Chapter 20. Friendly Soireé

“I can’t believe you talked me into this.” Sunset sighed while they got off the bus and she laid eyes on the gigantic shopping mall.

“Just trust me on this, it is a tried and true therapeutic treatment for teenage girls on this world.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “I’m not from this world.”

“Yeah, well, we can try some hay later,” Trixie said with a nonchalant motion of her hand.

Sunset raised an eyebrow at that, looking at Trixie with a mix of disbelief and amusement. “Sassy,” she said with a grin. For things like this she liked being with Trixie; she knew exactly when to joke around. It was probably for that same reason that she had agreed to go shopping with the girls.

The last week had been a boring one, to some degree. On one hand, Trixie had visited her every day, but on the other, she had have a lot of free time with nothing better to do than browsing the internet and watching funny cat videos. At least, she was going to begin working for the brothers again tomorrow, so she was going to keep her mind busy for a while.

To her surprise, Principal Celestia didn’t call her again. Maybe she had gotten word that Sunset wasn’t going to return. She felt bad for ignoring her, but she didn’t want to have anything to do with CHS. Not anymore.

A chill ran through her body as she entered the mall. The weather outside wasn’t exactly warm, but the air conditioner of the building certainly made it feel like its own environment. That, and the rows of stores, escalators, elevators, and the dozens upon dozens of people carrying heavy plastic bags. Even though the place was really spacious, it didn’t really feel any different from a regular building with this many people around.

She grabbed Trixie by the hand as they began walking towards the first row of escalators. Sunset noticed that Trixie was wearing a faint blush, finding her so irresistibly adorable. When they were half the way to the second floor, Sunset gently turned Trixie around and kissed her. It was just a brush of lips, but one that sent a powerful message.

Trixie leaned away as soon as she realized what was going on. “S-Sunset!”

“Yes?” Sunset asked with a very good impression of obliviousness.

Trixie looked around. Nobody seemed to have even noticed their presence. She turned to Sunset again. “Why did you do that?” She asked through her teeth.

Sunset blinked. “What? Can’t I kiss my girlfriend when I feel like it?”

“No!” Trixie replied as her blush deepened. “I mean… You know!”

Sunset couldn’t help the smile forming in her face. “Come on now, Trixie. Nobody here gives a damn about us. Now, if we were furiously making out, that would be a different story.”

Trixie rubbed the bridge of her nose as she walked away from the escalator. “What if someone sees us? Someone that isn’t our friends, that is.”

For a moment, Sunset stared at her in silence. “If it is someone from CHS, and they try to bully you, I’d put my bet on either Speedy or Applejack beating ‘em up.” She shrugged. “I don’t see why you should worry about it.”

Trixie sighed in defeat. “I give up, you’re impossible.”

Sunset closed the distance between them and gently hugged Trixie’s waist. “I can’t be impossible, I exist. I believe what you meant to say is: ‘I give up, you’re improbable’.”

Trixie giggled. “You really are a dork.” She wrapped her arms around Sunset’s neck and gave her a quick kiss, pressing their lips with just a little too much force. “Now let’s go. The girls must be already waiting for us.”

“Lead the way.”

The concept of a mall was entirely human. The closest to a synonym ponies had was a city square, an area in which big streets met, whose purpose wasn’t for houses, but for businesses. In smaller towns, it would resemble more to a market in which ponies would sell or buy things at tents built upon dirt roads. But in bigger towns, such as Canterlot, the stores would be set within buildings. It left more space for ponies to walk around, and it looked cleaner.

In the human world, however, even though squares and markets still existed in some places, there was a much bigger proliferation of malls. And, really, it didn’t take a genius to figure out why; they were the exact same thing, but with the advantage of offering protection against weather nuisances, such as rain, snow, heat, cold, etc.

But, above all of that, Sunset found the food court to be the most interesting part of the mall. The concept was so simple, and yet, at the same time, very clever. Having an area dedicated to sell food, with a centric array of tables and chairs, and surrounded by small fast-food restaurants was a very smart way to attract people.

Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie were already sitting at one of the bigger tables right in the center of the fairly empty area. Ten in the morning was still too early a time to find bigger crowds, it seemed.

The moment Pinkie Pie saw them getting closer, she started waving her right arm and making it look like a fan.

Trixie slowed her pace just enough to get to Sunset’s left side before stepping a little faster and sitting right next to Applejack and in front of Rainbow and Pinkie. Sunset took the seat next to Trixie.

