Sunset paused for a moment to wipe her brow—even though the sun was barely up over the horizon and it was a cool morning in what promised to be a nice early spring day, she had been running around for over an hour and a half already, setting everything up. The checklist on her clipboard—her girlfriend’s contribution to the event had been to make that for her—was fairly long and detailed, but she was almost to the end of it, and just in time, as volunteers were starting to arrive, being directed to the check-in table by a very boisterous Bow Hot-Foot, Rainbow’s dad. He had been the perfect person to stick on greeter detail, big, muscular, loud, and extroverted just like his daughter.

Rarity had likewise been put in charge of the check-in table with Fluttershy’s mother, a meek, soft spoken woman whose mannerisms explained so much about her children’s behavior. The tailor had assured Sunset she would match teams of volunteers based on abilities and age, making sure that the middle school aged volunteers would be with at least two adults, preferably parents or guardians. Friends of Pinkie’s from the Home Ec classes were overseeing the food and drink stations—the local grocery store had donated an entire truck full of the refillable sports water-cooler barrels to the project which Sunset planned to turn around and donate to the school after all was said and done, and several bakeries and cafes had contributed snacks and energy bars. Lunch was being provided by the sandwich shop that Sunset had used for her date to the observatory with Twilight, paid for by Night Light’s generous donation, huge platters of cold sandwiches and condiments that Big Mac had volunteered to pick up with help from Sandalwood and Brawly in a few hours.

Her eyes continued to sweep the area, checking off the organized supplies—bins of work gloves, big bags for the garbage, brushes and outdoor paint in big buckets for the park benches, boxes of nails and screws, tools, the neat stacks of colorful bird houses and different animal feeders on a table—and even the first aid station that the school nurse had showed up to run in case someone got scrapes or splinters or blisters from working. Off to the side some trays of spring flowers and heavy bags of dark earth and mulch waited for their turn to be planted in the park’s neglected butterfly garden to attract both the colorful insects and local bees. She’d even gotten big bins to use for recyclables like glass or metal—she never did understand why humans wasted so many valuable resources in landfills, when a lot of them could easily be melted down and used again with no issue.

They were ready to go.

The redhead turned to look at Applejack. “I think it's all ready to get started. You're overseeing benches and birdhouses. Pinkie and Rarity are here at base camp…Dash is helping clean the playground equipment with Fluttershy’s and Pinkie’s dads, since they brought those power washers…”

Chuckling, AJ adjusted her hat. “That’ll keep her from getting bored.”

“That was my hope. After that, they’ll see to laying more sand and stuff there since it needs it so badly. Rarity is going to send a lot of the lacrosse and soccer team their way so they have plenty of help lifting the heavy things. I'm just glad Pinkie’s family was willing to provide a lot of the mulch and sand and garden stuff they couldn't donate to us at cost. It helped a lot with our donation budget.” Sunset lifted her ponytail off her neck and enjoyed the breeze hitting her skin.

Applejack nodded. “They're good sorts. Apple-kin usually are, even distant ones. Ah know they’d have donated it all if they could, but money in winter is a mite tight fer ‘em.” Green eyes watched. “What Ah can’t believe is that Marble wanted ta come.” She gestured to where Pinkie’s twin was seated away from the commotion of people arriving, carefully filling the feeders with either seeds or the sugary artificial nectar, depending on their type. Her eyes met Sunset and she waved shyly.

“I invited her along,” Sunset explained. “We got to be friends when Pinkie gave me some baking lessons, and I just asked her if she wanted to join in.” Her lips quirked into a smile as she waved back. “I think it’s because I’m a unicorn—Pinkie spilled that and I had to explain, and she really relaxed after that. I guess being a pony makes me less scary than if I was human.”

“Fair enough,” AJ said with another chuckle. “She gonna help you and Fluttershy mark trees then?”

Sunset set her clipboard down for a moment on one of the tables so she could check the time on her phone. “That was tentatively the plan. Fluttershy went to go meet up with the person who is supplying the yarn we’re using to mark where things are going.” Her phone played a trill of birdsong. “That's her now.” She flicked her thumb across the screen to read the text. “They’re on their way.”

Tanned fingers tipped a battered hat. “Ah think Rares and Rainbow’s Pa kin hold down the fort here. Ah’m gonna go get the first couple of paint teams started.” She winked at Sunset. “We got this, Sunset. Go grab Marble and find Fluttershy before it gets too crowded here.”

