Twilight watched as Sunset’s bike revved once she was back on the street, her own hand raised in a farewell wave at her girlfriend. Sunset gave a parting wave of her own before she drove off into the sunny afternoon. The dark haired girl lingered on the porch until the leather wearing form on the motorcycle disappeared around the corner, her lips turned up unconsciously into a smile. Only once Sunset was completely gone from view did she turn back to enter the house amidst the eager barks of her dog whose tail was wagging so hard his whole back half wiggled.

She closed the door behind her, leaning back against it with a soft and happy sigh after she picked up her dog. “Oh, Spike,” she whispered, hugging the furry body tight mostly out of a raw desire to have something warm and alive in the circle of her arms again. “…I miss her already…”

Which was the truth. Despite everything bad that had happened, the last two days had been unimaginably wondrous and she hadn't wanted it to end, hadn't wanted to leave the warmth and intimacy they had achieved in the privacy of Sunset’s loft. Neither of them had, really; Sunset had lingered in the shower with her until the hot water ran out, and there had been little resistance when Twilight had practically tackled her to the couch for another round…or two…

Though the third round had been initiated by her Sunny, when she’d flipped them and pushed Twilight into the couch cushions. Not to mention the way Sunset had interfered with the process of finally getting dressed, all wandering hands and heated kisses.

Real life had intruded all the same as the afternoon ticked away, however, and with reluctance, Sunset had brought Twilight home. It didn't stop the dark haired girl from reliving the memories, letting the night before drift across her thoughts with a faint flush on her cheeks. Things had changed between them, not just because of their physical encounters—Twilight felt like she was floating, buoyed up by the knowledge that whispered in her ear with the memory of blue-green eyes staring up at her: Sunset loved her, and she loved Sunset in return, even if neither had spoken it aloud yet. Perhaps it had been there for a while, but now that she had acknowledged it in her own mind, she could feel the way things arc’ed and buzzed between them, thrumming like an electrical current fashioned from emotion rather than energy, coating every interaction and word. If nothing else it made their current separation that much more tolerable and gave Twilight something to look forward to when they reunited next…

It had another benefit she had not realized until after the fact, but it was a benefit that the teenager hoped would continue and not wear off after a day or two. For the first time in her life that she could recall, her mind was tranquil and quiet, completely lacking the constant noise of a thousand trains of thought coming and going at all hours and endless scenarios painted in vivid color for her to see. Instead there was only Sunset, her touch, her voice, and the way she made Twilight feel, the ghost of their night together running along every nerve ending in time with the memories. Twilight let out a soft and contented sigh, basking in the stillness and light within and savoring the crystal clarity of the world that had been lacking for years. She had no idea if this was normal, or if it was something unique to her because nothing Cadence had ever spoken of had mentioned anything like it, and for all the books she had read could be both graphic and fantastical in the narrative of the love lives of characters, they too had failed to paint a picture that matched her experience.

Twilight had been so lost inside her own head that she hadn't paid much attention to Spike, and only belatedly realized that the dog in her arms had quieted. She glanced down to find him staring at her almost quizzically, ears akimbo, even as he sniffed her shirt. It struck her as funny for reasons she couldn't explain, and she giggled before kissing the top of his head. “She had to go home, Spike. I wish she didn't, but…” she sighed, before setting him down.

“The date went well then?” Cady’s voice broke through the quiet of the house. When Twilight jumped, staring at her wide eyed—she hadn't heard Cadence enter the room, for all she had noticed her car was the only one in the driveway. Her sister-in-law giggled, before she was in motion, pulling Twilight first into a hug, then unceremoniously pushing her up the stairs. “Girl-talk time, Ladybug!” the pink skinned woman informed her cheerfully, opening the door to her room.

Bewildered and unprepared, Twilight allowed herself to be directed to the space decorated in soothing colors that featured heavily in a lot of her memories of safety and sisterly companionship…but also in memories where Cadence plied her for embarrassing secrets or listened to her talk about her struggles at school or with her peers. Her current state of mind left her more than a little unable to process Cady’s excitement.

Closing the door behind them, Mi Amore Cadenza bounced over and sat on the edge of the bed. “Sooo…spill!” The grin on her face was wider than Twilight would have believed possible.

“I…it…we had a good time?” Twilight sat down nearby. “Glamour got a tattoo…we went to a big local Pride festival that was going on for the weekend.” The dark haired girl bit her lip. “Sunset bought me a couple of shirts…but I’m keeping them at her place until I tell Mom and Dad.”

Her sister-in-law nodded along with her description of events, before giving her a long, appraising stare that made Twilight more than a little twitchy. “Mmm…sounds like a good day then…but that's not what I meant.”

