Sunset Shimmer made one last circle of the living room to make sure everything was clean and tidy, then checked her refrigerator and cupboards again to make sure she'd stocked everything they'd need for the weekend.

An entire week of planning had gone into this moment, and as the day grew closer, Sunset grew more excited. And nervous.

Pinkie Pie called it 'nervoucited'. And had demonstrated the feeling with an anatomically impossible display of flexibility that made Sunset's spine hurt just to think about.

She sighed at the thought of Pinkie Pie and her other friends, who had been excluded from this particular weekend sleepover. She hated the idea of her six best friends not being invited, but she understood the reasons why. Besides, not even Applejack had enough room for a party of eleven.

She grinned as she thought back to the day, a week ago, when an overexcited Princess Twilight Sparkle had abruptly appeared in the school cafeteria at lunch and rushed up to their table...

"Sunset! I need to talk to you!" Princess Twilight said in a breathless rush as she slid into a seat next to Rarity. Rarity glanced at her worriedly and handed her the water bottle from her tray; Princess Twilight took it and gulped down a third of it before passing it back. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Rarity said. "Is everything alright?"

"What's wrong, Twilight?" Sunset asked. "Is there trouble in Equestria? Is...is there something dangerous loose in this world again?"

Princess Twilight waved a hand in a warding gesture. "No, there's no trouble, nothing's wrong," she said airily with a light laugh. "Actually, everything's great, but I need to set something up with you and I kinda need to do it fast."

Sunset blinked. "Okay," she said as she picked up her sandwich. "What's up?" She took a big bite.

"I want to introduce you to three new friends—well, one old friend and two new friends—well, one old friend I patched things up with over a year ago after being a really bad friend for a really long time and one friend you already know a little about and one really new friend—but you haven't met any of them yet so they're all new friends, so—"

"Whoa, you sure you're Twilight and not Pinkie Pie in disguise?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"How could she be me when I'm right here?" Pinkie Pie asked, waving a fry at Rainbow Dash.

"She could be the other you. The pony you."

Pinkie Pie considered that. "That's true," she said. She turned to Twilight. "Are you the other me in disguise?"

Princess Twilight blinked. "Huh? What? No! I'm Twilight."

Swallowing and taking a sip of her soda, Sunset smiled. "Settle down, Twilight. I'm sure we'd all be happy to meet your new friends."

Princess Twilight ducked her head. "Umm..." She glanced around the table at the other girls. "So here's the thing..." She sighed. "I, umm...sort of...only want them to meet you, Sunset." She then looked up, eyes wide with alarm. "N-not that I wouldn't want to introduce them to the rest of you or anything! It's just, well...they sort of already know my pony friends, and meeting their counterparts here...I think it might kind of...overwhelm them. And then there's, well..." She looked down the table at the one girl she'd deliberately been avoiding looking at. "Then there's you," she said. "You're absolutely more than they can handle. Hay, you're almost more than I can handle!"

Twilight Sparkle blinked in confusion. "I'm...not really sure how to take that," she said over the top of her tuna on whole wheat.

"Sorry," Princess Twilight said sheepishly.

"I can see how being around two Twilight Sparkles at the same time might be, err...disorienting," Rarity said.

Sunset gave Princess Twilight a reassuring smile. "I'd love to meet your friends," she said. "Coming back to Equestria for a day or two is no problem, just let me know when, and—"

Princess Twilight held up a hand. "See...that's the thing," she said sheepishly. "I, uhh...kinda wanted to bring them here."

"Oh," Sunset said, blinking and pursing her lips. "Okay. Why, though? I mean, not that it's a problem or anything, but—"

Princess Twilight flung herself across the table and grabbed desperately at Sunset's jacket. "I need a vacation!" she wailed. "And not the kind where I lock myself up in the library for three days sorting and shelving books! The last time I did that I ended up missing a whole weekend of...stuff...and I wound up so stressed out I might as well not have even taken a booksortcation in the first place!"

Sunset stared at Twilight, gently dislodging her lapels from her fingers. "Ooookaaaaaay," she drawled. "Pretending I understood that. So you want to come here, and bring your new friends with you, for a little vacation?"

Princess Twilight nodded rapidly, a huge smile on her face.

"Sure, no problem," Sunset said. "When were you thinking of doing this?"

"I was thinking next weekend," Princess Twilight said. "Actually, it kinda needs to be next weekend. That's the only time I can get Ember and Moondancer to come when I'll actually be able to arrange time off from my schedule. I've got most of next week booked with this conference and the week after that I'm going to the Crystal Empire to spend time with my niece, and after that I've got..." She frowned and chewed on her lip. "Well, I'm not sure what I've got after that, I'd have to check my schedule, but I know that next weekend is the only time I'm really able to clear my schedule and it's absolutely the only time I can get all three of them to come with me!"