Spotting a large group of what looked like their classmates with extended family members heading towards the cheerfully shouting rainbow haired man, she nodded. “…yeah…good idea. My phone is on loud if I’m needed for anything though, so message me if I’m needed.”

With a final wave, she let Applejack head out and moved over to where Marble was. “Fluttershy is coming back with her friend—are you ready to help us color code some trees?”

Marble glanced up through her hair. “Mmmhmm…” came the soft hum in response as she screwed the top back on a now full feeder. One hand lifted in some kind of abbreviated sign, and Sunset became aware of a heavy presence at her shoulder.

It was Maud. She blinked at Sunset in that slow, unemotional way of hers. “I will take over here,” she informed Sunset. “I can inform them of the best uses for the geological landscaping items.” One hand gestured to the bags of dirt, sand, gravel, and mulch. Another slow blink and she turned to Marble. “When you want to leave, I will take you home. Have fun.”

As always, Sunset couldn't detect any kind of variation in Maud’s tone or inflection, but apparently her immediate family had no such issue. Marble gave her older sister a smile and a brief hug before joining Sunset.

What did it say that Pinkie sometimes felt like the most normal person in the family, the former unicorn wondered.

Blue-green eyes searched the area, and she saw a familiar head of pale pink hair held back in a neat braid—Rarity’s work, judging by the look of it—followed by another figure in much brighter colors. “There’s Fluttershy. Now…I don't know her friend, but she said they're a very calm and laid back person. If it gets to be too much, just let me know and I’ll get you back to your sister.”

A grey hand made another abbreviated gesture that Sunset had learned meant ‘Okay,’ and Marble held up a cell phone.

“Good. It should just be the four of us, marking trees. We shouldn't need more than that.” Sunset kept her pace at a brisk walk, shortening her longer stride so Marble wouldn't have to run to keep up—it was a habit after going to so many museums with her much shorter girlfriend, anyway, and she didn't want to do anything to make Marble feel uncomfortable or upset. Pinkie had mentioned in quiet tones earlier just how surprising Marble’s insistence on accepting Sunset’s invitation had been, and how the rest of the family was worried about how things would turn out. That made the redhead even more determined to make sure the day went smoothly for both Fluttershy and Marble.

Halting near Fluttershy and the other person—a woman who seemed a little too old to be a high schooler--Sunset let her eyes do a quick but subtle once-over of the unknown individual. The disaster with Wallflower had made her a little more wary of the ‘friend of a friend’ scenario, and old instincts were given a little leeway when it came to determining if trouble was headed her way.

What she saw seemed promising. The woman, whose skin reminded Sunset more of the shade one might find on green grapes or a green apple than Wallflower’s washed out pastel green, was smiling widely, and everything about her posture seemed relaxed. Red-orange hair fell in neat dreadlocks, faint stripes in the color visible when the early morning sun hit it just right, and there was a pretty flower print kerchief crowning her head. Her clothes were old and well worn—washed out jeans, and a tie-dye shirt that had probably once been much more vibrant in shade before a hundred washes or so.

Sunset knew she wasn't the best guess with ages for humans, but felt she could safely place her as older than her friends and younger than Cadence and Shining, so probably college age or a smidge older. Taking initiative, she held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Sunset Shimmer, one of Fluttershy’s friends and the head organizer for this event. I wanted to thank you so much for donating the yarn we’re going to be using to mark the trees.”

Eyes in a pastel shade that was a distant cousin of violet were half lidded, as if the woman was still two lattes short of being awake. “It's no problem at all,” she said, her voice slow and drawn out. “Happy to help reclaiming a little square of Gaea from human greed and apathy…”

Fluttershy hefted up a small canvas bag with ‘Sunshine Tidings’ and a smiling sunflower stenciled on the side. “All natural wool, all natural dyes, so it's safe for the environment and for any birds who might want some to use in their nests!”

Before Sunset could respond, maybe ask for the woman’s name, she found herself in a hug by this complete stranger, unable to even move her arms. “And namaste to you, Sunset Shimmer,” she heard from collarbone level. “I am Treehugger.”