Lavender fingers tugged nervously on the messy ponytail. “I…don't understand?” she squeaked out—a small lie, as the answer started to dawn the instant the words were out of her mouth.

Cadence failed at restraining her laughter, and she reached over to rest her hand on the teen’s shoulder. “Twily, I love you like a little sister, but that means I know you and all of your tells, and right now you couldn’t advertise any louder that you got laid if you used a megaphone to announce it to the whole neighborhood.”

Twilight squawked, turning bright red, and she stammered out a long string of nearly unintelligible denials. Cadence never wavered in her amused expression, and eventually she wilted when it became evident that none of the attempted denial or deflection was working. “How could you tell?” she asked in surrender, hoping to figure out damage control to avoid outing herself to all and sundry.

“Twily, do you own a hairbrush?”

The abrupt non-sequitur confused Twilight. “Yes,” the dark haired girl answered slowly, puzzlement leaking into her voice, “but what does that have to do with—”

“You should get an extra one and keep it in your bag with you.”

She was completely lost now. “Why does that matter?”

Cadence gave her a wicked grin that would have been right at home on a Cheshire Cat. “So you don’t come in the door with ‘she fucked me’ bedhead,” she pointed out, seemingly enjoying watching the myriad of reactions that Twilight could feel playing out on her face as the words sunk in and then were mentally evaluated on a second, third, and even fourth pass, her eyes widened with each subsequent review.

Hands darted up to her hair, feeling over the ponytail that had been fine when she’d first put her hair up after the shared shower. “That’s a thing?!” she yelped in dismay.

“It sure is, Ladybug, and you’ve got a serious case of it right now.” Cady’s eyes were bright with mirth. “That and you need to start keeping concealer either in your bag or at Sunset’s, not just here at the house…” She tipped Twilight’s chin up and turned her head slightly to get a better look at her neck. “Or you need to convince her to leave bite marks somewhere much more discreet, because no one is going to believe a mark shaped like human teeth is a bug bite.”

A part of Twilight had blown right past embarrassment into pure mortification, but a larger and growing part of her was just upset. She knew Cadence didn't mean anything bad or demeaning with the playful, sisterly teasing; such things were just part of having a sibling, regardless of gender, and Cadence was never one to be cruel or mean spirited with any of her actions. Quite the opposite, when it came to “Girl Talk” moments between them…while it had never been stated aloud, Twilight had put together years before that this was Cady’s way of filling in both as the blood-sister she lacked and all of the female friends she didn't have to talk about personal things with, giving Twilight an aspect of social interaction and development she couldn't get anywhere else that she needed for her own mental health. However, the young woman’s good natured ribbing was missing its mark today, leaving Twilight feeling as though the intimate moments of the night before and earlier that day were being belittled or made light of, when to her they were something special.

“Cady…” she started, watching as her sister-in-law took notice of her tone of voice. “…I know that you mean well…but…can we talk without teasing, just this once?”

The results were immediate and visible. Cadence dropped the playful grin in favor of a very worried and concerned expression and she scooted so she could sit next to Twilight and put an arm around her shoulders instead. “Twily? What's wrong? I thought from the way you were acting that things must’ve gone really well.”

“They did,” the teenager responded, leaning into the hug. “Even with my considerable vocabulary in several languages, I lack the words to accurately articulate my feelings.” Just talking about it made that blissful happiness and warmth steal back over her. “…but that’s why…it's too special a memory…does that make sense?”

She glanced over when Cadence did not respond right away, and saw her frowning in the way she did when she was upset. “I’m sorry, Ladybug,” she said, voice gone quiet and contrite. “I didn't mean it in a negative way, or mean to make it seem like I was making fun of you—I can't tell you how happy I am that you and Sunset are so good together…I want to see you happy. You deserve all the love in the world, from a woman who cherishes the real you, flaws and all.” Fingers combed through Twilight’s ponytail lightly. “And if that woman is Sunset, then I’ll be the first one to toast at your wedding, because she deserves happiness just as much as you do.”

Twilight let out a slow exhale that wasn't strong enough to be called a sigh. “I…think I want it to be,” she confessed softly. “I…love her. Sunset, I mean. Not like a best friend or as a family member…but…like you and Shining love each other. I…realized it last night, and I think she loves me…even if we didn't say it to each other. It’s…part of what made it mean so much. It wasn't j-just…s-sex…I felt alive and wanted and special in a way that I never have before…”

Cadence rested her cheek against the top of Twilight’s head. “First times are different,” the woman murmured understandingly, “especially when it's with someone that’s special to you.”