“Sunset! It’s been such a loooooooooong time!” Pinkie leaned forward to hug Sunset, which proved to be a little painful, taking into account that there was a whole table between them. “Where have you been? What have you done? Why didn’t you call us?”

Thankfully, Rainbow muffled any further jabbering by placing a hand on Pinkie’s mouth. “I think Sunset would prefer if you ask one question at a- Stop licking my hand!” She retrieved her hand and used a napkin to clean it.

Pinkie hummed for a moment. “Mystery solved. You do taste like sprinkles!”

Rarity rolled her eyes at that. “Ignoring that… unpleasantly achieved information…” She turned to Sunset. “We do want to catch up with you, Sunset.”

“Yeah! Trixie here’s been tellin’ us everything, but we wanna hear it from you,” Applejack added.

Sunset sighed as she leaned back, crossing her arms. “There’s no much to say. I’ve been doing absolutely nothing for a week, aside from talking with Trixie when she visits.”

“Trixie told us you are her manager now,” Rarity said. “How did that happen?”

“She asked me to do it,” Sunset answered with a lazy movement of her hand. “We talked about it and we signed a contract.”

“Did you get her a cool show yet?” Rainbow asked.

Sunset snorted. “I normally wouldn’t do it, but I want to show off my girl, so I’ll correct you.” She briefly looked at Trixie with a grin and then back at Rainbow. “My job is to get her contracts for performances. She’s the one doing the cool shows.” She chuckled when Rainbow rolled her eyes. “But, in all seriousness, no, I haven’t gotten her a contract yet.”

“But you have something in mind, right?” Rainbow insisted. “I mean, you had a whole week to look for contracts.”

Rarity and Applejack looked from Trixie to Sunset a couple of times.

“In order to avoid misunderstandings, Trixie shall explain thy concern,” Trixie intervened. “As much as I loathe to admit it, I’m a nobody in the world of spectacles. Sunset is doing her best to find me a good contract, but for now we’ll have to put up with small things. Besides, I’m planning to at least finish high school, she can’t get me contracts that will interfere with my studies.”

There were a couple of seconds of silence before the girls processed what Trixie said with hums and sounds of agreement.

Sunset couldn’t help but smile wider. “Isn’t she smart? I wish I’d have met her earlier.”

“Yeah, but you’d have bullied her then,” Rainbow blurted out, and almost instantly smacked a hand to her mouth.

Sunset stared at Rainbow for a long time with a thoughtful expression, her eyes were narrowed and her mouth slightly open.

“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack yelled before the silence got more uncomfortable.

“Sunset, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“No, you’re right,” Sunset interrupted Rainbow. “There’s no point in pretending it didn’t happen. If Trixie had tried to hit on me anytime before the Fall Formal, I would’ve done something horrible to her.” She looked down at her crossed arms and sighed. “But I’m glad it happened the way it did.” She turned to Trixie and smiled. “Without her, I don’t know what I’d be doing… Maybe I’d have started drinking, or doing drugs.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Trixie stated.

“Yeah, drugs are lame.” Sunset chuckled and then looked at Rainbow. “But seriously, I appreciate that you aren’t oblivious of the situation, but I’d prefer if we all act like the adults we like to think we are, and just talk about it without worrying it’ll hurt me.”

“So, you want to talk about it?” Rainbow asked. Applejack scowled at her. “What? It’s an honest question!”

Sunset tilted back her head and hummed. After mere seconds, she looked at Rainbow again and huffed. “Alright, Speedy, shoot.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at that. “So, nobody knows why Lyra smashed the statue.”

“Yeah, I knew you’d ask that,” Sunset answered as she straightened up. “Long story short, something I thought would only get her in troubles for a while actually got her kicked out from her home. That was a year ago.”

“What did you do?” Applejack couldn’t help to question.

Sunset sighed. “Let’s just say I revealed a secret of hers to her family.”

“Wait, you were the one that posted that she’s gay in MyStable?” Rainbow asked.

“And believe it or not, I’m not proud of it,” Sunset replied. “I just wanted her to step away from the Fall Formal so I could win. It was just last week that she told me the real consequences of my actions.”

“But, you couldn’t know it would escalate to that point,” Rarity offered.