Struggling to breathe and avoid lashing out in a mixture of anger and primal panic, Sunset managed to free herself from the unwelcome hug, placing herself between Marble and Treehugger to prevent an even worse reaction. She heard, very faintly, from Marble, “…I’m not a tree…”

Clearing her throat, Sunset took a moment to flash Fluttershy a look, getting an apologetic smile from her friend. Internally, she let out a sigh, and decided she was going to have to be a little more overt about space. “It's nice to meet you,” she managed. “I’m not really a hugger, myself, and my friend Marble here isn’t either, so…we’ll stick to handshakes in the future, if that's okay.”

Treehugger stared at her with that same half lidded expression for so long that Sunset was beginning to worry that she might’ve offended her somehow. She almost looked to Fluttershy, but before she could, Treehugger was speaking again. “Oh for sure, Sunbeam,” she agreed in that same drawn out speech. “I would never hug someone whose aura has such dark indigo in it like your friend does…physical contact heightens perceptions of other people’s emotions and is super overwhelming for someone that sensitive….”

“Uhhh…” Sunset did look at Fluttershy, who seemed curious about what Treehugger was saying. “…right. Auras….” The word registered vaguely with an understanding that it had a human meaning in one of their fake magic practices…or maybe one of their religions? Certainly not the way ponies used it, to describe the visual effect of a user's actual magic. “…and it’s Sunset. Just Sunset.”

Fluttershy spoke up in her quiet way, reminding the redhead that Treehugger was one of her friends. “Treehugger has told me some fascinating things about auras,” she commented, though the way she focused on Sunset said that there was more than casual interest there. “They come in a rainbow of colors, did you know that?”

A rainbo—oh. Understanding hit the former unicorn. “I…don't really know anything about them,” she responded, trying to sound casual. Inside though, her thoughts were racing. What had Fluttershy heard that made her think it was worth investigating? Sunset had already accepted that there was some kind of magic in the human world, but between that strange diary and her own experiences, it was well hidden and disguised among plenty of false information, religious dogma, and half baked superstitions that had been passed down more as tradition than any form of real belief. It was something that had proven frustrating to the unicorn-turned-teenage-girl, for whom magic was a well researched field in the same vein as any other type of scientific study. The human emphasis on ‘magic’ as some unexplainable, esoteric force that couldn't be quantifiably measured was, in a word, ridiculous to her.

Treehugger’s face never lost its smile. “Oh it's totally righteous, Sunbeam…” Her eyes actually opened fully for a moment as she stared intently at Sunset…to the point where it was a tad unnerving. “Like…your aura is nothing like Fluttershy’s…Hers is all green with pink, signs of kindness, compassion, and a love for Mother Gaea’s creations…so smooth and soothing…”

The strange woman traced a hand through the air around Sunset, and she had to resist the urge to shy away from the gesture. “Yours…” came the slow response. “…so much chaos…twists of red and orange…it lacks the smoothness…cracks of darkness surrounding rich purple and draining the light from the other colors…”

Sunset shivered at the description. “…and…what does all of that…mean, exactly?” she asked, keeping her voice even.

“Powerful energy and creativity, Sunbeam,” was the reply, the insistence on the nickname rubbing Sunset just as wrong as the dreamy tone that didn't fit with the words being spoken. “But your power…it’s being strangled by exhaustion and a massive imbalance in your chakras, blocking the gift of Mother Gaea from flowing freely through you…”

She resisted the urge to snort, knowing that the sound would be far more aggressive than was appropriate for hearing the answer to a question she had asked. Yet the whole thing felt off, wrong somehow, unpleasantly personal and completely foreign at the same time. So she kept silent, letting Treehugger continue talking, quietly ignoring the reference to a deity from three thousand year old human mythology from a country she’d never visited, her eyes flitting briefly to Fluttershy, who was glancing her way with hopeful curiosity. Clearly, the animal lover was trying to help research magic in the human world, and had addressed the subject with the intent to get Sunset’s opinion later. Not that Sunset had much to offer as of yet.

Not that Treehugger seemed to realize any of this. She seemed to have no idea about the magic Fluttershy possessed, or Sunset’s own otherworldly origins. Instead, she was beginning to explain something that the redhead had come across once or twice in her original research to find magic in the human world she could use…something that she loosely remembered as being heavily tied into a completely different human belief system a few thousand miles from ancient Greece.

