Sour Sweet looked around the dinky little gym. Somehow, the lights had dimmed, confetti was raining from the ceiling, and… was that a disco ball?

“Well, isn’t this lovely?” she said to herself. She narrowed her eyes. “How did it happen?”

“Pinkie Pie,” said a voice behind her.

Sour rolled her eyes. “Thank you for that incredibly clear and helpful answer.” She turned to the speaker. “You must be—“ The rest of the sentence died in her throat. At first glance, she seemed to be looking at herself, though the doppelganger had no freckles, and her greenless hair was in two buns instead of a ponytail. Sour glared. “You.”

The other girl smiled and waved. “Hi, Sour Sweet.”

“Sweeten Sour.” What Sour did couldn't really be called a smile, more peeling back her lips to expose her teeth. “Why, it’s been months! I was hoping for years.”

“It’s good to see you too.”

“I’m sure,” Sour snarled. She looked around. “So, how is life at Loser High?”

Sweeten's expression still didn't shift. “It’s actually been pretty interesting lately. How’s Crystal Prep?”

“Oh, you know," said Sour. "Better facilities than here, better teachers than here, just better than here in general. Amazing, isn’t it, how two things can look kind of similar but one is clearly superior?”

Sweeten Sour shrugged. “I suppose it depends on what you’re judging.”

Sour Sweet snarled and clenched her fists. She opened her mouth, ready to deliver something that she just knew would finally, finally wipe the grin off of the other girl's face.

Sweeten beat her to it. “So, how’s Mom?”

Sour sagged. “She’s fine.” After a moment, she added, “How’s Dad?”

Her sister sighed. “Doing well enough.”

After an uncomfortable few seconds, Sour said, “Is he seeing anyone?”

Sweeten shook her head. “Not right now. Is she?”

Sour mirrored the gesture. “No." She picked at her uniform for a moment. "Still in marching band?”

“Yeah." A bit of Sweeten's earlier smile came back. "Helped with a great pep rally a few days ago. Still on the archery team?”

Sour smirked and put her hands on her hips. “Head of it.”

“Nice.” Sweeten smiled in full, and Sour felt herself match the expression.

Then the lights slammed back on and the music cut out. All eyes turned to the stage as Principal Cinch delivered a speech, the two student bodies separating as she spoke.

The twins stayed next to one another. “Wow,” said Sweeten. “She’s a real bitch, isn’t she?” When there was no reply, she turned to her sister, who was staring at her open-mouthed. “Uh, Sour?”

“That’s the meanest thing you’ve ever said.”

Sweeten winked. “It’s the meanest thing you’ve ever heard me say.” She waved. "Good luck in the Friendship Games."

Some part of Sour raised her hand and muttered a "Thanks." The rest was busy with trying to put her world back together.

Author's Notes:

For the record:

It doesn't seem outside the realm of possibility. This has been my headcanon for a while, but PresentPerfect's Fast Times at Stinky Sugar collection catalyzed the idea enough for me to come up with this scene.

Also, it's really hard to come up with a title for a story involving Sour Sweet that doesn't sound like it'll involve Lemon Zest.