Sunset leaned on the table and rested her head on her left hand. “Does it matter? What’s done is done. I ruined her life, she ruined mine... We’re even.” She pursed her lips for a moment, and suddenly stood up. “I’ll get a coffee, you guys want anything?” The girls shook their heads. “Okay, be right back.”

When Sunset was out of earshot, Trixie scowled at Rainbow. “You just had to ask.”

“What? She said it was fine!” Rainbow replied.

Before Trixie could answer, Applejack placed a hand on her shoulder. “She’s right, Trixie. Even though Ah’d have asked somethin’ else, Sunset did say it was fine.”

Trixie leaned back, crossing her arms and pouting.

“I think that’s the reason she decided to leave for now,” Rarity said. “It’s still a sore subject for her, but she does want to talk about it.”

“By the way,” Trixie said, looking at Rarity. “Do you know what happened to Lyra? I haven’t seen her all week. Please tell me she was expelled.”

Everyone turned to Rarity, who just raised her eyebrow.

“Why do you think Principal Celestia would tell me of all people if a student gets expelled or not?” Rarity asked.

“Sorry, Rares,” Applejack replied. “Since you were the one to speak with ‘er the other day, we just thought she’d have told you somethin’ ‘bout it.”

Rarity smiled. “Don’t worry.” She then looked at Pinkie and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you alright, darling? You’ve been awfully quiet.”

Pinkie was lying on the table with her head upon her crossed arms. She looked at Rarity and let out a muffled whine. “I just don’t like seeing Sunset like that. I mean, I know she did pretty mean things in the past, but she didn’t deserve what Lyra did to her.”

“But that’s why we’re here,” Rarity replied, gently squeezing Pinkie’s shoulder. “We have a whole day to cheer her up, and if that doesn’t work, your party is sure to succeed.”

Pinkie brightened up, smiling widely and straightening up. “You’re right! We’ll make this a super fantastically awesome day for Sunset!”

“I sure hope so,” Twilight’s voice interrupted the conversation as she approached the table. “I’m not very good at this shopping with friends business, but you five look like you have some experience.”

“We sure do!” Pinkie confirmed. “We used to do this all the time! Right, girls?”

There was a round of sounds of agreements.

“Well, you and me are on new ground, Twilight,” Trixie said as Twilight sat down. “This is Trixie’s first time going shopping with a bunch of friends.”

“Oh, this isn’t my first time,” Twilight said. “The other Sunset and me used to go shopping too.”

“It isn’t too much a surprise, really,” Sunset said as she approached the girls, holding two plastic cups. “You did say you two were very close.” She sat down next to Trixie and handed her one of the cups. “I got you a frappé.”

“Thanks,” Trixie said as she grabbed the cup.

Twilight shifted in her place. “Hello, Sunset. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” Sunset replied, sipping on her mokaccino. “Hey, did you know that you can make music with Tesla coils?”

Twilight blinked. “Uhh, no. Is it true?”

“I saw quite a few videos,” Sunset replied. “I have no idea how it works, but people connect the coils to some machines, and they act as loudspeakers, and you can see the electricity dancing at the beat of the music.”

“Huh, well that’s an interesting use of the coils…” Twilight grabbed her chin in a thoughtful expression. “Can you show me those videos? It might help me with my project.”

“Sure,” Sunset answered. “Give me your mail and I’ll send them to you.”

“Or, you can just use your phone,” Rainbow said with a grin. And before Sunset could ask, she leaned over the table and looked past Sunset. “Right, Fluttershy?”

Sunset turned around, and true to Rainbow’s word, Fluttershy was standing behind her with a small smile. But what caught her attention was a small, blue box upon Fluttershy’s hands. “Of course,” she said as she handed the box to Sunset. “I hope you like it.”

Sunset took the box and read the words printed on it. “You bought me a phone?” She asked, turning around and looking at the girls.

Applejack smiled. “Yup! We all pitched in. And don’t you dare try to refuse, it is a gift from your friends.”

Sunset opened the box, quickly finding the phone and taking it out to give it a better look. I wasn’t the newest one, to which she felt oddly relieved, but it was a nice one nonetheless. She noticed that the hard part was a dark teal, almost the color of her eyes.

“Pinkie wanted it to be pink,” Rainbow said. “But we know you don’t like it, so we had Rarity pick the color.”

“Pink is fun,” Pinkie muttered.

Sunset pressed the small button at the side of the phone, and the screen quickly lit up.