“Your energy paths are horribly blocked and twisted,” Treehugger was saying, “stopping the energy from flowing as it is meant to, as debris can dam a river. These blocks are created within, from our own negative emotions…”

The former unicorn took a slow, deep breath, resisting her natural urge to correct a bad premise. In her case, while there was an issue with the flow of thaumic energy from her internal source of magic to outside of her body, it had absolutely nothing to do with her emotions and everything to do with biological limitations and her sincere desire to avoid giving herself brain damage. “…and just what causes the negative emotions,” she asked, trying to sound neutral and mildly interested, “to become ‘blocks’ on a person’s…energy?”

Treehugger’s mannerisms had gone from appearing somewhat sleepy and relaxed to looking more…vapid and disconnected from reality. “…it varies from person to person, Sunbeam…each of us has our own struggles with our shadow self…” Once again, she stared long and hard at Sunset. “…yours…”

She trailed off with a long pause, to the point where Sunset idly wondered if she’d fallen asleep with her eyes open or entered some kind of trance. It lasted so long that Fluttershy cleared her throat. “Treehugger?”

“…totally sorry…I was reading deeper into her aura, Butterfly…”

Butterfly? Sunset almost lost the fight against the desire to roll her eyes. This was…almost too much, even for her. And she was a magical unicorn from another world where dragons were real and fantastical beasts were a regular menace or household vermin.

Then Treehugger grabbed Sunset’s hands, derailing her thoughts. “…I sense much strife…your body and mind are out of sync, and you are stressed in your own skin…your soul’s shape is not human…” Her lazy smile was even more unnerving as she talked, her words far too close to reality for comfort. “…you need to embrace the truth within you and accept yourself for who you are…and let go of the paths that are closed to you…”

Her mouth went dry and if it weren't for the surprisingly firm hold on her hands , they would have been shaking. From Fluttershy’s somewhat surprised expression, she knew her friend had not shared the secret of her identity with Treehugger. “…I…see…” she responded, trying not to read too much into it, all while attempting to get her hands back from the grip that held them.

As she did, Treehugger pressed something into her palm. “…you're not alone, Sunbeam…there are others like you out there, and they can help you understand what you are going through…” she smiled even more, and let go of Sunset’s hands.

What?

Blue-green eyes tracked downward to stare at the business card in her hand. It was an internet address and a fancy title—The Elysium Otherkin Association, whatever all that meant—along with what seemed to be the weirdest looking seven pointed star she’d ever seen. “Um…thanks? I think?”

One more of those vapid smiles and Treehugger…practically floated her way over to Fluttershy.

Sunset stuck the card in her pocket, and decided to worry about the whole thing later. “Okay. Trees. We need to mark them. We’ll start in this cluster here and then follow the path to the next. Fluttershy, do you and Treehugger want to mark spots for four or five birdhouses, while Marble and I find some good spots for the feeders?”

Fluttershy beamed at Sunset. “Of course! That’s the blue yarn, right?”

“Yeah. Blue for houses, green for seed feeders, red for nectar. We’ve got a hundred birdhouses, so I was thinking a few per copse and then spread out along the paths and a bunch in each of the garden areas. Less by the playground and the playing fields—we don't want stray balls hitting the birdhouses.” Sunset caught the green and red yarn Fluttershy gently tossed her way.

“A great use for your gifts, Butterfly…” Treehugger commented, as the pair headed for the nearby trees. “You can commune with our animal friends and learn where they would like their homes to be…”

Sunset tuned the voice out. She wasn't sure how she felt about the odd woman, and the things she had said that made no sense, or the parts that had been too close to a truth she couldn't have. “Right…so, any thoughts on where we should put some of the feeders? I’m thinking one of each in each copse, some along the paths, and some in the gardens.”

Marble gripped her jacket sleeve, tugging slightly. The redhead leaned closer to hear what the gray skinned girl wanted to tell her. “…most of what she was saying…isn’t correct…” Marble said in her whisper quiet voice.

That made Sunset grin a bit crookedly. “…I…kind of got that.”

“…I study gems,” Marble explained. “…a lot of them have…connections…to the stuff she was talking about…I’ve read about them. She was…not really wrong…but also not right.”

Chuckling, Sunset squeezed her shoulder in thanks. “That makes me feel a bit better then. I did research when I first came here, looking for magic in this world, but all I found was human religions and human fiction…so I could tell something was off…but hearing you confirm it helps.” She shook her head.

“Also Otherkin aren't like you…”

One eyebrow arched. “I don't even know what they are.”

Marble brushed a bit of her hair out of her face as she took the yarn from Sunset and pointed at a sturdy, nearby tree. “…they're people who think they're magical creatures born as humans.”

