Author's Notes:

Welcome to the second half! Or act two, or part two, or season two...whatever you want to call it. I know it was a long wait for this story to continue, but here we are; I've got a pretty good head-start, (though I'm nowhere near finished writing yet) so new chapters should be published on a fairly regular basis, starting with these two.
How it's going to work this time around is: whenever I finish writing a new chapter, I will publish the next chapter for you to read, which as of late has been every 1-2 weeks, depending on the chapter being written.
Like the first half, the early chunk is fairly easy going, and then the heavy stuff will start to work its way in later on.
Oh, and guess what? I finally named the OC! Crazy eh? For those of you who haven’t been here during the hiatus, the OC’s name is...

*drum roll*...

Golden Arrow.

Or Golds, for short.

Please enjoy, and if you have any questions about a foreshadow you might notice or anything that involves discussing spoilers, please do so via PM.

Chapter 80

Ah, the hot tub.

I had some good memories here. Memories that I didn’t think I could top. And yet, here I was, enjoying the swirling, hot water against my skin, accompanied by three naked, beautiful, sweet —and deadly— women.

To be fair, the things that actually happened in the hot tub were still bested by that fateful night, when Rarity was unknowingly transformed into an eternal being, but tonight, what had just happened in her bed went far beyond anything I thought I’d ever experience with these girls.

I was sitting in the same place as before; the spot where Rarity and I made love for the first time all those months ago, when we’d only known each other for a couple of weeks. Sunset was relaxing to my right, in the spot where Rarity had started out that night, and finally, Rarity and Fluttershy were snuggled together directly across from me, exactly where Fluttershy sat that night, watching the fashionista and me get it on.

Rarity was sitting upright with Fluttershy’s temple resting on her shoulder; the latter sprawled out and relaxed, enjoying a well-deserved rest in the churning water. All three of them had their hair down, allowing it to dip into the water around their shoulders while the hair around their faces remained dry, albeit stuck together in some spots.

As I watched them in silence, Rarity brought her eyes up to gaze across the tub at me, her face coloured bright red by the LEDs under the water, reminding me yet again of that night, when we connected our bodies for the first time and made sweet, sweet magic together. Her eyes shifted to the left of me and she cocked an eyebrow, a slight look of bemusement on her face.

“Oh, darling?” she asked, speaking in her signature high-class tone. “Why did you bring that dollar store bag out here?”

I glanced to my left, spying the plastic bag sitting on the deck next to me. “Oh, I just brought that candy out for you guys. Did you want it now?” I asked, reaching into the bag.

“In a bit, perhaps,” the fashionista replied.

I glanced at Fluttershy. “Flutters? Candy?”

“I’d like some,” she replied, smiling, “but I’ll wait for, um...Rare.”

I nodded, then glanced at the red-head. “Sunny?”

She opened her eyes for a moment, then silently shook her head.

“OK, that’s cool,” I said, withdrawing my hand from the bag.

“Darling, I meant to ask: that bag looks rather full; shall I assume you purchased more than just candy?”

“Oh,” I replied, picking the plastic bag up to bring it closer. “Well, I was thinking; since you guys all got wicked-cool superhero suits, and since it’s almost Halloween…” I reached into the bag.

The other girls opened their eyes and sat up to watch with interest.

“I picked up this Batman suit when I was out getting gas,” I continued as I produced a cheap-looking caped-crusader costume, which I held up for them to see.

Sunset snorted, covering her mouth to hide her smirk. Rarity raised an eyebrow and Fluttershy let out a small giggle.

“Ah, you’re speechless, I see,” I said to Rarity. “Is that because I just blew away your crappy superhero suits with my AWEsome suit?”

Rarity sneered. “Hardly.”

Sunset leaned forward, squinting her eyes to read the tag on the costume. “Does that say ‘for ages five to seven?’”

“Yeah,” I replied, turning the costume towards myself to look at it. “That’s OK, it’ll stretch. So what do you guys think? Pretty sweet, eh?”

“It’s a piece of shit,” Sunset answered, coldly.

“Aw, Sunny!” I sulked, turning to face her. “My feelings aren’t indestructible, you know.”

Sunset rolled her eyes while Fluttershy giggled some more, and Rarity raised her hand above the water, pointing dubiously at the outfit. “Er...darling, that isn’t even a full mask. It doesn’t go around the back of your head, and the bottom half appears to be nothing more than a phony-looking plastic chin.”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” I replied. “Look: they put a little slot in the mouth for me to breathe through. I can even stick my tongue through it; it’ll be like I’m making out with Batman from the inside.”

“How bizarre,” the fashionista scoffed, raising an eyebrow as she offered even more criticism. “That cheap thing will never withstand the rigors of battle; I mean really, darling, the mask is held on by an elastic band!”

“Nah, it’ll be fine. It’s good and strong, it won’t-“

As I said this, I gave the string on the back of the mask a little tug, and it snapped off from one end quite effortlessly, rendering the mask useless.

All three girls busted out laughing.

“Hahaha! Oh, too bad, darling,” Rarity giggled.

“For fuck’s sake,” I grumbled, briefly inspecting the broken string before tossing the costume across the deck. “Whatever. I thought something like that might happen, so I got a back-up,” I explained, reaching into the bag a second time.

“Ugh!” Sunset rolled her eyes. “You bought two of those fucking things?”

“No, of course not,” I replied as I pulled a different costume from the bag. This one consisted of simple, loose robes coloured in brown and beige, and it included a few gadgets that attached to the belt. “I also got this killer Jedi costume! Eh? EH?” I gloated, raising my eyebrows at them.

Sunset laughed out loud, then pointed at the costume with one hand while covering her mouth with the other. “Gahahahaha! You dumbass, that’s a Rey costume!”

“What?” I scowled, turning the outfit to inspect it, suddenly feeling rather sheepish when I noticed Daisy Ridley’s face adorning the tag on the front. “Aw shit, I didn’t even see that.”

As Sunset continued having a good laugh, I turned towards Rarity to offer the costume to her. “Huh. Well, do you want this one, Rare? It’s not a man’s costume, so it’s no good to me.”

