The rest of the week passed uneventfully and before Sunset knew it the weekend was quickly upon her. Unlike the planned Rainboom/Shadowbolt play date, she had deliberately neglected to inform her friends of tonight's plans, and furthermore had kept quiet about her suspicions of Sunny Flare. At this point between her father, their conflicting histories (and friends clashing personalities), she knew it would be a long talk, and frankly, it was one Sunset couldn’t be bothered doing, especially when she wasn’t hurting anybody. That, and she knew how negatively her friends would react to her hanging around with a Shadowbolt.

Throughout the week Sunset maintained contact with Sunny Flare via MyStable and the two had rapidly become good friends. Sunset was surprised how much friendlier the girl was over text -not that she was ever directly unfriendly towards her- but she never expected her to be the kind of person to send multiple emojis at the end of a message. They had already escalated to tagging each other in memes and cat videos, talking their favorite TV Shows and yes, even discussing politics. Truth be told, Sunset was looking forward to this weekend for more reasons than just her investigation pf her father.

Their initial plan for the evening was to see a movie, but when it occurred to her sitting in silence probably wasn’t the best way to get to know her new friend, that had developed into going out for dinner afterwards as well. They settled down into a nice Indian Restaurant in Canterlot's upper district, spirits still high off the movie.

“You ever been to the Tasty Treat before?” Sunny Flare asked.

“A few times with the girls,” Sunset nodded. “The sea bass here is amazing.”

Minutes later they were sat down at their table and having their order taken.

“I’ll have the Chilean sea bass and a red wine please.”

Sunny Flare gestured to Sunset and nodded.

“Same as her, please.”

The young waitress finished writing down their order and left the two in privacy. Sunset had to admit, Sunny Flare cleaned up good. Since they were going out for dinner, they had prearranged a smart/casual dress code for the evening. Sunny Flare had brought out a nice purple and black dress, one that admittedly, was not dissimilar to her Crystal rep uniform, but she still made it work. It certainly made Sunset feel self-conscious about deciding to bring her leather jacket.

“So…” Sunset plucked the first question out of her mind. ”What’d you think of the movie?”

“I actually liked it!” Sunny Flare perked up. “And I really didn’t care for the last one so… it was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.”

“Same,” Sunset nodded in agreement. “And I did like the last one... as far as sequels go. I just feel anything set after the originals kind of ruins them."

“Yes!” Sunny Flare gasped. “That’s exactly what I’ve been saying! Episode 7 renders the original trilogy completely pointless because it just resets the Galaxy to the same point it was at the end of Episode 3!”

“Thank you!” Sunset laughed. “It’s a relief to hear that come from someone else's mouth. Rainbow Dash does nothing but defend Episode 7.”

“Which is your favorite one?”

“I know it's everyone's answer, but Episode 5. I think it’s definitely the high point of the franchise.”

Sunny scoffed.

“You haven’t seen the tv shows, have you?”

Sunset shook her head, “I saw bits of the old one… Wasn’t a huge fan of the animation.”

“Right well, finish that, and then watch the new one. Trust me it’s worth it. The season two final will have you shook… that’s all I’m saying.”

“Okay, consider it on the list,” Sunset laughed, “What about you?”

“Oh Episode 3, without a doubt.”

“Seriously?”

“It’s the most important one.”

“But it’s…soo....” Sunset failed to keep a straight face, “it’s… pretty bad, be honest.”

“It’s the best of the prequels. And it’s the most enjoyable of all of them.”

She couldn’t help but shrug. Sunny Flare wasn’t wrong, but...

This was pretty much what their conversations had been been like for the past week. Casual, unimportant topics, mainly used as excuses to talk to each other. It was surprising how close the two had become in such a short amount of time.

Sunset couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was something she really liked about Sunny Flare. Maybe it was her brutal -yet not harsh- honesty, or the fact that they had an unusually large amount of stuff in common... she didn’t know, but she wasn’t complaining.

As their food arrived, paining her to do so, Sunset forced her enjoyment onto the back burner so she could focus on her original objectives.

“So,” Sunset said, cutting into her food. “What's your family life like outside of Crystal Prep? I don’t actually know that much about you, personal life-wise.”

“There’s… ehehe… not really much to know,” she shrugged, and if Sunset wasn’t mistaken, tried to hide a blush.

“ I live with my Dad, Mom and little brother. I wanna try and get into film-reviewing. Go Crystal Prep… soooo that takes up most of my time, but when I’m not studying I like movies… as erm, you could probably guess by the film-reviewing stuff… ehehe. I’m a bit of a cinephile. You?”

Sunset made a mental note to jot all of that down.

“Same, actually. With the family, I mean. Or rather, I used to. I moved away from them a few years ago.”

“Really? Ahh man, that’s so cool,” Sunny marveled. “Wish I could do that at this young, I hate living with my folks.”

Sunset shrugged. “It’s not as great as it sounds, I miss them like heck sometimes.”

“Could you not go visit them?”