The unicorn turned human stopped her trek to the tree to stare at Marble. “That’s a thing?”

“…mmmhmm…”

Shaking her head, Sunset used a small pocket knife to cut a length of green yarn and tie it around the tree trunk at eye level. “That’s…weird. You humans are really strange sometimes. We…don't really have stuff like that in Equestria. Most creatures are happy to be what they are. Thanks for explaining it though. I…have honestly never heard of anything like that.”

“…one of them buys big rocks from Dad…for sunning. He wants to be a dragon.”

She rolled her eyes. “Dragons don't sun themselves. They’re connected to elemental fire. They have an internal body temperature in excess of boiling water and can swim in lava. About the only use a dragon has for rocks is gemstones they can eat, since they need the minerals to grow their scales.” She glanced over, to see questions written on Marble’s face and wide eyes, and continued, “Princess Celestia actually knows a bit about dragons, since she personally meets with the Dragon Lord every hundred years. They're…kind of grumpy and they have a lot of value on being strong and independent these days, but a long time ago, she says they were actually pretty clannish. And they're one of the longest lived creatures in Equestria. The current Dragon Lord, Torch, is almost as old as Princess Celestia, and he’s middle aged, although he’s only been in charge for…like a thousand years or so. She told me he’s…” Sunset paused, doing her best to convert the measurements to a human one. “He’d be like a hundred feet tall.”

“…and they eat gems?”

“As part of their diet, yeah. It goes to their bones and scales…though they eat a lot of other things too. Pretty much anything they can catch, and all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and grains. Princess Twilight has a young dragon, and he likes hayfries with cheese and bacon, and he eats a lot of chicken and fish..but he also makes sapphire cupcakes.” Sunset searched for another good sized tree nearby to mark with the red yarn. “Spike’s actually pretty interesting—he’s the only dragon to ever be adopted and raised by a pony, as far as I know.”

The painfully shy and normally anxious girl was hanging on Sunset’s every word, drinking in the information about Equestria like someone dying of thirst. She tilted her head in thought and jumped back to a previous topic. “Dragons aren't the only species we have that eats gems—there’s Diamond Dogs, Gemsilk Spiders, basilisks, several species of Salamander..those are big lava and fire serpents, by the way, not the weird little amphibians you humans have here, and a bunch of others. Gems grow in Equestria like wildflowers. They're everywhere, and they get huge.” She held her hands a good eighteen inches apart to demonstrate what she meant by ‘huge’ and watched Marble’s eyes grow even larger. “We use them for magic too,” she added.

“…you do?” The whispery voice was awestruck.

Sunset grinned and nodded as she marked the next tree she’d chosen with bright red yarn. “We do. I actually have a magus certification in artificing—working with gems and metal to create magical devices like a thaumometer. Think…engineering, I suppose, but for magic instead of robots and cars.” She remembered something, and fished around in the inner pocket of her jacket. “We use all kinds of gems for different types of magic, and we have a bunch of gemstones you don't have here, like this.” She found one of the small shards in her pocket and offered it out to Marble.

It was a small, unassuming piece of gemstone about the size of an acorn, purple-blue so dark it seemed black until light hit it, and to Sunset, it hummed with protective energies. It had been a part of a much larger stone, until the redhead had deliberately fractured the charged parent stone into a few dozen smaller stones and inscribed each one with protective glyphs and runes…and then scattered the bulk of them strategically around her girlfriend’s house and yard in places nobody would notice, like in the backs of cupboards or shelves, or in the rose bushes. It had been a somewhat desperate attempt to further protect the family from the dark magic she kept sensing when she wasn't there to burn it up with her own power. “We call it Nightstone,” she explained. “It’s meant to absorb dark magic or nasty energy, and we use it for protection. You can have this one, if you want?”

Marble studied the small stone curiously, tracing over the neat sigils carved into each side, and broke into a real smile. “…thank you.”

With a laugh, Sunset joked, “Unfortunately, it won’t do anything to protect us from getting headaches trying to understand…” she gestured to where Treehugger and Fluttershy were headed their way.

She counted the faint giggle hidden behind long hair as a sign of success, especially when Marble placed the small gemstone safely in her pocket.

Now to just do her best to steer conversation towards non-magical topics with Fluttershy’s friend. She was probably much nicer when she wasn't talking about a quasi-religious subject.