Rarity smirked, shaking her head. “Neither was the other one, technically. And I appreciate the offer, darling, but I must decline, I’m afraid. That ensemble is très gauche."

“Bah!” I growled as I tossed the outfit unceremoniously across the deck, where it landed next to the ruined Batman costume. "Fuck superheroes," I grumbled.

Sighing, I sank into the water and rested my head on the edge of the tub, closing my eyes as I smiled to myself, satisfied that my costume joke was at least somewhat worth the effort. I hadn’t planned on the string breaking on the Batman mask, nor did I notice that the Jedi outfit was actually a Rey costume, but in the end, it all worked out to my advantage and the girls had a good laugh.

I loved making them laugh.

Only a few seconds passed before I heard Rarity’s voice float across the bubbling water again, prompting me to open my eyes.

“Darling, please tell me that was some kind of joke.”

I snorted. “Yeah, Rare. Of course it was,” I replied, “I was gonna pull them out and have a quick laugh when I got back from getting fuel, but I got a little distracted by the uh…massive, ball-draining four-way we had instead.”

The fashionista rubbed her chin, letting a sultry smirk curl her lips. “Hmm...I suppose we did get a bit side-tracked there, didn’t we?” she said with a giggle.

“Uh, that would be my bad,” Sunset confessed, raising her hand.

I turned to the red-head, furrowing my brows. “Yeah, what the fuck happened with you guys anyway?”

“Well, you remember how turned on I was when you left?” Sunset asked me.

I nodded. “How could I forget? You were fired up pretty good there.”

“Well, I couldn’t get the suit off to change into my normal clothes, so I went to Rare’s room to ask for help, and I found these two” —she pointed at Rarity and Fluttershy— “making out pretty hard. I was gonna leave, but Rare offered to help by showing me how to get the suit off; so...she ended up naked, and then she helped me get mine off, aaaaand I was still horny, so…well, I’m sure you can figure it out.”

“Hmm,” I mumbled, staring vacantly into the luminescent water for a moment before looking back at Sunset. “So you were horny because of the magic, and Rare and Flutters were making out, so they were all hot-and-bothered from each other, and...that’s it? That’s all it took?”

Sunset nodded. “Yup. Pretty much.”

“Heh,” I chuckled, laying my head back again. “You guys are SO cool.”

After closing my eyes, I heard Fluttershy sighing blissfully, followed by Sunset starting a conversation with Rarity.

“By the way, Rare, we need a better way to get those suits off. That was a huge pain in the ass.”

“Yes yes, I know darling, but like I said: it gets easier with wear. Why, Twilight only wore hers for one night, and it came off quite easily.”

My eyes popped open suddenly; both Sunset and I sat upright, surprised by the revelation.

“WHAT? Twi has a suit?” Sunset asked loudly.

“But of course, darling,” Rarity said, sticking her nose proudly into the air. “And she’s already seen action in it.”

My jaw dropped. “What? When was this?” I asked, realising something else. “Wait a minute, she’s had no training whatsoever, and you took her out to do hero shit? I thought she wasn’t interested in fighting?”

“She wasn’t,” Rarity explained, “but once she saw some of the things I could do, she demanded that I teach her straight away.”

“Wow. So...did you teach her?” Sunset asked.

“Well…not really,” Rarity replied, somewhat sheepishly. “I did give her a few pointers, and I gave her some things to work on once she went back to school. Er...like homework, if you will.”

Sunset chuckled. “Well, that’d be right up her alley.”

“What kind of homework did you give her?” I asked.

“W-well,” the fashionista replied, locking her eyes on mine, nervous that she might have started Twilight off on the wrong foot; “like Fluttershy, she is quite timid, and dreadfully unconfident…”

Sunset nodded in agreement.

“So,” Rarity continued, “I told her she needed to work on that; to strengthen her posture, and to purge her fear of pain. I sent her home with the objective to learn not to flinch, but I haven’t seen her since, unfortunately. That was Thanksgiving weekend.”

Sunset and I looked at each other, realising simultaneously that we were in the middle of the desert while all of this was happening.

“Did…did I do the right thing, darling?”

I turned to Rarity again, who was watching me with worried eyes. “Yeah, you did fine, Rare. That’s exactly how I started you and Flutters off, and that’s how it should always be done,” I replied with a nod and a reassuring smile.

She exhaled, looking relieved. “Oh thank goodness,” she said, “I did feel as though I was overstepping my bounds, and I did tell her that you are the one she needs to see, because you can teach her much better than I can. Believe me, darling, she was quite eager to begin right away. It was all I could do to convince her to do her ‘homework’ first and wait until you returned.”

“Hm,” I chuckled, shaking my head. “And she told me all she wanted was to have lots of time to she read and learn everything she can. She just wanted to see the future, and had no interest whatsoever in becoming a fighter.”

“Well, I suppose we shall see how she’s done with her homework tomorrow,” Rarity asserted, “er…tonight, I suppose.”

Sunset smirked, shaking her head. “If I know Twi, she’ll have her homework done, and done well.”

I nodded. “Let’s hope so. But If I start training her, she’d better be serious about it. I don't wanna spend a bunch of time on her just to have her quit on me.”

Sunset’s eyes widened and she shook her head quickly. “No Golds, this is Twilight Sparkle we’re talking about here. She’ll be the best fucking student you ever had.”

“Fair enough,” I said, glancing at Fluttershy, who had her eyes closed and was still resting her head on Rarity’s shoulder.

The sight of her brought a smile to my face. After all she’d been through, sitting here in the warm tub with her friends, having her head nuzzled up to Rarity must have been absolute heaven for her. I don’t think I’d ever seen anyone with a look of contentment quite like the one she had right then.

It was then that I noticed Rarity looking in my direction. She shifted her eyes toward Sunset for a moment, then returned them to me.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Darling, I cannot help but wonder why you two are sitting apart like that; why don’t you sit together and snuggle?”

Sunset and I glanced at each other for a moment, then at Rarity.