“It’s a…” Sunset thought for the right choice of words. Something told her it was a little early to reveal her past as a villainous horse from another dimension. “Kind of a long distance thing,” she settled on. “That... and I wasn’t really on the best terms with any of them when I left.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Sunny Flare’s tone noticeably changed, grabbing Sunsets attention. “I didn’t mean to-”

“No, no, it’s okay!” Sunset jumped in. “I’m completely over it now, I just had a pretty rough patch a year or two ago, but everything's good now.”

“Yeah? It’s okay, I get that. Same, actually.”

Sunset cocked a brow.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I was like a different person not too long ago. But…” Sunny Flare laughed nervously. “That’s a deep story for another day.”

Sunset wanted desperately to follow that up, but decided against it. She'd gotten Sunny to talk about her family, things were moving in the right direction.

An silence began to settle over as the two dug into their meals. As the seconds ticked over Sunset could feel a nagging ball of anxiety in her throat. The last thing she wanted was either of them feeling awkward, not merely because it would ruin her investigation, but because she had also grown to like Sunny Flare and didn’t want the girl thinking badly of her.

“So how have things been in Crystal Prep?” she broke the tension.

“Pretty good!” Sunny Flare instantly perked up. “We just found out we might be able to have the Spring Fling on a yacht this year, if we can raise the money. And CHS?”

"We all have a trip to Camp Everfree coming soon. I love camping, me and the girls have been meaning to go for a while.”

“Aww, I like camping! Definitely don’t think I could go with the girls from my school, though,” she laughed. “We’d kill each other before nightfall.”

Sunset laughed.

“Here was I with the impression you guys secretly liked each other, under the bickering?”

Sunny Flare nodded. “Oh no, yeah we do -I mean I love Sugarcoat, but she can be a real pain in the neck sometimes.”

“Ah…” Sunset’s smile lessened.

The gears in her head began to turn.

“I thought you said you loved her?”

“I do,” Sunny shrugged, “she’s still a bitch though.”

The lump in Sunset's throat returned as she couldn't tell if her friend was being serious or not. The way Sunny Flare spoke about her ‘friends’ behind their backs... really unnerved her.

When Sunset’s response didn’t come immediately, Sunny looked up from her plate. Noticing Sunset’s confusion, she laughed.

“You can be friends with someone and still think they are a bitch,” Sunny Flare dismissed Sunset’s continued unease with a giggled. “And I tell Sugarcoat she’s a bitch to her face. You telling me none of your friends do anything that annoys you?”

Sunset tried to avoid Sunny's gaze.

“Well…”

“Come onnnnn,” she smirked, “Honesty is the best policy.”

“I mean, they’re my friends… I really shouldn’t talk about them behind their backs…”

“Sunseeeeet,” Sunny Flare teased. “It’s okay, I'm not gonna tell anyone! You can be honest with me.”

After a few seconds hesitation, Sunset eased up.

“Rainbow Dash can be really stubborn sometimes….” she admitted, and then quieter said, “Pinkie Pie can get really annoying…”

“There you go!” Sunny's grin was almost mischievous. “You’re not being mean, you’re just being honest, there is a difference. How can anyone ever improve themselves if nobody ever tells them what’s wrong with them?”

Sunset blinked.

“...Huh.”

“What? “

“Nothing that’s just… really straight forward logic, actually. I’m surprised I’ve never really thought of it like that.”

Sunny Flare nodded, understanding. “Friendship is supposed to be one of those things that’s the highlight of your life, so why should anyone ever compromise with something like that? I hold myself to a higher standard than that, if my friends are being stupid I’ll tell them,” she explained. “Being brutally honest like that works; tells them they have something to improve on. They can either take that advice or get lost.”

Sunset squinted, thinking.

“That sounds a bit mean though, like…” she frowned, “who determines what’s a good or bad quality?”

Sunny Flare shrugged.

“The times, and times change, I get that. I just never go out of my way to sugarcoat or be overly polite to anyone -especially my friends- when all that does is avoid getting stuff done. It's a necessary evil, since there’s so many snowflakes in the world today.”

“Snowflake?” Sunset asked, confused at the term.

Sunny nodded. “People who cry over the smallest bit of criticism. It’s ridiculous we live in a world where grown adults are such cry babies they can’t bare to have their opinions challenged. The world isn’t rainbows and unicorns all the time.”

Poor choice of wording, but Sunset kept listening.

“Like, nothing gets on my nerves more than people who don’t do something because ‘it’s too mainstream’. Like, “ugh, I’m not going to watch Game of Thrones because it’s too mainstream.” Like, of course it’s mainstream, you idiot, that’s because it’s good. People are so fragile about their individuality that they willingly trade something they know is good just for their own delusion of being special.”

“But… isn’t everybody special in their own way?” Sunset tried.

“No! Nobody is special and-”

Sunny Flare caught her words as she felt her voice rising. She blushed.