“Oooooooooohm…ooooooooooooooohmmmmm…”

Sunset’s eye was twitching just a bit. This entire tree-marking process had taken three times as long as it should have because every new group of trees they approached had required Treehugger to stop and take up a meditative pose to make that really irritating and repetitive humming to ‘connect with Mother Gaea to help find the most harmonious places’ to put the yarn markers.

Conversation had also been a little bit of a disaster…every time she tried to shift it to something neutral, like animals, or plants, or even the weather, Treehugger had either rambled on about things that made no sense, or somehow brought conversation back to auras and fake magic and ‘spiritual harmony.’ The only reprieve had been the fifteen minutes Treehugger had spent in the bathroom halfway in, where Fluttershy had inquired if Sunset thought Treehugger’s information on auras might be helpful…and Sunset had had to break the news to her that most of it was just a mishmash of several unrelated religious pieces and probably no more accurate than a human horoscope was. Or at least, not related to their magic in any way that would help. She had felt bad for causing the disappointed look on Fluttershy’s face, but that had faded when Treehugger had returned, reeking of burned plant fibers and an even more vacant expression than before.

The redhead was on the verge of either losing her temper or tears—it was a close race—and so very frustrated with herself. This was the second ‘friend of a friend’ she’d met that had been a disaster, despite her initial attempt at friendly positivity and trying her best to look for the good…but it just wasn't working. Standing here, listening to Fluttershy’s story of how she and Treehugger had met and become friends had been Sunset’s last hope for finding some kind of common ground or way to be friends with this woman, and it had failed as soon as Treehugger interjected to talk about how ‘the spirits’ and ‘Mother Gaea’ had ‘meant for her to find the bright and pure soul’ that was Fluttershy.

“…a true alignment of souls and friendship…the world sang in joyous harmony that day…”

Right now, Sunset wanted to show Treehugger a little of her version of Harmony, in the form of 21.1211 SETs of Rainbow of Light to the face…preferably before she cracked a molar with how hard she was clenching her jaw.

“Sunset Shimmer. Your presence is required at the main check-in desk.”

Maud’s flat but firm tone was a welcome interruption to Treehugger’s slow and hazy speech, and Sunset turned around. “I am?” She checked her phone to see if she’d missed a text, but she hadn't. “I wonder why they didn’t text me.”

“I am unaware of that answer, but I was heading this way and I volunteered to find you.” Maud turned towards her sister. “Marble. How are you doing?”

Marble raised her hands and signed rapidly, making a low hum in her throat. Her face was almost completely hidden by her hair and she was still careful to keep Sunset between her and Treehugger, who had continued to prove that personal space was not a thing she ascribed to.

“I see. I will walk back to the front with you.” She turned her dead eyed stare onto Fluttershy and Treehugger. “You can finish this task without them.”

“Totally,” Treehugger responded. “Butterfly and I have this, Sunbeam….I can feel the proper alignment needed to maximize the happiness of the local spirits…”

Sunset didn't have to be told twice. “Thanks, Fluttershy,” she told her friend. “I’ll take care of whatever is wrong up at the front, and then it should be about time for lunch if you want to come get some sandwiches after you put out the last of the markers.”

Fluttershy enveloped her in a hug. “This has been so much fun, Sunset. Thank you for helping me with everything….I couldn't have done all this on my own.”

Smiling crookedly, Sunset shook her head. “You could have, Fluttershy. You're stronger than you think…I just wanted to do something to try and make up for all the times I ruined your projects and events….you didn't deserve what I did, and while I can't undo what happened, I’m…trying to be better. To be a good friend now.”

“Maybe I could have…but never something this complex or big…or that has been this fun for me. I would have worried all day about everything.” Another hug. “We’ll see you when we come for our lunches.”

Nodding, she stepped away from her friend and joined Maud and Marble as they started walking back to the other side of the park. “…so…do you know what’s wrong that they need me for?” Sunset asked the messenger.

Maud glanced over her shoulder, and waited until they were well out of earshot of the pair they’d left behind. “Oh. That. I lied. They don't actually need you.”

“…wait, what?”

A giggle escaped from Marble and Maud continued to explain. “Marble texted me, and said that you two needed a rescue from the cannabis addict.”

Sunset stared at Pinkie’s sisters, before she broke down into laughter.

Wiping her forehead, Sunset closed the back of the truck. “You're all loaded,” she called to Big Mac. “Thanks for taking these to the recycling center!” He gave her a thumbs up and the truck pulled away a minute later. Blue-green eyes surveyed the area to see what was left to be done, one hand shading her gaze against the glare from the setting sun; AJ and Rainbow were loading the remaining bags of dirt, mulch, sand, and gravel into the Pie family work truck, and Sandalwood had a group of his pals loading the actual trash into the back of his. The tables had been broken down and put back in their owners cars, and most of the volunteers had already headed home, many of them taking leftover sandwiches for their dinner.

The day had been a successful one, and Sunset’s final once over of the park had shown a place that would have felt right at home in Equestria, if it weren't for all the benches meant for bipeds. The former unicorn felt extremely accomplished, smiling broadly despite her exhaustion, and she was looking forward to the ‘victory sleepover’ at Rarity’s house that night…mostly because Rarity’s house had a hot tub big enough for all of them that they had already discussed making use of since all six of them were tired and sore from a hard day’s work, even the tailor—who had gotten into it with some Bob-Cut who had been incensed over the fact that the power washing of the playground equipment meant her bratty children had been unable to play. That one incident had ended when Sunset had simply walked off to the bathrooms and called CCPD—by way of Detective Shining Armor’s personal extension of course. The patrol car that had hung around the rest of the afternoon had deterred any further trouble, and Sunset approached them to thank them for the help.

The first officer was leaning against the hood of the car. “Everything good to go, kiddo?”

Sunset smiled. “Yes, and thank you so much for dealing with that woman…she didn't really want to listen to any of us.”

The woman snorted. “Takes all kinds. We see people like her a lot, and they're mostly hot air.” Red eyes lifted to look around. “Don't let her get to you—the park hasn't looked this good in years. Besides, babysitting this meant Bolo and I didnt have to bust shoplifters or deal with fender benders.”

Offering out the large paper sack in her hands, Sunset responded, “It's not much, but here. We had a bunch of leftover sandwiches, so I thought maybe you could take some for yourselves and maybe give the rest to whoever has the night shift tonight. They aren't anything fancy…mostly grilled cheese, turkey and cheese, or BLTs, but they've been kept fresh in coolers all afternoon, and from what I've heard, way better than your vending machine contents.”

From inside the car, the other cop laughed. “Kid, you have no idea. I wouldn't give the stuff in those machines to a starving hog! I’m fairly certain that the peanut butter crackers in there are petrified, and I know the twinkies are older than I am!”

“Yeah, this’ll be really popular for the guys who have the short stick this weekend.” The woman chuckled. “You’re Armor’s kid-sister alright; all those treats your mom sends over during the holidays are everyone’s favorite.”

Sunset felt her face heat and she stammered, trying to correct the assumption, but the woman had taken the bag and slid back into the car. “Dont worry about it, kid. You ever need anything again, don't hesitate to call the station. We’ll tell Spots to keep his ears open in dispatch in the future.”

The patrol car was gone a moment later, and Sunset glanced around to see if anyone had heard. Thankfully most of her friends were out of earshot, still helping with the last of the cleanup.

“That’s funny,” Lyra said from her other side. “Sounds like Twilight’s family likes you. Shining’s her brother, last I checked.”

Jumping a foot or more in the air with a startled sound, Sunset whirled to find Lyra grinning at her. “Lyra!” she yelped.

“Oopsie! Didn't mean to spook you!”

Sunset took a few breaths to calm her now racing heart. “It's okay…and…yeah. Her family’s fantastic; I go over there Friday nights for dinner and stuff, and they keep inviting me to spend holidays with them.”

Her friend looked even more excited. “That’s great! I always liked her mom, whenever I got to see her or she took us places. Way nicer than my mom,” she added with an eye roll.

The redhead shrugged awkwardly, then remembered her conversation from the night before with her girlfriend. “Oh, right! Okay, so Twilight said she’s really interested in meeting you for milkshakes or something, and was wondering if you're free next week sometime. Like maybe Tuesday or Thursday?”

Lyra brightened. “Oh yeah—I can do Tuesday. She wants to hit the place near the discount bookstore?”

“That was the plan, I think…it's where we usually go, and…she’s nervous, so she asked if I would tag along, at least for the first meetup.”

The other girl bounced in place a bit. “The more the merrier—I’d bring Bonny, but she’s teaching a couple of classes those days at her dad’s dojo. Why don't we do Tuesday? Say…four?”