“It already has the basics,” Rarity said. “And we also took the liberty to save our numbers in the contact list.”

Sunset looked up at the girls and smiled. “Thanks.”

The first few times Sunset had bought clothes, she had just gotten to a store, picked something nice she could afford, and paid for it. No big deal. It was until a couple of months after she had arrived to this world, that she learned that humans had a specific system of organizing clothes by size. In Equestria, clothes were entirely optional, only being mandatory for the fanciest gatherings in Canterlot, so they were made with the exact measures of each pony.

Of course, it was logical that a species that required to use clothes at all times, and that needed to produce them by millions, would be forced to develop a sizing system so that many people could buy them.

It was all perfectly reasonable. That is, until Sunset learned that different brands also had different opinions on how to label their clothes. It had taken her months to accept the fact that two shirts of the exact same size were labeled small and medium. She had later learned that it was just a big marketing scheme whose purpose was still a mystery to Sunset, but it surely hadn’t good intentions.

She let out a sigh as she held two skirts in front of her. One was gray and thigh length, and the other was teal and knee length.

“You can’t decide?” Trixie asked. She had bought a sleeveless dark blue turtleneck in the last store, and had put it on.

Sunset pouted. “I’ve been using skirts for a long time. And I’m honestly tired of them.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow. “Then start using jeans instead. They look really good on you.”

With a chuckle, Sunset placed both skirts upon the rack. “You know what? I’ll take your word for it. They’re more comfortable and easier to buy.”

“Mhm. I’ll probably switch to jeans too.”

Sunset crossed her arms and tilted her head. “So, now that you’re deciding my new wardrobe, what should I try now?”

To Sunset’s amusement, Trixie’s face lit up with a wide smile. “I have the perfect idea! Come with me!” She said as she grabbed Sunset by the hand and dragged her to the other side of the store.

It was weird, Sunset thought, that Trixie seemed to already have planned a few new looks for Sunset. Or at least that’s what looked like, because Trixie didn’t even hesitate while taking the clothes from the racks and stacking them in her arms.

When Trixie had a mountain of garments on her arms, she somehow managed to push Sunset into a dresser room, giving her the clothes.

“These clothes look nice,” Sunset said from the other side of the curtain.

“And they will look better on you,” Trixie replied as she sat down in front of the dresser. “But I’m not really sure which style is the best for you, so you’ll have to try all of them.”

A giggle was Sunset’s response as she started changing.

In just a matter of minutes, Sunset opened the curtain to reveal the first change Trixie picked for her. It was a shoulderless, magenta shirt, and a pair of dark gray jeans.

Trixie hummed for a moment. “No, it doesn’t really suit you.”

Sunset put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. “You know, I was thinking that since you’re picking my wardrobe…”

“I won’t start using flats,” Trixie deadpanned.

“Party pooper,” Sunset said with a small frown. She then closed the curtain and began changing again.

Another few minutes passed before Sunset opened the curtain once more, revealing the second set. It was a similar pair of jeans in model, but soft blue, a white, sideless shirt, and a dark gray bonnet.

“This feels awkward,” Sunset admitted. “After so much time in this world, using something that lets this much air flow through the body is just… weird.”

Trixie hummed. “I think it looks great on you. It can be a look for summer, mayb-” she pursed her lips together as Sunset turned around to look at her reflection in the mirror. “Uhh, Sunset?”

“Yeah?”

Trixie shifted in her place, doing her best to avoid the inevitable blush of her face. “Why did you take off your bra?”

Sunset blinked, then turned a little to look in the mirror. The sideless shirt turned out to be more revealing than she thought. “I didn’t. I don’t usually wear a bra,” she admitted nonchalantly.

A sharp inhalation of air made Trixie cough a couple of times. And yet, she couldn’t take her eyes off of Sunset’s torso. “Why?” She asked forcefully.

Sunset shrugged. “Honestly? They’re way too uncomfortable and unnatural. I only wear them if I’m going to use very thin shirts.” She looked at her reflexion a little more, spinning her torso a couple of times. She stopped with a pose, lifting the bonnet with one hand and placing the other on her hips. “If I use a sports bra, I think it can work,” she said lazily.

“Uh-huh,” was Trixie’s only response.

Sunset turned at her and giggled. “You look so cute when you’re flustered.”

Trixie’s blush deepened as she frowned. “Trixie is not flustered!”