“It’s not like that,” Sunset explained as a blush quickly appeared on her face, visible even with the multi-coloured lights from the tub shining on her. “We’re just friends...who like to do each other a favour now and then. You know, I’ve got the magic problem; he helps me out with it. We have some good times once in a while, but that’s all.”

I nodded in agreement.

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Well, suit yourself, then. But I must say, it sure feels delightful to be here, snuggled up next to my dear, sweet Fluttershy.”

“We’re fine,” I said as I watched the fashionista plant a small kiss on the shy girl’s forehead, drawing a soft hum of contentment from her.

“So Rare, let me guess,” Sunset said quickly, changing the subject. “You’ve made a suit for everyone, haven’t you?”

Rarity let her eyes drift up to the lattice and vines above our heads, tapping an index finger to her chin as a coy smile appeared on her face.

Sunset smirked, shaking her head. “I knew it.”

“Well, what else would you expect from me?” the fashionista asked.

“You’ve got a point there,” the red-head replied.

Fluttershy lifted her head from Rarity’s shoulder to look into her eyes. “Um, do we have to be superheroes?”

Rarity’s brow furrowed at the question. “What ever do you mean, darling?”

“Well,” Fluttershy replied, letting her eyes drop to Rarity’s collarbones, “it’s just…I don’t really wanna dress up and go out at night to fight people.”

“But Flutters,” I interjected, “I thought that’s what you wanted? You said, that day we were watching those Marvel movies, that you wished you could be a hero like them, and you got your wish at the school when you saved the students. Now you’ve got a fancy suit and everything, and suddenly you don’t wanna do it? Like, this is the real deal here.”

“That’s right!” Rarity added, “you were so proud of yourself for what happened at the school—we all were— and now you can be a part of the team that is truly going to make a difference!”

The shy girl nodded, looking down into the water. “I know, but…I-I don’t want to be a killer anymore. After what I just went through, I...um…I’m just sick and tired of being violent.”

“But darling, these suits aren’t just for inflicting violence,” Rarity explained. “I’ve done many good things wearing that outfit; mind you, I have gotten quite rough with some people in it, but I’ve also helped just as many, if not more people with it.”

“Really?” Fluttershy replied. “How?”

“Well,” Rarity continued, rubbing her chin as she recalled the events of the past month. “I saved a family from a tenement fire, I thwarted a massive act of grand theft auto —that was the night Twilight was with me— I helped a couple of old CHS friends, who were being held at knifepoint in an alley…”

This seemed to interest the girls.

“Who was being held at knifepoint?” Sunset asked, perking up a bit.

“Why, it was Lyra and Bonbon. Do you remember them?”

Sunset nodded. “Yeah, the lesbos.”

Rarity promptly shook her head. “No, apparently not, darling. They are both married —to men, I might add— and they each have children.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? I thought for sure…”

I turned to Sunset with a smirk on my face. “You’re one to talk, little Miss ‘I wanna eat pussy tonight.’”

Sunset scowled at me. “Hey, I was just trying to have some fun!”

“Whatevs, judgie,” I replied, laughing at her response.

“All I s-“ she stopped, closing her eyes and sighing. “Just forget it,” she said dismissively, turning back to Rarity. ”So how did those two end up at knifepoint? Muggers?”

“Actually,” Rarity said in a gossipy tone, “it was the Sirens.”

Sunset and Fluttershy both snapped their heads up in surprise, their eyes wide as they stared at the fashionista.

“The Sirens!?” Sunset exclaimed. “Since when are they back in town?”

“Not sure, but I made certain to take care of them, so all is well,” Rarity replied.

Sunset gave Rarity a sideways glance, eyes narrowed. “Rare…you didn’t…kill them, did you?”

The fashionista let out a bumptious giggle, not unlike a snooty rich-wife who’d just been complimented on her Mercedes. “Oh no, darling!” she laughed. “I would never do such a thing —well, not that time, anyway— I simply convinced them to leave town and never come back.”

The red-head raised an eyebrow. “And how’d you do that?”

“I told them I would kill them, of course.”

Sunset recoiled, furrowing her brow in confusion. “What? But you just said you’d never-“

“No matter,” Rarity cut in. “The threat was all that was needed. I can assure you, Sunset; we will not be hearing from those three for quite some time, if ever.”

“Hm.” Sunset rubbed the back of her head. “So...what was their beef with Lyra and Bonbon?”

“Ah, because they’re former Wondercolts,” Rarity replied.

“So?” Sunset replied.

“Well, it seems the Sirens have lost their eternal life,” Rarity explained, “and they appear to have been aging. It is quite evident in their faces; they certainly don’t look like teenagers anymore, in fact, they look to be just around our age.”

Sunset rubbed her chin. “Hmm, well…I mean, it was probably always possible to hurt, or maybe even kill them, but as long as they avoided that, they would’ve lived forever,” she surmised, but then paused for a moment before looking back at Rarity. “So they’re aging now, eh?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes darling, and they apparently hold the Rainbooms responsible for their plight; since we were the ones who stripped them of their magic.”

“Sorry guys,” I cut in, “the Rainbooms; that’s your band right?”

Rarity nodded. “Was, darling. We haven’t played together for years now.”

“How come?”

“It’s...complicated,” Rarity replied.

I raised a brow at the response.

“Life,” Sunset interjected, with a glance in my direction.

I shifted my eyes to her for a moment, and then gave a thoughtful nod.

“So,” the red-head replied, returning to the conversation with Rarity. “They’re still pissed at us about that, eh?”

“It would seem that way. Especially that Adagio; she apparently has quite the vendetta with us,” Rarity replied, clenching her fist under the water. “OOH! She irks me so; I’m still irritated that she got those hits in on me.”

I cocked my head at the fashionista. “She hit you?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes darling, she managed to counter my first attack. OOOOOOH!” she growled, scrunching her nose. “She makes me so mad; her sly quickness, and her smug, little bitch-face!”

I shook my head. “Don’t beat yourself up over it, Rare. They’ve been around for centuries, so it only stands to reason that they would know a thing or two about defending themselves. Besides, it’s not like it matters anyway. They can’t hurt you.”

“I realise that, darling. It’s just that that was my first night out in the suit, and she ruined what was to be my flawless grand entrance!”

“Aww, nobody’s perfect,” I said, waving her off. “Besides, it sounds like you got them looked after anyway.”

“Indeed I did!” Rarity proudly poked her nose into the air. “In the end, I was able to put them down in rather short order. You know, despite being as old as they are, they certainly did not put up much of a fight. That’s not to say they aren’t more dangerous than they appear, because they are, but compared to us, and especially YOU, darling,” —she pointed at me— “they are quite disappointing in combat.”

“That’s probably because they spent most of their time using their singing to bend people to their will,” Sunset offered. “There wasn’t usually a need for them to become physical, but like you said, they are tougher than the average Joe. Before I became immortal and really learned how to fight, I wouldn’t even think about going toe-to-toe with any of them, and I was a pretty tough chick.”

“Agreed,” Rarity replied. “The only one of us who might have stood a chance was Rainbow Dash, what with her black belt and all.”

I cocked an eyebrow at Rarity. “Rainbow has a black belt? In what?”

“You name it, darling, she has it…not that she ever uses it.”

“Huh,” I mumbled, staring into the purple water. “What does that mean: she never uses it?”

“Well, because of her ankle, of course.”

“Her ankle?”

“Why yes, don’t you know about that?” Rarity asked.

As I shook my head, Sunset let out a snort. “Are you kidding, Rare? Dash won’t talk about that with anyone.”

“About what? What happened?” I asked.

“Senior year, darling; during the final seconds of the championship game, Rainbow Dash was about to kick the winning goal, but a member of the other team charged at her to get the ball away. She managed to score the goal and victory was hers, fortunately, but unfortunately, the other player kicked her foot out from under her and comPLETELY shattered her ankle.” She paused and shook her head. “Something about the way she was stepping when the other girl hit her; it was an accident, of course, but the damage it caused was...simply horrendous.”

Sunset nodded. “Yeah, fucked it up, big time. She had to have surgery and everything.”

“Yikes,” I said, cringing.

“Poor Dashie,” Fluttershy said softly, pushing her bottom lip out. “She was devastated. It was just awful to see her go through it.”

“Yeah, she was really down during graduation,” Sunset continued as she glanced at Rarity. “How many scholarships did she have, Rare?”

“I do not recall, darling,” Rarity replied. “About a half dozen, I believe; but she lost them all when they found out she couldn’t play anymore.”

I let out a sigh. “That really sucks.” This was the first I’d ever heard any of this, and I found it surprising, given the ‘Everything is fine, I’m doing awesome’ attitude that Rainbow Dash always had. It surprises me sometimes; how some people appear to have it all together, yet behind the scenes they can have far more problems that one would expect. As I’d just learned, Rainbow Dash was a person who excelled at hiding her personal issues. “So what'd she do?” I asked.

“Well, she moved into that house with Pinkie Pie and Vinyl Scratch for a bit,” Sunset explained, “They let her stay for a while, but eventually they told her she had to cover her part of the rent, so she got the job at the delivery company to make ends meet.”

“Hm.” I shook my head.

“But of course,” Sunset continued, “Dash being Dash; she got pretty competitive working there. The thing about Rainbow Dash is when she focuses on something, she gets right into it, and that job was no different. She has a very strategic mind, and she started making her own delivery routes, just like setting up a game play: figuring the shortest and quickest way to get everything on her truck delivered before anyone else —she would even plan her routes so they would only have right turns, cuz as she put it: ‘left turns waste too much fucking time’— and she made her way through the ranks pretty fast; got promoted a bunch of times, and now she’s…what’s it called? Senior Supervisor and Logistics Manager or something like that.”

Rarity nodded. “Something like that, yes. It’s quite impressive really; she’s only been there six years and she’s already moved up that much. I’m afraid, however, that it will never fill the gap left by not playing soccer. Granted, she does play in some of the leagues around town, but she’s nowhere near the athlete she once was, and she has to be especially careful not to aggravate her injury any further.”

“Really?” I asked. “She still looked pretty able-bodied at the beach last spring; remember that? When you guys were playing Frisbee?”

“She forces herself to do things like that,” Sunset explained, rolling her eyes, “but you can tell it bothers her.”

“Hmm, yes. Both mentally and physically, I’m afraid,” Rarity agreed.

Fluttershy’s voice caught my attention next.

“Um, that reminds me,” she said, her voice barely audible over the noise of the hot tub. “You…um, still have a job to do.”

“Hm?” I replied, confused.

“Dashie…and Applejack and Pinkie Pie,” she explained. “They’re still mortals. We need to change that.”

I shrugged in protest. “But they don’t want to,” I reminded her, “and I’m not gonna rape them, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

Fluttershy scowled. “Of course not!” she said sternly. “But if you ever have the chance; like if they seem like they want to do it, then just do it.”

“That’s right,” Rarity added. “You have a standing order, darling: if one of them wants it, don’t even bother checking with us, you just go right ahead and make it so. I’ve already made a suit for everyone, and we shan’t let them go to waste.”

I drew a deep breath, then pursed my lips for a moment, thinking about the bizarre nature of their requests. “I don’t know, you guys. They seemed pretty adamant about not wanting to do it. Especially Dashie. She’s all weirded-out by my age and keeps telling me to keep my ‘old dick’ away from her.”

Sunset snorted. “She might be weirded-out by you, but I’ll bet that’s just a front for not wanting help with her injury.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Rarity spoke up. “The thing to remember about Rainbow Dash, darling, is that she has far too much pride for her own good. She has not been known to ask for support very often, and she would much rather act 'tough' and look after herself than admit that she needs help.”

“Isn’t that pretty irrational?” I asked, furrowing my brows. “She could be fixed forever if-“

“Look,” Sunset cut in, “Dash is stubborn. Like, beyond stubborn. Once she gets an idea in her head, it's impossible to change her mind. Whether it’s dealing with her injury alone or thinking you’re an old creep, you just can’t get her to give it up.”

“Well, what if you guys…like, pitch it to her?” I suggested, to which all three girls shook their heads, groaning quietly amongst themselves. “What?” I asked.