Sunset nodded. “I’ll let her know, and we’ll see you there.”

“Cool!” Lyra hugged her. “Gotta go—Bonny and I have a dinner date to get ready for! See you Monday!” And then she was gone, jogging towards the car in the parking area that Bon-Bon was waiting by.

Shaking her head, Sunset pulled out her phone and sent a message—and a somewhat candid selfie to her girlfriend. -We survived, nerd, and the park looks great! Your lists were the real mvp of the day!-

It didn't take more than a few seconds before the other teen responded. -That’s great! You look exhausted though—you didn't overdo it, did you?-

-No, I’m OK. Had to call CCPD on a Bob-Cut tho. That was fun. It’ll be storytime next Friday. How was your day with Cadence?-

She couldn't help but grin at the long stretch of emoticons that came before the next reply. -The police?! No one was hurt?- Several blushing faces came through as their own message, and then, -…Cady took me shopping in Everton. Clothes shopping…among other things.-

Uh oh. Sunset wasn't stupid. Cadence was a bit nosy, and she had talked a bit with the woman the previous weekend about her and Twilight’s relationship. -Cadence wanting you to kiss and tell? I hope you told her that I’m amazing at it.- Hopefully the teasing joke would help Twilight feel less embarrassed.

-…-

-…I did…because you are. That's when she decided I needed some new additions to my wardrobe. Especially when I told her we’re going on an outing with my cousin.-

Checking to make sure she still had a few minutes before the girls came her way, Sunset sent a few teasing smileys. -So do I get to see what you bought?-

There was silence for long enough that she began to worry that she’d teased too much for her girlfriend. And then the picture came through, of her favorite nerd wearing a new skirt and a flattering top that made Sunset’s mouth go a little dry. Twilight was slightly flushed, but smiling, and she was holding an oversized, fancy chocolate milkshake while leaning against a garden wall outside some restaurant. -Hows this- came the hesitant question a minute later, the lack of punctuation telling Sunset that Twilight had been more anxious than she let on about the outfit and the photo.

Licking her lips in a vain attempt to help settle the sudden fluttering in her stomach and heat in her veins, Sunset typed her response quickly. -Wow. It looks great on you, Sparky. I like it…- And she did, especially the way the skirt looked with Twilight’s legs.

Maybe she should take a cold shower before doing the hot tub thing at Rarity’s house.

-…you think so? I thought it looked okay, and Cady says it looks cute, but…-

-Sweet sunfire, yes, Sparky. If the rest of what you got looks even half as good on you, I’m in trouble. I won't be able to stop kissing you.-

More of a long pause. -…we might both be in trouble then, because I already dont want you to stop kissing me.- Another long pause between messages. -maybe i can model soem otthem next weekens foryiu?-

Another text where Twilight had been too anxious to type carefully. Sunset tilted her head, seeing her friends coming her way. -I’d like that, if you want to- she told Twilight. -gotta go though—the girls are ready to head to Rarity’s. Oh, and Lyra said she’s good for milkshakes on Tuesday, around 4.-

Just what had Cadence talked Twilight into buying?

The question niggled at her for the rest of the night.

Oh boy. Where to start?

For starters, this was a chapter that has been planned since almost the beginning, before even the majority of the main plot. Just "Sunset having some serious WTF moments when meeting Shy's friend Treehugger."

I can't even describe all the little details I put into Treehugger here that were designed to be "not quite right." And just how much all of that is pretty tailored to rub Sunset wrong.

Does Treehugger have human magic? Or is this a case of "A stopped clock is right twice a day?" Eh. Its mostly the latter.

On the other hand, writing Marble was fun. I like the accidental friendship that sprung up in a previous chapter, and its going to crop up sometimes.

Fluttershy's event at the park was a success though, and now you have a hint at what Sparky was up to while this was going on.

The next chapter will be, of course, Twilight's "Sister's Day" with Cady. Its going to be just as hilarious as you think.

That will probably be going up in a few weeks. Gotta do the "help mum with the first week back in her library" stuff. Getting everything on schedule and working and in place so that she can start the year on a high note. But I can tell you we're in the home stretch of this arc now. I was looking over the timeline and what I have left to actually write/post, and I realized that we're pretty much closing in on the Games. A few more things to set the stage, and we're going to get to the big finish that has taken most of a million words to get to.

*cackles*

See everyone in a few weeks.