"Wow, your life sounds rough," Twilight said. Then, she blinked. "Wait. Niece?"

Princess Twilight blinked at her. "You're not an aunt yet?"

Twilight shook her head. "Shining Armor doesn't even have a girlfriend as far as I know. We, umm...we are talking about Shining Armor, right? I mean, I'm sort of just assuming you have the same family, right?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Yeah. Shining Armor married Princess Cadance a few years ago. They just had a baby a couple of months ago."

"Crap, I forgot to tell everyone!" Sunset said, facepalming. "Sorry, guys. It slipped my mind."

Twilight giggled. "Cadance? And...and my brother?" She shook her head. "Sorry, I...I can't see it..."

Princess Twilight tilted her head. "Huh? Why not?"

Twilight coughed. "Well...it's just...Dean Cadance is nice and always looked out for me when I went to Crystal Prep, and she's still checking up on me even now, but my brother? He's, well..." She ducked her head. "He's kind of a tool."

"Ouch!" Rainbow Dash said, cackling. "Burn!"

"Really?" Princess Twilight asked. "Huh. I mean, yeah, my Shining Armor can be a real dork sometimes, but a tool?"

Sunset smirked. "Oh, I'm sure you've noticed more than a few differences between people here and their counterparts in Equestria."

Princess Twilight rolled her eyes. "That's true," she said. "Take Flash Sentry for example. Here, he's..." She blushed and ducked her head, playing with her hair. "But the Flash back home, well..." She leaned in close and stage-whispered, "He's a wiener."

Fluttershy spat out a mouthful of apple juice and coughed, then started giggling. The other girls laughed.

Sunset snickered and shook her head. "Okay, so...I guess we're talking a weekend sleepover at my place, then?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "If that's okay," she said. "I mean, I know your apartment isn't that big, but—"

"My bed's big enough to share," Sunset said. "And then there's the couch, so we'll just need two sleeping bags for the others, right? It won't be nearly as crowded as that slumber party at Pinkie's place."

"Or any of the other slumber parties we've had," Applejack said. "Well, except th' ones at mah place." She shook her head. "Ah can see why you want us t' sit this one out, though. Ah mean, th' whole pony applebangers thing aside, that'd be eleven girls in one place..." She shook her head. "Ain't none of us got enough space fer that."

Princess Twilight scrunched her nose up in confusion. "Applebangers?"

"I think she means 'doppelgangers', darling," Rarity said with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh. Right." Princess Twilight shrugged. "Anyway, yeah, that's the other reason. Not the main reason, but it's a factor. Even if Ember comes through the mirror as a dog like Spike does, that'd still be ten girls and a dog. It's too much."

Sunset frowned. "Why would this Ember come through the mirror as a dog?"

"Oh! I didn't tell you about Princess Ember? She's the new Dragon Lord." Princess Twilight smiled. "It's a funny story, I'll tell you sometime."

Sunset blinked. "She's...a dragon? She's the Dragon Lord?! And you want to bring her through the portal?!"

Princess Twilight shrugged. "She's a new friend, and she's just starting to learn about friendship. She's already met my Ponyville friends and she writes letters to me and Spike when she can." She smiled faintly. "I don't wanna jinx it, but I think there might even be a little something there..." She shook her head. "Anyway, she's..." She gestured around the table. "Pretty much human-sized, if I'm right about the size difference between species, so she'll either come through as a big dog, a human girl like me, or..." She shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure."

Sunset frowned. "Hmm. Well, if she's your friend, I don't have a problem with it. I just hope you warn her before she changes into something she's not okay with and gets mad. Wouldn't want to start a war between Equestria and the dragons."

"I don't think Ember would get mad over a little thing like turning into a dog," Princess Twilight said. "She's a lot nicer than most dragons."

"Well, the rest of us might have to sit this one out," Pinkie Pie said with a mild pout, "but that doesn't mean we totally won't help you get set up for the big party, Sunset!" She paused, then gasped. "Oh! Oh! And while Sunset and Twilight and their new friends are having their party, the rest of us can have one over at my place!"

"Sounds good to me!" Rainbow said.

"Heh...it has been a while," Applejack chuckled.

"Are you sure that's okay?" Twilight asked. "I don't think your sisters like me very much."

Pinkie rolled her eyes. "They like you just fine," she said. "Marble just doesn't talk much, Maud's...Maud, and Limestone's a grump to everybody."

"Well...okay," Twilight said, ducking her head and poking her fingertips together.

"A sleepover at Pinkie's sounds lovely," Rarity said. "Oh, but Twilight dear—ahem, Princess Twilight, I mean—do come by the boutique with your new friends before you head over to Sunset's place, alright? I'll set you all up with pajamas."

"Ah've got some sleepin' bags y'all can borrow," Applejack said. "Ah'll drop 'em by Sunset's place this weekend."

"I'll help with the snack shopping!" Pinkie cheered.

Sunset smiled around at her friends. "Girls...thank you," she said. "I don't want to put you out for something you won't even be coming to—"

"Eh, it's no big deal," Rainbow said. "Besides, we can text back and forth and send pics to each other from both parties, right? It'll be like we're havin' one big party in two places!"

"Ooh, a two-party party!" Pinkie Pie said gleefully. "That sounds super fun!"

Princess Twilight smiled as the girls descended into back and forth chatter about the upcoming parties. She stood. "Well, I have to go," she said apologetically. "I'll see you next Friday, Sunset."

Sunset nodded, a happy smile on her face. "Can't wait."

Four girls walked down a sidewalk in the heart of Canterlot's midtown.

One of the girls walked with an excited, eager gait. Another of the girls strode alongside her with an air of cool, disaffected indifference, tinged only by mild curiosity and faint annoyance.

The last two girls were unsteady on their feet, nervous, and gawking at things most pedestrians in a city wouldn't ordinarily gawk at.

"Wh-wh-wh-what in the hay was THAT?!" one of the girls screeched as a car drove past, belching exhaust from a rattling muffler.

"A car," the excited girl said. "It's how they get around in this world. Well, how some people get around."

A motorcycle roared by. The two nervous, unsteady girls jumped in fright. The disaffected girl raised an eyebrow. "That looks like fun," she said.

"Fun?! That noisy thing?!"

"Yeah! I love things that ROOOOOOAR," the disaffected girl said with a grin.

The leader of the little group giggled. "Come on, it's just up here..."

The doorbell rang, and Sunset rushed to the door, throwing back the safety bolt and unlocking the deadbolt before yanking the door open. She smiled brightly at Princess Twilight Sparkle, who wore an excited smile. "Twilight! I'm so excited for this weekend!"

"So are we!" Twilight said.

"Come in, come in!" Sunset said, stepping aside. Twilight walked in, followed by three unfamiliar girls. Each girl had a small tote bag in hand.

The first girl looked quite a bit like Twilight—the local version, not the princess—except for her cream-colored skin and bright fuschia hair. Like Twilight's, her hair had two vertical stripes—one dark violet, the other lavender—in the exact same arrangement as Twilight's own distinctive violet and pink stripes; it was long and straight in the back like Twilight's, but pulled up into a messy, ugly knot in the front, held in place by a pink beaded band. Her purple eyes were magnified by thick-framed glasses with a thick layer of tape wrapped around the bridge, and her eyebrows were shaggy and enormous. She wore a black pullover sweater, an ankle-length dark blue skirt, white socks, and severe, sensible brown loafers. Her expression was one of awkward scrutiny.

The second girl looked nervous, but excited—not in the same way as Sunset, but in more of an "I'm eager to please my teacher" way; it was an expression Sunset knew all too well from her own fillyhood. She had light pinkish-purple skin and long violet hair in a stylish wave; her hair had twin vertical streaks of alternating lighter violet and pale aquamarine. Her eyes were a bright purplish blue and sparkled with intelligence, eagerness, hopefulness, and a hint of fear. She wore a dark purple jacket over a royal purple shirt which was adorned with a four-pointed pink star over a four-pointed white star, as well as a knee-length indigo skirt and matching boots with twin aquamarine stripes at the tops.

The last girl was...different from the others. She had deep cyan skin which reminded Sunset of the time Rainbow Dash had gotten a suntan, bright red eyes which shone with amusement, and short, spiky dark blue hair with a fringe that hung over her forehead and sidetails that faded from blue to white and curled upward at the ends. She wore a black midriff-baring crop top and tight black jeans, a gold mesh weave vest, a wide gold belt in the design of two intertwining dragons, and gold platform boots with black soles, low fronts, flared tops, and steel spikes on the backs of the heels.

Twilight set her bag down next to a chair, then stood alongside her three guests. "Let me introduce everyone," she said. She gestured to the first girl. "This is Moondancer."

Moondancer adjusted her glasses and shuffled her feet awkwardly. "Hi," she mumbled.

"This is Starlight Glimmer," Twilight said, gesturing at the second girl.

Starlight waved and smiled brightly. "Such a pleasure to finally meet you! Twilight talks about you all the time." Sunset returned her wave with a sheepish smile.

"And I'm Ember," the third girl said with a smirk, folding her arms. "Princess Ember, Dragon Lord. Yeah, that's right, I'm a dragon."

"That...would explain the punk rock look," Sunset said. "I'm Sunset Shimmer, and I'm really looking forward to getting to know all of you! I'm happy to call any friends of Twilight's my friends too." She paused, then added, "Well...almost any friend. I mean, every time she mentions Discord..." She chuckled awkwardly. "You know?"

"Shh! Careful!" Twilight hissed, eyes wide with alarm. "I'm not sure he can't hear you."

Sunset blinked. "Uhh...Twilight? We're in another universe."

"But it's Discord," Twilight replied through clenched teeth. "Do you really want to take that chance?!"

Sunset tilted her head, chewing on the corner of her lip. "Good point," she said.

"Ah, relax," Ember said, rolling her eyes. "I saw old Dippy on my way into Ponyville. He was tormenting some pegasus dude."

Twilight's expression changed to one of consternation. "What pegasus dude?"

Ember shrugged. "I dunno. He was blonde, kinda green, needed a shave..."

Twilight sighed. "Oh," she said, her posture relaxing immediately. "Then it's Fluttershy's problem."

Sunset blinked. "Blonde and doesn't shave? That sounds like Zephyr—"

"—Breeze," Twilight finished resignedly. "Yeah, Discord just met him a couple weeks ago. He, uhh...didn't make the best first impression."

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Does he ever?"

"You know this pony?" Moondancer asked curiously.

"I know Fluttershy's brother," Sunset said. "Well, our Fluttershy, I mean. If the Zephyr Breeze over there is anything like the Zephyr Breeze over here, I hope Discord gives him the Trots."

Ember snickered. "I like you," she said. "I think we're gonna get along juuuuust fine."

"It's still hard to get my head around the idea of there being two of everypony I know," Starlight said. "I mean, even after I saw this world's Rarity with my own eyes, I still..."

Twilight giggled. "I know, right? The first time I came here, I didn't know what was going on!"

Moondancer shifted on her feet. "Do you, umm...mind if I sit down?" she asked. "Standing on two legs like this is kind of..."

"Oh! I'm sorry, I kept everybody standing," Sunset said sheepishly. "Of course, of course!" She clapped her hands together. "Why don't you all just...take off your shoes, sit down, I'll get us all some drinks."

"I'll help!" Twilight said as she slid off her boots and lined them up next to the front closet. As she padded off barefoot to the kitchen with Sunset, Starlight tugged her own boots off with some difficulty, then lined them up evenly beside Twilight's. Moondancer stepped out of her shoes and toed them into roughly the same position against the wall.

Ember frowned.

Starlight gave her an expectant look. "Come on now, boots off!" she said. In a softer, hissing whisper, she added, "I'm pretty sure our gracious host doesn't want us tracking outside dirt onto her nice clean carpet."

Ember looked over the deep blue carpet that covered the floor, snorted, rolled her eyes, and tugged her boots off, tossing them haphazardly by the others. Starlight frowned and busied herself with straightening both Ember's boots and Moondancer's shoes, then took a seat on the sofa beside Moondancer, while Ember threw herself into the biggest easy chair and leaned back.

As Sunset broke ice cubes free from trays and dumped them into a bin while Twilight took glasses out of the cupboards, Sunset quietly remarked, "So. A whole weekend with a kinda dorky princess, a rebel, a good bad girl, a reclusive nerd, and a neurotic sociopath."

Twilight frowned and glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. "Wow. That was a bit harsh."

"Sorry," Sunset said with a smirk. "I was just thinking this sounds like a setup for a wacky teenage comedy."

Twilight started to retort, paused, pursed her lips, then giggled.

Sunset joined in with a light laugh as she grabbed a six-pack of cola out of the refrigerator. "Come on," she said. "We don't wanna keep the Equestria Club waiting."

Author's Notes:

A little something that was originally going to be three separate chapters of Just Girls Talking, but then I decided to merge them into a separate story to allow for more varied character interaction. For those who are curious, this was originally going to be Sunset meeting Moondancer, Starlight, and Ember individually.

I think this has more potential for fun.

This won't be a terribly long story. There will be, at most, three more chapters and an epilogue.