Grabbing the hem of the shirt with only two fingers, Sunset gently pulled the fabric, showing just a little more skin to Trixie. Her smile tried to be seductive, but her eyes yelled mischievous intentions. “Boy, is it just me or is it hot in here?”

Trixie looked at the entrance of the dressers and then at Sunset. Her expression was a cute mix of nervousness and excitement. “Can you not? This is a public place!”

Sunset grabbed the curtain, making sure to let Trixie see the side of her torso, and smiled. “I think I’ll buy this shirt,” she said with a sideway grin before closing the curtain.

Trixie crossed her arms and huffed. She knew that Sunset was just teasing, but that didn’t make it any less difficult to ignore. And her blush didn’t help stop Sunset from doing it. She breathed in deeply in an attempt to calm herself.

After a couple of minutes, Sunset opened the curtain again, revealing the last attire Trixie had chosen. It consisted on a pair of soft blue jeans and a long, soft teal shirt with a transparent extra length that went to her mid thighs and a pointed neck that showed Sunset’s clavicles.

“So? How do I look?” Sunset asked.

On her part, Trixie felt her heart race just a little. “You should keep that look.”

“Really?” Sunset turned to the mirror, grabbing the hem of the shirt and examining it. “I don’t know. It looks too simple.”

“Maybe a jacket could work with it,” Trixie offered, and then her eyes sparked as she suddenly stood up. “I know! Wait here!” And she ran away. Fortunately for Sunset, it didn’t take Trixie too long to return. “Put this on,” she said, giving a jacket to Sunset.

“I already have a jacket,” Sunset said. Trixie looked at her with a pleading frown, and Sunset rolled her eyes playfully. “Fine.” She put on the jacket and looked at the mirror. The style was different from her spare jacket. This one had a short torso that barely got below her chest, the sleeves were 3/4 length, fastening upwards and with orange arrows at the shoulders, and the flap was straight upward.

“Now that looks way better,” Trixie stated with a satisfied smirk.

Sunset placed her hands on her hips and smiled. “Yes, yes it does.”

“The only thing left is to get boots that match the jacket and you’ll be rocking that new look in no time!” Trixie continued.

Sunset giggled and stepped closer to Trixie, wrapping her arms around her neck. “I can rock that sideless shirt too, you know.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “I’m not picking a bra for you.”

Sunset smiled widely. “You know me so well.”

The rest of the shopping trip lasted two more hours, with Rarity and Pinkie trying dozens of different attires and combinations, only to end up buying matching bracelets. Which lasted five minutes, because Pinkie felt bad that only the two of them had friendship bracelets, and so she bought matching bracelets to everyone.

At some point, Trixie found a pair of boots that matched Sunset’s new jacket. These were a lot shorter, only getting midway to her knees, but their heels were about the same as the old boots. Sunset, on her part, had grabbed at least ten pairs of flat shoes for Trixie, who refused to even try them. Rarity had noticed this, but Trixie dismissed it as just don’t liking flats.

Fluttershy bought a hoodie and a pair of warm pants for the upcoming cold days. Applejack got a white coat for herself and a green one for her little sister. Rainbow Dash didn’t buy anything, saying that she had everything she needed back home. And Twilight bought a couple of blue button shirts and a new pair of black shoes.

All in all, it hadn’t been as boring, or expensive, as Sunset had suspected it to be, and she had gotten herself a new, skirtless style. It felt refreshing to get rid of the reds and yellows, changing to blues and greens. And her jacket also made her look less like the stereotyped high school alpha bitch. It was almost like moulting to a new appearance, to a new Sunset.

She huffed and giggled at the thought, wondering when had she gotten so philosophical.

“What are you laughing at?” Trixie asked. She had her arm wrapped to Sunset’s as they made their way out of the mall.

As per Rainbow’s suggestion, after shopping and eating something, they agreed to go to Sugarcube Corner to start the party. Thankfully, it was just a couple of blocks away, so they wouldn’t have to be in the cold for too long.

Sunset looked at Trixie with a sly smile. “Do you really wanna know?”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Forget I even asked.”

With another giggle, Sunset leaned closer to Trixie and playfully kissed her cheek. “Aw don’t be such a grumpy pants!”

Trixie couldn’t avoid the little snort she produced, and it took every ounce of will to not smile.

“I see you want to laugh,” Sunset insisted, playfully poking Trixie’s side. “Come on, laugh for me.” She blew a little at Trixie’s ear.