“Oh... Gosh, I’m sorry, I’m getting all worked up…”

She winced, and began tugging at a loose strand of hair.

Up until tonight, Sunny Flare had seemed pretty confident in everything she talked about with her. But between this and tripping over herself talking about her aspirations, this was Sunset’s first time seeing a shyer side of her.

“No, no, it’s okay!” Sunset reassured her, genuinely interested. “I just guess I never really thought of it all like that before. Me and my friends kind of have the idea of accepting each other for who we are.”

“I get that, it’s cool don’t worry, most people have that mind set too! And I’m not saying mine is better, or anything,” she reassured. “At Crystal Prep we just don’t really see the point in settling, though. I’m perfectly fine on my own, friendships at this point are just like icing on the cake. I could live without them just fine, so why compromise for something I don’t even want?”

“You don’t want friends?” for the first time Sunset felt her defense rise slightly.

“No, I like having friends. But I don’t need them to survive.”

Sunset stabbed at the food on her plate. She found herself disagreeing with Sunny Flare, but respected the girl enough not to argue.

“I don’t know what I’d do without my friends…” she said quietly.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah...” Sunset nodded. “That rough patch I went through, it was them who helped pull me out of it. I don’t know who I’d be without my friends.”

“No that’s cool, you are who you surround yourself with, I get that too! But I definitely couldn’t develop an attachment to them like that.”

“Why not?”

“Just sounds unhealthy.”

“I don't see how friendship could be unhealthy... Please, explain what you mean?”

Sunny Flare smiled, appreciating Sunsets sincerity and then continued, albeit less passionately than before.

“Well, like I said, you don’t need friends to make you happy. If you can be one hundred percent happy on your own first, then even during the bad times -and there will be bad times- you’ll never truly feel alone. And it’ll just make things like friendship… or relationships… even better, because yeah, icing on the cake. Like, okay tell me, what would you do if your friends all suddenly moved to the other side of the country tomorrow and you never got to speak to them again?”

“I’d be…” Sunset looked for the words. “Distraught. I don’t know if I could do that.”

“Exactly! Me? I’d be sad sure, but... I’d get over it,” she gave a sad smile. “I just think developing an emotional dependency on somebody like that is putting you and them in an unfair position, especially when it’s not a necessary ingredient for a friendship to work.”

Sunset nodded, thinking.

“That’s… I mean that’s… Well, I definitely understand your point.”

Agreeing with the point was a different matter, but Sunset wouldn’t lie, Sunny Flare had successfully thrown her through a loop on something she had thought she was basically an expert on now.

“And yours too!” Sunny Flare chimed in. “Trust me, I get that I’m in the minority opinion on this. People are allowed to disagree, it doesn’t make them not friends! In my group, we just focus on enjoying each other’s company and that’s it. We don't try and change each other, but we’re also not afraid to call each other out on our shit. You seem pretty happy living your life the way you are, so who am I to tell you your way of living is wrong?”

Sunset smiled.

“I am happy. That’s pretty respectful of you.”

Sunny Flare nodded.

Sunset thought carefully about Sunny’s words. She was sure something she just said was some kind of contradiction to her earlier point, but Sunset wasn’t confident in herself enough to challenge her on it.

After moving off the apparently touchy subject of friendship, the two girls spent their night chit-chatting about different subjects. The topic of Sunny's father had not crept into conversation again, but Sunset hadn't minded, as they soon found themselves laughing at each others anecdotes, and just in all, having a really fun night.

It amazed Sunset how much she enjoyed Sunny’s company. In the back of her head, she couldn't help but feel a building of annoyance towards her friends attitudes over the Shadowbolts. Their stubbornness had not only prevented themselves from experiencing the same joy Sunset was feeling, and also made her feel like the fool for trying.

Yet here she was, enjoying herself perfectly fine without them.

Once the meals were finished, the two girls packed up and moved on from the restaurant. The sun had disappeared behind the horizon, and both girls decided to call it a night. As they prepared to go their separate ways, they came to a stop outside the coffee shop they had met at two weeks prior.

“I had a really good night tonight, Sunset.”

Sunny Flares tone was different, and she wasn’t making eye contact. Instead, she twiddled her thumbs, staring off into the distance and drawing circles on the floor with her shoe. She almost looked… embarrassed? Had Sunset done something to make her shy again?

“Me too!” Sunset enthusiastically patted the girls shoulder, hoping to cheer her up. “It was great getting to hang out properly, we should totally do it again sometime!”

Sunny Flare peaked out from over her shoulder.

“Yeah?”

Sunset repressed frowning at the girl's sudden strange behavior.

Sunny Flare was probably just tired, or desperate to get home, she thought.

“Absolutely! I gotta get home, but I’ll text you, kay?”

Sunny nodded, smiling. The two girls hugged goodbye. As Sunset took to make her exit, she noticed Sunny was still where she stood and showed no signs of moving.

Weird, but okay.

“See you later!” Sunset waved.

Taking the lead, she turned on her heels and walked away.