instead. “Now c’mon, nerd. You can tell me all about these freaky looking dead animals that can't have possibly looked like that in life. I've seen a fox before, and it didn't look like that. That looks like a nightmare from a video game I saw on Youtube!”

Glamour Shot giggled again, watching the younger girls head for the next display arm in arm. “This was a great idea, tiger,” she gushed. “Look at Twilight! I've known her since she was a baby, and this really is the first time I’ve seen her actually act like the person I knew was there! She never laughs this much, or is this excited about anything, but with Sunset? She’s a whole new Twilight! It's beautiful to watch!”

Leaning over to kiss her cheek, Wildsong shook her head. “She seems like a sweet kid, Angel, but she’s got her own struggles. They were never yours to help her with. She needed someone like Sunset to balance her, to challenge her, to love her, and to make her feel like it's okay to be herself.”

She sighed, knowing instinctively that her partner was right. “Just like I needed you, tiger, to get me out of my own ego and realize I was a shallow, pushy bitch?”

“Babe, I love you, but we’re putting that in the past where it belongs, remember? You've changed, you learned what not to do anymore, and I'm proud of you. No more calling yourself names, no more self negativity. Brighter future, remember?” Song stared at her until she relented. “Speaking of futures, they look pretty serious for a couple of high schoolers.”

Rolling her eyes, Glamour made a put out sound. “Ugh. I think it's something about that part of the family. Her father and grandfather were the same way, finding true love on the first real try, and I swear, Shining Armor has been engaged to Mi Amore Cadenza before they were even old enough to know what that was.”

“…Wait.” Wildsong stopped cold. “…Your cousin is engaged to Mi Amore Cadenza? Twilight’s brother—the cop from last night? The Cadence she was talking about earlier is the same person, right?” She went a little cross-eyed, and Glamour felt concerned.

“…Yes? Tiger? What’s wrong?” She curled her arms around her partner’s body in worry.

Song shook her head. “…How is that girl still afraid to tell her parents? Her brother is engaged to Cadenza? That woman is the closest thing I’ve ever seen to a patron saint for anyone under the rainbow flag! She’s very openly pan, she’s a huge name in advocacy, she’s got one of the most comprehensive blogs on the web for sexuality, gender identity, romance, equality, you name it, and she’s a smoking hot bombshell that makes every lesbian in a five hundred mile radius weak in the knees?” She whistled. “…Damn. No wonder she was your cousin’s first girl crush. If someone like that had been my babysitter, I would’ve figured out I was gay that early too. Shit.”

“Cadence is that famous?” she asked. It had never occurred to her that the perky, pleasant woman that always accompanied Shining Armor was someone that her girlfriend would know by name. Glamour had always just thought she was a radio DJ.

“…Oh yeah. She’s a major advocate for all kinds of causes, is the co-founder of a non-profit for queer runaways, marches in Pride parades every year, signs petitions, joins in protests, helps raise money for like…women’s shelters and halfway houses, writes all these really well researched articles on sexual health, mental health, all kinds of stuff like that. She even did a series on stuff like depression, trauma, and anxie—” Wildsong stopped, her head turning to stare at where Twilight was eagerly regaling Sunset with something about the bird skeleton in the glass case they were looking at. “…Suddenly the article on anxiety and panic attacks makes sense. So does her article on coming out.”

Glamour considered it. “Yeah, Twi does have bad anxiety. Super bad. She had a major panic attack at New Years. I ended up hanging out outside the study she hid in—I thought about getting her parents, it was so bad, but…I…heard her talking to someone towards the end.” She tilted her head. “…Now that I think about it, I bet she was talking to Sunset.”

“Probably. Look at what happened in the car. She calmed your cousin down in less than a minute. Useful skill to have if that happens a lot.” Wildsong gave the younger pair a last glance to make sure they were staying in one spot for a few minutes, before pulling Glamour closer. “But enough about your cousin, Glam…”

It felt so liberating to be able to tilt her face and kiss her partner right there that Glamour didn’t even hesitate.

“I’ll be right back, Sunset. I’m just going to hit the ladies room.”

Twilight slipped her hand free and ducked through the door, giving Sunset a chance to wander back to where the older girls were standing. “…Hey,” she started, trying to get their attention. “Can I ask a tiny favor?”

“Sure!” Glamour said brightly, snuggled up to her girlfriend’s arm.