“It was…nothing like what books make it sound like…”

Laughter made her sister-in-law’s shoulders shake gently. “Because the people who write those books have never experienced it, Twily, or if they have, like you, they can't put it into words that do it justice…”

There was something reassuring in knowing that Cadence understood what she was feeling, and could verify that Twilight wasn’t alone in her experience. Although, if she was honest, she had no interest in the details of her sister-figure’s personal encounters, nor did she have any want to discover what intimacy would be like with anyone other than Sunset.

In any other circumstance the reliance on a single case study or data point was a foolish error, in this case, Twilight felt she could draw a satisfactory conclusion to a long held hypothesis. Though…if Sunset was interested in…repeating the experiment…perhaps under a variety of conditions…she wouldn't be opposed to that.

She could see it now: Sunset dressed in a lab coat and little else, leaning forward across one of the tables in her lab to grin at her with a smug, sexy expression. “Glad to hear you find my skills in this area so…satisfying…” Sunset’s voice purred in her mind. “Now, Dr. Sparkle…what variable are we testing for next?”

Swallowing, Twilight tried to push the mental images away, and could almost hear Mental-Sunset chuckling at her. This was not the best time to be beset by part two of that morning’s steamy romantic lab fantasy.

“Right…so tonight then? Say…bedtime? It's a date!”

That mental facsimile of her girlfriend’s voice was going to be the end of her.

Cadence’s voice broke into her thoughts. “I’m glad it was a positive experience for you, Ladybug…and while I’m not teasing, there's a couple of things you are probably going to want to do to help make sure that you aren’t inadvertently advertising to the public any more than you want them to know.”

She bit her lip. “…like the hairbrush?”

“Yes, like the hairbrush, but also a small bag of the little wet wipes—the ones like you get at a barbecue place or fried chicken restaurant? Little things you can pack in a purse or backpack to clean up from any spontaneous encounters. Its less messy in some ways with another girl than with a boy, but not always.”

Twilight fought the urge to whine and bury her face in her hands. On second thought, perhaps having the lab fantasy at an inappropriate moment was the lesser of two evils.

Sunset reentered her apartment with a lightness to her steps and a smile on her face that she couldn't seem to get rid of, despite having dropped the source of it off at home. She found herself humming as she shed her jacket and wandered to the fridge for a drink, body swaying to the beat once she had a chance to turn on her music. It was almost shocking, how much of a difference twenty four hours could make, she marveled as she unpacked the groceries she’d picked up for the week and retrieved one of the multitude of frozen meals Velvet had filled her freezer with, setting it atop her microwave to thaw. Or maybe it was just a testament to how much of her stress had been tied into worrying about her double life and the human girl who had ensnared her so completely…

Sparky…

The images danced across her mind’s eye with barely any effort, and Sunset could see the other girl the way she had looked that morning, skin touched with moisture from the shower and raw desire in her eyes when she’d pulled the redhead into a heated kiss and another round of steamy lovemaking, right there on the couch. Sunset could still feel the fingers against her inner thighs, as if Twilight’s touch was permanently branded into her flesh. She wasn't entirely sure if the noise that had torn from her in climax had been entirely possible for her throat—the faint scratchy ache suggested it wasn't—or entirely human…

Good thing her only neighbors were separated by some alleys…and that renovations to the building before she moved in had included new insulation with good soundproofing. The former unicorn was not particularly keen on Mr. Asiago knowing about her intimate life. As funny and charming as the wizened old man was, she wasn't sure if he would chastise her or offer her a drink in celebration. Probably the latter.

Shaking her head to clear it, Sunset flopped bonelessly onto her couch. She still had to figure out a solid plan and a few backups to tell Twilight about the magic, but with her decision made, she was no longer hovering in that in-between space. The decision itself was somewhat bittersweet—she loved her magic and being a unicorn, but…this world wanted her as she was…and more than that…she wanted this world, this life, and the people in it that had found their way into her heart.

Like Twilight Sparkle, her adorably dorky human girlfriend, whose voice and touch made her battered soul sing.

She wanted to see what their relationship could be in ten years or thirty, to let the feelings between them blossom and grow into their own. When she pictured her life going forward, it was her Sparky that formed the center of the image, by her side every step of the way, a partner and best friend in good times and bad. Everything else was vague and suggestive at best: college and career, home, hobbies, even friends…but Twilight was in focus and high definition, giving her that smile that said everything would be okay.

“Sun and stars, Shimmer,” she chastised herself. “You’ve become such a sap.”