“Stop it!” Trixie demanded, but her wide smile and childish laugh didn’t make it a serious request.

“Can you two get a room already?” Rainbow said, half annoyed, half amused.

Sunset raised an eyebrow, but kept a devious smile. “What’s the matter, Speedy? Are you jealous?” She hugged Trixie closer. “No matter, I don’t share.”

Rainbow gave her a flat glare.

“You brought it upon yourself,” Rarity said holding a giggle.

Pinkie and Applejack joined in the giggles, and Rainbow only groaned.

The rest of the way was relatively quiet, with Twilight answering every question Pinkie had about her science project. Sunset found quite remarkable how Twilight didn’t get tired of answering so many inquiries, to the point of having to explain the fundamentals of electricity itself. At some point, she even tried to draw a little diagram to illustrate how current and voltage worked. It was kind of cute, really. Mostly because Pinkie didn’t seem to completely understand, and just kept nodding and making surprised noises.

By the time Twilight was starting to repeat the fundamentals, Rainbow interrupted them. “We’re here!” She called out loud, entering Sugarcube Corner.

Sunset looked up at the building. She half expected to find a banner announcing that it was a party or something, but everything was as usual. Just a big, squared, half cake looking building. She shrugged and followed the girls, holding Trixie close to her.

The inside was much more colorful, with balloons and streamers everywhere. Sunset wondered how had Pinkie managed to get the owners’ permission to close the locale and throw a private party there. She’d have to ask her later.

Sunset’s smile became a little awkward when she did find a banner, held above the bar full of cupcakes and other pastries, that read “We tots wanna be ur friends n ur awesome!”. Sunset had a hard time deciding if feel flattered, embarrassed, or mildly uncomfortable at the way the words had been shortened to fit the banner.

She decided to feel the three of them at the same time. And it proved to be surprisingly easier than expected.

“So, you like it?” Pinkie asked, somehow maintaining balance on her toes.

Sunset forced her grin to be a little wider. “Sure.”

“Yay!” Pinkie yelled, throwing up her arms. She then ran to the bar and grabbed one of the trays full of cupcakes. “Come on, girls! Let’s party!” She grabbed a remote control from her pocket and pressed a button. Music started to play.

Pinkie had grabbed two cupcakes and placed the tray on a table before starting to dance in the middle of the shop. Rainbow and Applejack joined her shortly after, flailing their arms and bumping their heads. Rarity, who had a less erratic dancing style, noticed that Twilight was just staring, and so decided to grab her by the hand and dance with her. And Fluttershy, on her part, was dancing in a corner, with slow movements and a happy smile. She’d never win a dancing contest, but she looked like she was enjoying herself.

Sunset felt a little uncomfortable. Back in Equestria, she had learned to dance like the nobility in order to fit in any classy ball. And while the principle was mostly the same in her human body, she had never danced since coming to this world.

“What’s the matter?” Trixie asked.

“Do you want the embarrassing truth? Or the white lie that will avoid us breaking up?”

Trixie raised an eyebrow at that. “Are you saying you don’t know how to dance?”

Sunset tried to shrug, but it came out more as a whimpering gesture. “No…”

With a chuckle, Trixie grabbed Sunset’s hands. “It’s not hard. Just follow Trixie!” She started swaying their hands. When Sunset started moving on her own, Trixie began moving her legs from side to side, following the music’s rhythm.

It didn’t take long for Sunset to get used to the movements. She had seen the students of Canterlot High moving like this at the dances, but she had never tried it herself. And the only time she actually danced, it had been with Flash, and only a slow song that resembled what she already knew.

She soon realized that she liked it. It was probably because the music was actually good, or because the other girls were laughing and talking among themselves, or maybe, it was because she was dancing with Trixie, holding her hands and looking her in the eyes. She soon found herself laughing and enjoying it.

After a couple of songs, they started to stop dancing. Some just grabbed a drink and started again, and some just sat down and rest for a while. At some point, everyone was sitting at one of the tables, enthralled in a session of idle chit chat. Normally, Sunset would have spaced out, but this time, not only did she pay attention, but she even occasionally participated.

“So, what’s with you and Flash?” Rainbow asked, nudging at Twilight.

Unluckily, Twilight was drinking some juice, and the question made her gasp while swallowing, making her start a coughing fit.

“Rainbow!” Rarity scolded. She tried to be dissimulated, but Sunset saw her looking her way.