“…If you’re going to talk about Twilight, could you…keep it down? She was too busy with the exhibits to overhear, but I did. The whole ‘coming out’ thing really winds her up badly, even though her parents are super nice and kind. It really makes her upset, and today is supposed to be all about…well, leaving all that behind and just enjoying being on a date. She can’t do that if she’s stressed about something like her parents finding out.” She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop on the pair, but it wasn’t her fault they were talking so loud where she could hear, and she meant it. Today was supposed to be a good day, and she was going to do her best to make sure Twilight didn’t have anything to end up having a panic attack over. After everything, Twilight desperately needed the time to relax and just have some fun, without thinking about what was happening at school or her dangerous attempts to figure out magic.

The effect on Twilight’s cousin was immediate. Glamour’s bright expression fell away, and she twisted her hand on Wildsong’s arm anxiously. “…Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think about that!” she whimpered. “Are you sure Twi didn’t hear? I don’t want to ruin her day—this is supposed to be about having fun…”

“Hey, look, I think it's okay. I only barely heard you, and I have really good ears. She was also listening to one of those recorded spiels at the exhibit. I just…wanted to put it out there,” Sunset hasten to assure Glamour Shot. “Even I can’t talk to her about it. She just gets all wound up and freaked out.”

“She’s right, Angel. Relax.” Wildsong ran her free hand through her wild hair, blowing a bit of one of the black stripes out of her eyes. “…and I’m gonna be honest, kid. Her parents? After seeing them in action last night, I’d wager they already know she’s gay. Parents like that? Parents that care, that pay attention to their kids? They usually know all kinds of things the kids think are secret. My mom and dad sure as hell did. If it's that big a stress for her to try and come out, then maybe the normal kind of coming out isn’t what she needs.” She shrugged. “Not every coming out has to follow the stereotypical formula. Shit, you could test the waters for her, come out to them yourself, or find out if they know, and if they do, they could, ya know, come out to her that they know.”

Sunset’s brows furrowed. That was something she hadn’t considered—the possibility that Twilight Velvet and Night Light already knew about her girlfriend’s preferences had never even crossed her mind. While she herself had…said and done things that might have given away her more-than-platonic feelings for her best friend, it had always been one directional, and not anything that indicated Twilight might have felt that way about her. Twilight had seemed extremely convinced they had no idea, and she’d taken that information at face value, particularly because they hadn't said or done anything to suggest they suspected.

Now that it had been pointed out to her, though, she had to wonder. Neither of the adults were stupid, and she did spend a lot of time over there with Twilight, and they did act on some of their feelings in the house…Had they ever implied that they had some inkling of what the two of them felt for each other? The more she turned the concept over in her mind, the more she realized that it was very possible—if nothing else, she concluded that Night Light, at least, was probably aware of how Sunset felt about his daughter, and if he knew, he had likely told his wife. “I hadn’t thought about that,” she acknowledged. “…I just assumed that they had no idea, because Twilight said they didn’t.” She shrugged. “I…don’t exactly have any comparable experiences.”

“You don’t?” Glamour asked, confused. “Why not?”

The former unicorn snorted. There were so many ways to answer that, but she settled on the one that would still work for a normal human. “…Experience with parents kinda requires a person to have them. I don’t, and even before I ended up in Canterlot, my guardian and I weren’t exactly on the best terms.” It came out far less bitter and angry than it would have even six months prior, and Sunset realized talking about the Princess hurt a lot less than it once had.

Wildsong nodded in understanding, elbowing Glamour gently before the other girl could open her mouth. "How long have you been on your own, kid?"

She shrugged a little, finding to her surprise she didn't mind the older girl asking, "For the last five or six years, really."

“Oof. That’s rough. You fixed okay for funds and stuff now?” Wildsong hugged Glamour close to dispel the distress the bubbly girl was radiating.

Another shrug noncommittal shrug. “My finances are pretty decent—I get by okay, and manage to have money to spend on silly stuff. Or on Twilight.” She thought back to the discussion. “I never considered that her parents might already know.”

“Well, for what it's worth...I bet they have some idea. Especially if she’s always preferred other females. Parents like hers pick up on those kinds of things.”

Sunset shook her mane out. “I believe it’s definitely possible, now that you've pointed it out. I’ll have to think about what you’ve said...but not today. I have a nerd to make smile today.” She turned just in time to see Twilight walking towards them, and couldn't help the crooked smile that tugged at her own lips.

Ze double date BEGINS!

*cackles*

On a slightly less pleasant bit of news, my mother is quite likely having hip replacement surgery in two weeks, and if that goes down, I'm probably going to skip posting that week as I will not have time to even stop at my PC, between my role as chauffer, coordinator, aide, level head, and potentially nurse to mum, let alone do the final editing and formatting that usually go into a chapter before I post it.

We're actually hoping the surgery goes ahead--she needs it done badly, and I hate seeing her in pain like this. So claws crossed, please, about that.