It didn't help that she was cuddling a couch pillow that held a lingering whiff of their scents, and air that was touched with the night’s passion. Maybe she should open a window so she could think clearly without the hormones muddling her senses or fueling her own desire to drive right back over to Twilight’s house and continue where they had left off on the couch.

—Someone’s randier than a deer in rut. Must’ve been some good sex. Certainly a change from all your denials and moping, horn-head.— It almost sounded like praise and approval. —You’re welcome, by the way.—

Whatever thoughts she’d had ground unceremoniously to a shrieking halt at the sudden reappearance of that sarcastic and somewhat dry toned inner voice that had been missing for months from her inner monologues.

—Awww, did you miss it that much?—

That would be pushing it, Sunset decided. Though she might have appreciated being able to use the inner voice as a sounding board for the things that had been weighing on her….Although that did beg the question of how a part of her own psyche could just disappear for months without a trace, even when she was actively trying to trigger what Twilight would call ‘a coping mechanism.’

—Not sorry. You had it under control, and there were bigger problems to worry about.—

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. “If that's what I sound like when I get sarcastic, I owe a lot of people apologies,” she muttered to herself. Stupid little voice.

Laughter, a touch darker than expected, drifted up from that corner of herself. —Sarcasm is a natural defense against gross stupidity. We’ve mastered that.—

Sunset curled into the pillow, trying to tune it out. Focusing on memories of the night before and earlier in the day were much more satisfying than getting mocked by herself. She indulged in playing back the way Twilight had looked on the couch, eyes dilated and hungry as she’d parted Sunset’s towel from her hips.

—Sparky’s going to be an insatiable little minx now you know.—

“Like I am really going to mind,” Sunset countered with her own snark. “The sounds she makes are worth a little more exercise and a little less sleep.”

—…again, you're welcome. You two didn’t exactly make it easy.—

Something about that statement made the former unicorn stop and really focus on what was going on. She’d assumed that the voice was simply a repressed corner of her own mind…like her subconscious or her own personal ‘devil’s advocate’ as the human term would describe it. That, however…there was something there that unsettled her, and she couldn't quite pin it down with a hoof. “What?” she whispered, speaking to the voice directly now.

It sounded mildly amused and a little frustrated. —You both have been panting at each other like cats in heat for months, but at every turn you fought any encouragement. Both of you. You should get a medal for self control, horn-head.—

Her mouth was dry and her stomach dropped unpleasantly into the vicinity of the local sewer system to hang out with alligators, rats, and discarded goldfish bodies. “You? But…you’re…” Sunset paused to take a deep breath and collect her scattered thoughts. “You're just me. My own mind.”

Even as she said it, doubt filled her. The voice had been something she never actively controlled, and when she had tried, it failed to make an appearance, even in situations where she was mentally mocking herself. And the last time she had heard it was…

—The Battle of the Bands, because that needed all of us to put those shrieking, scaly, walking sushi platters down hard. Between that, your gaggle of new apprentices, and keeping the filth from getting too into Sparky’s head, all of you has been spread too thin, and comparing notes has been difficult at best, especially since you're afraid of parts of yourself.—

That was way more to unpack than she was prepared for, but she fixated on the part that mattered. “What do you mean, keeping filth out of Sparky’s head?”

The voice—which was becoming less stupid and little by the second—sighed heavily. —You're smarter than that, horn-head. You know already—you were just there last week...and Sparky isn't theirs to have. You knew it was bad news before too, and you wanted to protect her. So you did.—

Sunset bit back an unpleasant laugh. “By…what? Sending a detached portion of my own subconscious brain to fight dark magic? Newsflash, it wasn't working—she keeps coming home with it hooked into her.”

—It would have been worse if you hadn't.—

“I find that hard to believe.” Sunset rubbed her face, wondering if she was just going mad.

—You know better,— the voice in the back of her mind chastised and in that moment, everything froze for Sunset Shimmer.

Because she’d heard those words before, in that exact tone…in her nightmares, from the fanged mouth of the demon she’d once become…

She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. Her mind echoed with those same words, spoken again and again in different hellish dreamscapes of crawling shadows and desolate darkness. All along, she’d been looking for signs that the demon was still present…had it truly been right there in front of her from the very beginning? Whispering in her ear, goading her, pushing her towards her best friend, commiserating with her woes…and then just…disappearing for months?