“You know Flash and I are not a thing anymore, right?” Sunset asked, casually bringing her arm around Trixie’s neck and to her shoulder.

Rarity blushed out of embarrassment. “Of course I know. It’s just that, well… He broke up with you.” She said that last line with a half whisper.

Sunset shrugged. “So what? Of all the things coming from CHS, he is not a sore subject to me.”

“Oh,” Rarity said. She cleared her throat and looked at Twilight. “So? What’s with you and Flash, darling?”

Once again, the question caught Twilight off guard, but this time, she managed to breathe and swallow independently. “Why are you asking that?”

“You two are always together,” Rainbow answered. “So we figured-”

“Well, stop figuring things,” Twilight interrupted calmly. “It is true that he’s always following me around, trying to make conversation with me…” She looked at her glass. “I did try to give it a chance, to see if I could like him. But he’s just not my type, you know?”

“Wait,” Applejack said. “With ‘give it a chance’ you mean…”

Twilight blushed. “No, not like that! I mean, I tried to follow his conversations to see if we have something in common.” She sighed. “He’s a cute guy, yes. But he’s the opposite to me.”

“Opposites attract each other,” Rarity said with a sly smile.

“In physics, yes. In human emotions, no,” Twilight answered simply. “I can only consider him a friend.”

“But have you even tried it?” Sunset asked. To her surprise, everyone looked at her with wide eyes. “What? I said it’s fine!”

Twilight shifted in her place. “Look, I appreciate your support. But I’m not interested in him that way. And quite frankly, I really need to focus on my science project, I only have five weeks left, and it has to be perfect.” She lifted her hand to stop whatever Rainbow was going to say. “If I win first place, I’ll get a full scholarship to Everton Academy. That means I’ll have to be prepared, and…”

“It’s ok, darling,” Rarity gently placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “We understand. Although I believe poor Flash will be heartbroken, but if you don’t see him like that, then it’s not our place to say otherwise. Right, girls?”

A collective set of agreements helped Twilight relax.

From there, the conversation took a more mundane turn, as they started talking about the upcoming Halloween. It had been really weird to Sunset how most of Equestrian festivities and traditions were very alike to those of the human world. Then again, it was a world with way too many similarities to her own.

As the hours went by, the girls moved on to playing some games, like poker.

It had been a ferocious battle between Sunset, Twilight, and Trixie. Sunset was the best at bragging and making them think she had the best cards. Twilight, on her part, was the best at strategy, and was the hardest for Sunset to fool. But Trixie, with a less logical mind than Twilight, and a less assertive attitude than Sunset, had her tricks, as she often flashed cards to her opponents, which turned out to be mere illusions, effectively deceiving them more than once.

At the end, strategy had been victorious, and Twilight had now a full tray of cupcakes all to herself. But they were too many, so she ended up sharing them with everyone.

“I still think what you did was cheating,” Rainbow said to Trixie.

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Stop whining, Speedy. You got to see how she does it after you lost. You know she didn’t cheat.” Rainbow crossed her arms and huffed.

Trixie giggled and hugged Sunset’s left arm. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

“Yes,” Sunset admitted. “But I’d have enjoyed it more if you had used flats.”

Trixie sighed with a smile. “You know what? I might use them on special occasions. If we’re still together by Halloween, I might dress up as a mummy.”

Sunset’s smile grew wider. “A Terrible Tiny Trixie? That sounds very, very cute.”

“Don’t push it,” Trixie said through her teeth.

Trixie’s phone started ringing. The melody was a song Sunset didn’t recognize, and before Trixie answered the call, she swore that the two words she heard were in Trixie’s voice.

“Hello, dad,” Trixie said, holding the phone to her ear and looking at the window. “Yes, I see you… Ok dad… Yes. Ok, bye.” She hung up and looked at Sunset. “I have to go.”

“Won’t you introduce me to your dad?” Sunset teased with a grin.

Trixie gently pushed Sunset a few meters back. “Not yet.” She gave Sunset a gentle kiss, brushing their lips for a few seconds. “See you tomorrow.”

“Good night,” Sunset replied.

Trixie then proceeded to wave her goodbyes to the rest of the girls and went on her way.

Rainbow walked up to Sunset. “Did she push you so that her dad wouldn’t see you two kissing?”