“That’s a bad idea, darling.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because," Sunset replied, "if you try to push her, she’ll just dig her heels in deeper. That’s just how she is. Our best bet is to just leave her be and hope she’ll come around on her own.” The red-head stared into the water for a moment, then closed her eyes and shook her head. “Ugh! God, she is SO stubborn.”

Rarity cocked her head at Sunset. “Darling, did you just say ‘God’?”

Sunset nodded, chewing her bottom lip. “Yeah.”

“Since when?” the fashionista asked. “Even after all these years here, you’ve always preferred your native tongue in that regard.”

“Just a little something I picked up from this guy,” the red-head replied, tipping her head in my direction.

Rarity and Futtershy both shifted their eyes onto me.

“Hey, Sunny and I spent a lot of time together this past month,” I explained, shrugging my shoulders.

“Very true, I’m sure you two have learned a lot from and about each other, hm?” Rarity mused, returning an inquisitive eye to Sunset. “Anyway, back to Rainbow Dash; she simply does NOT understand what she’s missing,” she said, giving me a knowing wink.

“Hell no,” Sunset agreed, closing her eyes as she sank a few inches into the water. “Whatever. It’s her loss.”

The conversation was then concluded with one of Fluttershy’s soft giggles. The four of us proceeded to relax in the hot, swirling water, enjoying the ambiance of slowly-changing colours that cast a vibrant glow on our faces.

Eventually, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to sink deeper into the water until the bottoms of my earlobes were just touching the surface. Staring into the blackness behind my eyelids, I began to think about the rescue, the girls and their immortality, and my life over the past six months. While the mission had been a success, something stuck in the back of my mind; something that stung mildly, just enough to bug me, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was.

My thoughts were interrupted, however, when I felt something soft and smooth touch my right side, prompting me to open my eyes.

Surprisingly, I found Sunset taking a seat next to me, letting her naked body come to rest against my side. She rested her head on my shoulder, her wild, fiery locks tickling my neck and face. Her move caught me off-guard, and I couldn’t help but feel the soft sting of butterflies in my stomach when I saw her there.

“Hey,” I said softly.

She lifted her head again, giving me a quick glance before resting it back on my shoulder. “Don’t get the wrong idea,” she said flatly. “I just need something to lean on.”

“Yeah, sure,” I replied with a shake of my head, noticing that Rarity and Fluttershy were smirking at us.

The four of us then resumed spending time together in silent tranquility, listening to the endless hum of the hot tub.

My mind was suddenly occupied by the red-head, who’d taken it upon herself to sit next to me, putting her bare skin into contact with mine a little more than what actually seemed necessary. I wanted to see what would happen if I tested the waters a little, so I slid my arm behind her and placed my hand on her waist, pulling her closer; then I tipped my head towards her, letting my temple come to rest on the top of her head.

Her response was a welcome one. She didn’t move or say anything; she just let out a long, content sigh, followed by a smile that couldn’t be seen, only felt against my shoulder when her cheek muscles flexed.

I closed my eyes for a few moments, relishing the togetherness the four of us felt that evening, wondering how it was possible for everything that happened that night to happen the way it did.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one wondering this very thing.

“Darlings,” Rarity’s soft voice brought us back to reality. “I’ve been wondering about something…and I’d like to pose a query, if I may.”

“Shoot,” Sunset replied.

“What…” —the fashionista paused— “…what happened here, tonight?”

“Do you really need a reminder?” Sunset asked, smirking.

“Of course not,” Rarity sneered playfully, “What I meant was: how did the four of us do what we did tonight, without it feeling strange or hurtful?”

Sunset lifted her head finally, shrugging at the question. “I don’t know, but I’m not sure why you’re worried about it; I personally had a fucking great time.”

"Well that’s just it, darling,” Rarity replied, “so did I, and I’m positive these two did as well.” She gestured to me and Fluttershy, and we both nodded in agreement.

Sunset rubber her chin, staring into the water as she ruminated quietly.

“You’re wondering how none of us have gotten jealous with each other with all the things going on between us?” I asked.

“Precisely,” Rarity replied, pointing at me.

Sunset looked up at Rarity. “Well, it started with you guys; you know, with your three-way relationship, and tonight, I just joined in the fun. No big deal. It’s not like I’m in love with any of you or anything.”

Rarity drew a breath and held it. Looking up into the lattice, she scowled slightly. “No…I don’t think it’s as simple as that,” she finally said. “I mean...tonight, you made a move on me, and although it was a bit of a shock, Fluttershy wasn’t put off by it, even though she did pretend to be, which turned out to be nothing more than a little game, obviously.”

“Yeah…a game,” Sunset replied, narrowing her eyes at the shy girl, “that she might have taken a tad too far. You scared the shit out of me, Flutters!”

“S-sorry about that,” the shy girl spoke up, looking somewhat remorseful. “I guess it might have been a bit much.”

“It may have been a tad frightening at first,” Rarity interjected, “but in the end, I thought it was deliciously brilliant!”

Fluttershy giggled. “Really? You liked it?”

“But of course, darling!”

Sunset nodded. “I did too…eventually. It was pretty hot, I won’t lie.”

My eyes were darting around from girl to girl as I listened to the exchange. “Uh, yeah…at some point, you guys are gonna have to fill me in on what exactly happened there.”

“I’d be happy to, darling,“ Rarity replied, giving me a seductive wink before shifting her eyes back to Sunset. “So...back on topic; now Sunset, when Fluttershy was kissing you, I felt as though I should have been upset, however, I wasn’t. Now, why is that?”

Sunset shrugged, as did Fluttershy when Rarity looked to her for a response.

“I was wondering what you were thinking during that,” Sunset said to Rarity. “You weren’t pissed at all?”

Rarity shook her head.

“Hmm,” Sunset rubbed her chin, looking down into the water.

“But, um…Rare,” Fluttershy cut in. “You were acting jealous the night Goldie told us about Sunset’s magic. Remember? When we were talking about letting them do it?”

“Yes, darling. I remember, but...even then, I’m not sure if I was truly jealous. I mean, I felt as though I should have been, but I don’t know if I really was.”

“What about when Golds and I were in Vegas, and you told me over the phone to have sex with him?” Sunset asked.

“Same thing,” Rarity replied. “I was reluctant to grant you that freedom, but I felt bad for your…situation, and when I decided to tell you to go ahead and do it, I was surprised to find that it didn’t bother me at all. Not one bit.”

Sunset looked at Fluttershy next. “What about you, Flutters? You said you could tell that me and Golds had been having sex as soon as you saw us in the desert, right?”

“Um, yes,” the shy girl replied quietly.

“Now, I know you’re a bit of a sexual freak to begin with,” Sunset continued, “but given that you’d been locked up for a month, didn’t it bother you to find out that me and your boyfriend were fucking while you were in there?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, but…I’m not sure why. I think even I should have been bothered by that, but...I wasn’t.”

Sunset turned to look at me, chewing the inside of her cheek, which was something she always did when she was deep in thought; when she knew something wasn’t normal and needed to be figured out. After a spell, she shifted her eyes onto Rarity.

“You’re right, Rare. This is kind of weird.”

“Indeed,” Rarity agreed. “It’s had me thinking about our relationship, and how this ‘lack of jealously’ could possibly have been behind the entire thing.”

Fluttershy shook her head in disagreement. “No! I’ve loved you for years, Rare. Long before any of this, and long before we met Goldie.”

Rarity brought her index finger up to stroke Fluttershy’s cheek, giving her a reassuring smile. “Oh darling, I love you too, as well as Golds, and he loves us. I never meant to say this ‘lack of jealousy’ is the only reason the three of us got together, or that it’s not really us who are in love with each other; I just meant that it may have helped the relationship go a bit more…ahem, smoothly?”

Fluttershy took a moment to stare into the water as she considered the idea, then she finally nodded in agreement. “Um, yeah…maybe.”

“I’d say it’s possible,” Sunset inferred. “I mean, the rest of us were all pretty shocked when the three of you got together. Even though it is possible for three people to love each other in harmony, it’s a rare thing, because the conditions have to be just so, and with the right minds involved…but this," —she shook her head— "this seems different. And it all started when Golds came along.”

The three of them looked at me suddenly.

“What?” I said, my eyes darting back and forth between them.

“Well, this obviously has something to do with the immortality, darling.”

“Yeah, but…I don’t know why you’re all looking at me right now. I don’t know why this is happening either,” I replied.

“But you’ve been like this far longer than any of us,” Rarity insisted. “If anyone knew the answer, it would be you.”

I shook my head. “Whoa, hang on a sec; I was alone the whole time, remember? Things like relationships and jealousy and-all-that are kind of hard to learn about when you’re by yourself.”

Rarity pursed her lips. “Hm, true.”

Sunset scowled, looking confused. “But, what does being immortal have to do with not being jealous? It doesn’t make sense.”

The three of us pondered for a moment, and then Rarity finally spoke up. “Golds, darling,” she said, looking at me, ”what was it that Applejack was saying at the Sweet Shoppe that day?”

“What day?”

“The day of the school shooting,” Rarity replied, “she was saying something about reproduction, and how we don’t need it...you know, because we’ll be alive forever, there’s no longer a need to reproduce—or something like that, I don't quite recall.”

“Oh yeah,” I said, scratching my ear. “I remember that. Not sure if it makes sense though; I mean, it might explain why you guys haven’t gotten pregnant, but I don’t see how it would stop us from feeling jealousy.”

Sunset agreed. “Yeah...I’m not sure if that’s the answer. I mean, same-sex couples can’t reproduce, and they still have the potential to experience jealousy.”

“Hmm,” Rarity rubbed her chin. “Yes, I suppose you two make a valid point.”

Sunset chuckled, shaking her head. “It’s still a pretty clever thought though,” she said. “That AJ; she’s a surprisingly deep thinker.”

I nodded. “Yeah, there’s a lot more going on under that dirty old Stetson than you’d think.”

“Indeed,” Rarity said, with a quick roll of her eyes. “Even though she comes across as being quite obtuse at times.”

Fluttershy sighed in agreement, then left Rarity’s side to float across the tub to my left. “I love Applejack,” she said softly. “I missed all of you guys. Oh! I just can’t wait for the sleepover tonight!” She came to rest on my left side and reached for the dollar store bag, exposing her breasts above the water. “I kind of want that candy now,” she giggled softly, noticing I was looking at her.

“It's all you, Flutters."

The shy girl rooted through the bag for a moment, then produced the pack of Reese’s Cups and began to unwrap them. “Oh dear,” she mewled, “there’s only three in here.”

I shook my head. “I don’t need any.”

Her eyebrows went up suddenly. “Are you sure? I‘ll share mine with you, if you want.”

“Don’t worry about it. I got them for you guys anyway.”

Fluttershy smiled, then leaned in to place a quick kiss on my lips. “Thank you Goldie, for the…um, treats.”

I smiled at her, watching contently as she took one out to hand it to Sunset before floating back to Rarity.

The girls quietly enjoyed the candy for a few moments, until Rarity finally spoke again, between bites.

“Well darlings, I suppose for now we’ll have to accept that the answer to this ‘lack of jealousy’ question lies ahead of us, perhaps in the near future.”

Sunset nodded and took another bite of her cup, then proceeded to speak with a full mouth. “Yeah, whatever it is, I’m sure we’ll figure it out. We always do.”

“Agreed,” Rarity replied. “But until then, I say we embrace it. I had a marvelous time with the three of you tonight, and I see no reason to stifle it if it isn’t going to cause us any harm. What do you all think?”

Fluttershy nodded quickly, which came as no surprise to the rest of us.

Rarity turned to the red-head. “And you, Sunset?”

Sunset paused for a moment to swallow the candy before answering. “All kinds of wild, crazy sex with no strings attached? Sign me up!” she said, turning to me. “How about you, Golds?”

I scowled slightly at the question. “What, do I have the words ‘DUMB CUNT’ written on my forehead? Of course I’m down.”

“It’s settled then,” Rarity said, sticking her nose up as she put the last bite of candy in her mouth.

“You know what’ll be interesting to see?” Sunset asked.

“What’s that, darling?”

“How Twi acts tonight.”

“Ahh,” Rarity said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “I hadn’t considered Twilight. We shall have to keep a close eye on her to see how she acts around Golds. I don’t believe they’ve seen each other since…you know," —she turned to me— "have you, darling?”

“No, I -MMPH!”

Out of nowhere, Sunset stuffed the last bite of her Reese’s Cup into my mouth when I tried to answer. I gave the red-head a look of surprise, eliciting a mischievous giggle from her, followed by the other two girls a second later.

I gave her a small nod of thanks after a moment, chewing the candy slowly. “Thanks,” I said, my words muffled slightly as the flavour of peanut butter and chocolate filled my taste buds.

“Ooh!” Rarity suddenly perked up. “That reminds me, Sunset; you simply must give Shining Armor a call at your earliest convenience.”

Sunset’s brows furrowed, and she cocked her head at the instruction. “Shining Armor? Why?”

“A possible job opportunity,” Rarity replied, offering her chocolate-covered finger to the shy girl, who promptly licked it clean.

“Oh, cool,” Sunset said, settling down to rest her head on my shoulder again. “I’d better get on that, I guess.”

*****

After spending another hour or so in the hot tub, talking, laughing and snuggling together, the four of us eventually decided it was time to get out so we could ready ourselves to head to Fluttershy’s house. She’d been gone for close to five weeks, and she longed badly to return to her little home in the woods; to lay on her chaise lounge, to feed her animal friends, and to have a shower and put on her own clothes for once. It took us close to half an hour to track down our clothing and things, as well as Angel, Link and the items that belonged to them; food, collars, cages, and so on.

Finally, just as the sun was coming up, we got into the cars and departed. Fluttershy went in Rarity’s car —first stopping for one of Rarity’s obligatory caramel lattes before leaving town— and Sunset rode with me in the Diplomat so I could take her to my shop to get her bike.

We pulled into my yard at about 7:30am. I opened the bay door and saw the mess of tools scattered around the floor, reminding me of what I was doing at the very moment I was alerted to the danger that Fluttershy was in.

”Oh yeah, I finally get to try out my new turbo,” I thought, feeling my excitement grow as I wheeled Sunset’s motorcycle around for her. I put the kickstand down to park it and we stood facing each other, taking a moment to say our goodbyes.

“Well…”

I was unsure of what to say. We’d been together almost non-stop for the past month, and this moment wasn’t something I'd considered having to deal with when I asked her to come with me in the first place. “So…uh, I guess this is it.”

She nodded, somewhat hesitantly. “Yeah.”

“Um…” I stared into those big turquoise eyes of hers, noticing in that moment how bright and beautiful they really were. The look she was giving me made me weak in the knees, and I began to feel a tightness in my chest when I realised I was going to miss having her around.

“Well,” she said, unable to withstand the awkward silence. “That was a pretty crazy night, eh?”

A smile came across my face. “Yeah, it was. Heh! I’m pretty sure my jizz is on back-order now.” My quip earned a laugh from the red-head. I paused briefly to replay some of the messy events in my mind, but then I realised something: in the midst of all that fornication, we had overlooked one simple thing.

I looked up at Sunset to speak. “Uh, sorry that you didn’t get a chance to read me banging Flutters. I’m not really sure why she didn’t want me to finish inside her; I...honestly wasn’t expecting that.”

“Yeah, me either,” she replied. “Don’t worry about it though, Golds; you don’t have to apologize. To be honest, I really enjoyed reading you during that tit-fuck, and I also got to read you when you came inside Rare, so it’s all good.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” I replied, smirking as I continued. “That’s why I like you, Sunny. You’re a ‘glass is half full’ kind of girl.”

“Yeah, well hey...both of those things felt amazing,” she continued, after a short chuckle. “Especially Rare; her pussy felt like some kind of suede or something...I don’t know, but it was fucking fanstastic.”

“Yeah. Rare's got some nice tang, that's for sure,” I said, gazing off into the trees, noting how they’d transitioned into a vibrant array of fall colours during our long absence. “Same goes for you, Sunny. And by the way...uh, sorry about the friendly fire; you know, when I accidently slipped out and...shot you.”

Sunset snorted. “That’s OK. It was pretty hot, to be honest. Plus, Flutters was pretty quick to clean it up.”

“Hm,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s good to have that crazy slut home again.”

The red-head chuckled. “Yup. When you’re right, you’re right.”

I looked upwards, watching the canopy of dried leaves rattling softly in the breeze as I drew a long inhale through my nose, letting the earthy scent of the surrounding nature soak my senses. "I'm gonna miss these lovely conversations of ours," I said, causing Sunset to laugh again.

After a moment or two, our laughter died down and we were left standing there, surrounded by a vast sea of colourful leaves. Sunset’s demeanor, other than the obvious reluctance to separate from me, was one of serenity.

“How are you feeling, Sunny?” I asked.

She stared blankly, unprepared for the question.

“Like, are you, uh…horny?”

She smiled briefly, then stuck her bottom lip out and shook her head. “Nope,” she replied, swiping her hand through the air, slowly. “I am coooooool as a cucumber.”

“That’s good,” I said, smirking at her response.

She nodded and then continued. “Yeah, uh…as long as I have some of…you…left in me, I’m fine.”

“It doesn’t take much to keep it down, eh?” I replied.

“No,” she said. “I mean, on the trip home, I didn’t start feeling it again until we got to Niagara Falls, which was what, like a two day drive from New Mexico?”

“Yeah, about that,” I nodded.

“So...that means I should be fine at the get-together tonight, at least.”

“That's good,” I replied. “That’ll certainly take the edge off.”

“Mm-hm.”

Again, we found ourselves drowning in an awkward silence. Unable to keep my eyes on her, I looked at the ground and idly scuffed my feet in the gravel while she looked around at the surrounding woods, twirling a lock of red hair around her index finger.

Finally, Sunset cleared her throat to speak again. “It’s gonna be weird,” she said, pausing for a second to bite her lip, “you know…not being around you.”

I looked at her for a moment, surprised. “I know,” I replied, trying my best to conceal the slight heartache her statement caused. “Being with you was starting to become a way of life for me, and now it’s over. Just like that.”

Sunset pursed her lips, her eyes drifting downward as she gave a half-hearted nod. “It’s like the end of an era.”

“Yeah,” I said. “We’re gonna see each other tonight though, so it’s not a big deal, really. To be honest, I’m surprised you’re not completely sick of looking at my face.”

Sunset smirked. “Well, kind of,” she said with a quiet chuckle.

“Same here,” I jabbed back, but then I paused. “Just kidding.”

Sunset blushed slightly, folding her arms across her chest as she looked at the ground. The smile then faded from her face, and she brought her eyes up to mine, bringing a look of worry with them.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“How do you…come back?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Like…back to regular life.”

“Oh,” I replied, shaking my head. “It’s not as hard as you’d think. You just have to do it and not think about it.”

She sighed, staring off into the trees for a moment. “I have to find a job.”

“Well, what was Rare saying about calling that guy? What was his name?”

“Shining Armor,” Sunset replied. “He’s Twi’s brother. I’ll have to give him a call once I get a new phone. But if whatever he has for me falls through, I’ll have to get a job at a coffee shop or something just to pay the bills...until I get the position I really want.”

“Do you still have Lizzie’s broach?” I asked, referring to the gift that I had given her from my safe deposit box; the broach that once belonged to Elizabeth Bathory.

“Yeah, of course,” the red-head replied, pulling it out of her pocket, to my surprise.

“Well if you found the right buyer for that, it would pay the bills for quite a while,” I suggested.

“What?” she replied, scowling at me. “Are you nuts? I could never sell this!” She paused, looking down at the jewel again. “This is an amazing gift...from an amazing friend.”

I paused for a moment, surprised by Sunset’s compliment. As I watched her study the piece of jewelry for a moment before sliding it back into her pocket, a smile spread across my face as I realised I had some things I needed to say to her.

“I wanna thank you, Sunny,” I said, prompting her to look at me. “For coming along to help. You did amazing. Your thing in the CIA, the phone call to Chrysalis…everything. You’re an amazing friend, a brilliant detective, and a great fighter. I’m proud of you.”

She looked stunned for a moment. Usually, the two of us spent our time together joking around and being sarcastic with one another, but right then, I wanted her to know how much her company during the whole ordeal truly meant to me.

Evidently, she understood. I noticed a tiny bit of moisture gathering in the corners of her eyes, and she gave me a proud, albeit trembling smile.

“I’m actually really glad that you asked me to come,” she said, her voice wavering slightly. “I mean, I was apprehensive at first; like, I really didn’t want to do it, but now,” —she paused to draw a breath— “now...I am so glad I did. You taught me so much during this trip, and I got to see more of this world than I ever thought I would. I just wish it could have been a real vacation, instead of having to go because our friend was in trouble.”

“We’ll go on a real vacation someday, Sunny. Maybe we can all go,” I offered.

“Yeah.” After a short pause, she drew in a deep breath. “Thank you, Golds.”

“For what?” I asked.

“For bringing me. I know there were shitty parts, and sometimes we didn’t get along, but if I had to do it all over again; I would do it in a heartbeat. I loved learning about this world, about how to fight and outsmart my enemies, and…”

She trailed off, staring at the ground.

I dipped my head slightly, following her eyes as they sank downward. “And…?”

Sunset looked up at me again, slowly. “I loved spending time with you.”

Flattered, I was still for a moment, staring into Sunset’s eyes as a pang of…some kind of feeling rang through my chest. I didn’t know exactly what it was, but I knew it felt good.

“Me too,” I said, smiling at her.

She bit her lip for a second, looking as though she had something else on her mind. Then she drew a soft breath and opened her mouth to speak. “I…uh…” she trailed off, then turned to look at her bike. “I’d better get going,” she said abruptly, turning back to me.

“Uh…yeah,” I replied as I glanced at the bike, wondering what she was really about to say. “So what’s the plan for today?”

“Um…I’m gonna go home and shower, put on some fresh clothes and relax for a bit,” she said. “Then I’m gonna head to the city to pick up Twi for tonight.”

“Oh yeah,” I nodded. “That’ll be cool. I just hope she doesn’t act all weird around me.”

“Why? Just cuz you ejaculated in her vagina last time you saw her?” Sunset snickered. “Grow up, Golds.”

I let out a quiet laugh, looking down at the ground as I kicked a little stone across the yard. “Yeah, you’re right. What’s there to feel awkward about?”

“Exactly.”

Smiling, we stood for another moment, not knowing how to break off and go our separate ways.

“Well,” she finally said, “I…I’d better go.” And with that, she turned to walk towards her motorcycle.

As I watched her go, I took in the sight of her long, wavy hair, swaying gracefully behind her as she walked along. I enjoyed the way she looked, even with the leather jacket missing; her height, her strong build, her flawless derriere, and I found myself wishing th-

She stopped suddenly, then turned back to me.

Her eyes locked with mine, staring longingly for a moment before she briskly stepped towards me and threw her arms around my shoulders, giving me the tightest hug I’d received in a long while. Wrapping my arms around her in return, I squeezed her firmly and rocked her side-to-side, wishing that she would just come out to Fluttershy’s with me so I wouldn’t have to let her go.

”Come on, Golds! Get a grip, you douche. You only think you’re attached to her because you’ve spent all this time together. She’s just a habit, that’s all. A habit. It’ll go away once she’s gone,” I told myself. ”At least I think it will…”

Without saying a word, we slowly released each other from the embrace, and she headed once again towards the bike. This time, she managed to get on it and start the engine, revving it a few times before giving me a somewhat timid wave.

And with that, Sunset Shimmer kicked her bike into gear and rode off, leaving me alone in the yard. I stood perfectly still, waiting for the sound of the bike’s engine to fade into complete silence before I allowed myself to move again.