None of that made sense, and it was that that got her breathing again. Sunset needed answers, something to bring clarity to a scenario that…didn't match up with what she knew. At the formal, she’d been consumed by her anger and desire to prove herself, to show she was worthy of Ascension, of Celestia’s love and attention, and she’d been willing to murder, torture, and enslave any being necessary to accomplish that goal. If the voice in the back of her mind was whatever was left of the monster she’d transformed into, then why in the wide world of Equestria was it fixated on encouraging teenage romance or providing her with an outlet for her frustrations with the growing pains of new friendships? Or…somehow…trying to protect Twilight—the counterpart of the pony who’d defeated it the last time that part of her was in control and free—from dark magic…if that part was to be believed, and not some kind of lie to earn her sympathy.

—No point in lying to yourself, horn-head. Doesn’t serve much purpose.—

That still didn't explain why it would want to encourage her relationship with Twilight.

Another sigh echoed up from the back of her mind. —It's not that complicated, you know. Why? Because it's what you Desired…and honestly, the little pushes were what you both needed. Now you’re happy, and you can plan how to do your big reveal to Sparky, and the two of you can live happily ever after in nerd paradise, inventing all kinds of new technologies, researching magic, and having lots of wild sex. Everybody wins.—

Sitting up on the couch, Sunset squeezed the pillow in a death grip. “Now I know I’m being lied to,” she hissed. “What are you really after? Who else have you targeted? What’s your game?”

—Paranoia isn't all that attractive a feature, you know.—

“Neither is being a demonic abomination, so I guess we’re even.”

If there was the auditory equivalent of an eye roll, the voice managed it. —And things were going so well. Fine. If you must know, there was some consideration for turning Abacus Cinch into a greasy smudge, and maybe Wallflower ran away that day because we were fed up with her threats about Sparky, but other than that, nothing you haven't secretly wanted. Why work against yourself?—

Sunset fought back a growl. “I don't believe it. The old me always had a motive. I was nothing but manipulative schemes, lies, anger, hate, and full of the desire to crush my opponents by any means necessary. Hurting others was part of establishing my own superiority, and destroying competition. And when I put the Crown on, all of those things were magnified a hundredfold. I wanted to kill Princess Twilight, I enslaved half the school. I was a monster.”

—We’ve been over this. Last time, you were filled with hate, with a lust for something that wasn’t yours to have, and so we became those things. It’s different now. You don't want those things anymore—you are not who we used to be!— The voice, or demon or whatever it really was seemed agitated and almost pleading. —All that matters here is what you desire…what Sparky desi—

Anger boiled in her and her magic throbbed warningly against the inside of her skull. “No!” the redhead barked out. “You…you don't get to touch her—stay away from Twilight! She's the only thing in my life you never corrupted and twisted!” She felt like she was wrestling with a piece of her own essence as she zeroed in on the stupid voice. “I won't let you hurt her, or anyone else, ever again!”

—If there’s one person above all others that is in no danger from any part of you, Sunset Shimmer, it is Twilight Sparkle. You know that—all of you would do anything for her, even the parts of yourself wish didn’t exist.—

She clenched her hands tightly, knuckles white, and vaguely registered the tearing of fabric under her fingertips. “I can’t believe that—you stay away from her!” It hurt, and for the first time in forever her magic burned her as she fought a part of herself, crimson flames along her arms and hands leaving the skin tender and even blistered in places.

The smell of charred fabric filled her nostrils as the voice answered with a bit of tart petulance, —You don't want to do this, horn-head. It's only going to make things worse.—

Sunset ignored it, grimacing through the pain as she worked to build a cage of will and defiance around the whispering monster in her mind that had revealed itself. Never again, she told herself, holding onto that thought like a mantra, giving her the strength to blink back tears. She would not allow it to take her over again, or to bring harm to the people in her life, even if she had to beg the girls to hit her with the Rainbow of Light a few more times just to be sure—that had to be what weakened it at the Battle of the Bands and driven it to silence for months.

—You're making a mistake,— it warned her testily as she slammed the cage shut and sealed it tight with magic and something not unlike a prayer.

“I’m finally doing…something right…about one thing I can control,” the former bully bit back. “I won't be you…again…” Her magic guttered out, and her vision grayed from the effort it had taken to lock the monster away. The walls of her loft swam dizzyingly, in time with the pain in her head, and she decided that maybe laying back was a good idea with how light-headed she felt. As she did, she cursed her body’s inability to work with her magic properly…

And then she didn't think of much else as the cool darkness of unconsciousness claimed her. Her body settled into the couch cushions and the arms drawn tight to her relaxed, one falling towards the ground and spilling the charred, tattered pillow from a blistered hand and fingers tipped in black claws…

*smirks*

So...that happened.

This is definitely the home stretch of the arc. They're about 3 weeks away from the Games, and most of the pieces are now in place. Just a few more moves on the board before the big finale event.

*cackles*

*braces for the inevitable tsunami of comments*