Sunset let out a small sigh, but nonetheless smiled. “Yeah, it’s kind of a complicated subject.”

For a moment, Rainbow only stared and Sunset, and then shrugged. “Whatever.”

A few minutes later, Applejack’s big brother arrived in his truck, and she waved goodbyes before leaving. And not even ten minutes later, Twilight’s dad arrived too to pick her and Fluttershy. With that, only Sunset, Pinkie, Rarity, and Rainbow remained.

They started cleaning up, which to Sunset’s relief, wasn’t too much. They had used disposable dishes, so it didn’t take them more than twenty minutes get everything clean as new.

Once done with that, Pinkie walked up to Sunset. “So, Sunset. Did you enjoy the party?”

Sunset smiled a little. “Yeah. I thought it’d be either boring, or a chaotic mess. I’m glad neither was the case.”

“Yay!” Pinkie exclaimed, holding Sunset in a tight hug for a few seconds. She then turned around. “And yet another successful party by Pinkie Pie’s Party Planning Program! Now, let’s go!” She said, walking to the entrance of Sugarcube Corner.

Sunset blinked. “Where are we going?” She knew that after the party, they had agreed to sleep at Pinkie’s. She had even brought a sleeping bag with her.

Pinkie turned around to look at Sunset with a big smile. “To my house, of course!”

“Right…” For some reason, Sunset had thought Pinkie lived in the restaurant in a spare room or something. She realized just now how stupid a concept that was.

Once they all were outside, Pinkie closed the restaurant. Sunset had thought many things about Pinkie Pie in the past years. Some were good, some were bad, but this was the first time she recognized Pinkie as actually responsible. The owners of Sugarcube Corner trusted her enough not only as to allow her to throw a private party at their restaurant, but they also gave her a spare key.

A breeze met Sunset, swaying her hair in many strands. It made her remember that each passing day was just getting colder. Fortunately, Pinkie’s house was just a few blocks away. Ever since coming to the human world, Sunset had acquired an unnerving fear to being in the streets at night. Probably due to the neighborhood she lived in.

“We’re here!” Pinkie announced, stopping in front of one fenced house.

Looking at Pinkie Pie’s house, Sunset couldn’t help but find it odd. Sure, it was painted a soft pink with white corners, the front door was a childish green, the lawn was full of cartoonish leprechauns, and there were two small weird looking colorful umbrellas next to the window. It was a house that sure looked like Pinkie Pie, but it had a flat roof, and it was too square, too serious in architecture, to belong to Pinkie Pie.

It was almost like an oxymoron.

Pinkie opened the pinkish white fence door. “Just try to keep it low. My sister is sleeping,” she said in a whisper.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “You have a sister?” The very idea sent shivers through Sunset’s spine, and she wasn’t very sure why.

“Actually, I have three,” Pinkie answered with a smile. “But I only live with my baby sister, Marble. Well, she’s only two and a half minutes younger than me, but she’ll always be my baby sister.” She tried to keep her voice low, but the excitement of talking about her family was too evident.

“Wait, you have a twin sister?” Sunset didn’t know what scared her the most, multiple Pie sisters, or two Pinkie Pie sisters.

“Shocking, huh?” Rainbow said, nudging Sunset’s arm with her elbow. “Don’t worry, Shimms, we all had the same reaction.”

Sunset ignored how Rainbow had called her, focusing on the bright pink girl. “But, if you have a twin sister, how come I’ve never seen her around CHS?”

Pinkie forced an awkward, nervous smile, and for a moment, Sunset dreaded that she had stepped in a sore subject. “Well,” Pinkie started, looking at the second story window. “She’s agoraphobic.”

Sunset blinked. “Pinkie, I’m sorry.” It still felt awkward to apologize. “I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s ok, Sunny!” Pinkie said brightly. “Oh wait, Trixie forbid me to call you that… Uh… I’ll use Dash’s name! It’s ok, Shimmy-Shimms! You didn’t mean any harm, and to be fair, it was a rather obliged question, right?”

“Uh, I guess?”

“But anyway, we better get in ‘fore it gets colder!” Pinkie began walking to her house. “Maybe you’ll get to meet her in the morning!”

Rarity placed her hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, darling. Marble is not really as… randomly energetic as our dear Pinkie.”

Sunset wanted to trust Rarity. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle another Pinkie Pie.

Author's Notes:

I requested an image for this chapter. Once it's done I'll post it in a blog post.

Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy!