Sunset was already half regretting this shopping trip as Rarity led her into the clothing store. The yawning, looming sensation of being way out of her depth was becoming worse with every step, and she knew she must look more than a little harried. Rarity was leading Sunset by the wrist, probably half to make sure she didn't get separated and half to make sure Sunset didn't get nervous and run away…which she was seriously considering. "Now, let's worry about your outer attire, shall we? I’m thinking tops first?"

“Yeah...” She could feel the eyes on her, see several guys stop walking to take a long look. “I feel like a buffet item.”

Her friend had to stifle a laugh, but composed herself quickly. "Well, Sunset, they are kind of popping up to say ‘hello’ to everyone."

The former unicorn groaned and tried to pull her jacket more closed...with limited success. “Lead me to some shirts...please. This is the one kind of attention even old me didn’t want.”

Rarity quickly led her to the women's clothing section. There she picked out several tops that complimented Sunset's skin-tone and overall shape. They ranged in thickness, material, and cut as well, which she quietly explained would, in some cases, downplay the size of Sunset’s bust without ‘looking frumpy.’ Then she broached a subject that the former unicorn wasn’t expecting. "I know this might not be what you want to hear, darling, but all of this..." she gestured to Sunset's physique. "This can be a powerful asset. You'd be surprised what a human male—and some women—would do for a person with a figure like yours."

Her stomach clenched, twisted—she knew humans used sex and sex appeal that way...but to hear her friend suggest it so casually was another. “That...terrifies me, Rarity,” she admitted, the image of her Twilight coming to mind, the want and interest in her gaze sending a shiver through Sunset. It felt...good...when it was Sparky, but anyone else looking at her like that? Just the thought made her feel dirty and queasy. She grimaced. “I’ve never been good with temptation...and look what I was able to do the last few years, without this ‘asset.’”

"I understand your reluctance, Sunset, but there is also the saying ‘All warfare is based on deception.’ Being a woman can mean warfare in more ways than one, and it helps to know all the potential weapons in your arsenal and all the options you can choose from—or as they sometimes says ‘There's more than one way to skin a cat.’ Despite the gruesomeness of the saying, it’s a valid point." She held up a top to Sunset, holding it against her torso, contemplated it for a moment, then put it back. "I think these will be enough to start with. Come along, darling, you must try these on before you buy them."

She followed obediently, her eyes scanning for clothes that appealed to her. Rarity seemed to have a better eye than she did, many of her choices coming off as at least somewhat interesting. “I guess, but...people looking at me like that makes me uncomfortable...and guys doing it only invites trouble.”

"Not all men are terrible, you know, though I suspect you may be less inclined to believe that statement." When she arrived at the changing rooms, she waved at the attendant with a level of familiarity that was unsurprising. "Did you want me to wait out here, Sunset?

“Not all of them, no, but I’ve seen the statistics, Rarity, and I have no interest in becoming one.” She shrugged. “And it doesn’t matter if you come in or not, I’m just trying on shirts.”

Rarity opened the door to allow Sunset it with armful of tops, then followed in and locked the door. "I know the statistics, Sunset. All of us do—it's not something we can avoid. But I also cannot live in fear of them." She took the armful of clothing from Sunset, allowing her to move more freely. "To be frank with you, darling, I don't have Applejack's strength, or Rainbow's agility, or even Pinkie's... Pinkieness. I am Rarity, and I have my abilities, which include wonderful fashion sense and eyelashes to die for."

Setting her jacket aside and stripping off her shirt, Sunset took a moment to take in what the tailor was saying, a frown crossing her features. “How can you not be afraid?” She needed to know, and that desire drove her to press the subject. “It’s like living on the edge of a nightmare—one wrong move, and...” Sunset made a vague gesture with one hand.

"Sunset," Rarity started, her voice softening considerably, "that concern is something that will always be in my mind, that such a thing might happen…but the fear of what might be cannot overcome the reality of what is. I have all I need right here to make me strong: friends, family, and more. The fear of a worst case scenario, a possible event that can happen to anyone…I cannot let it consume me. If it did I would be giving the power I possess to attackers that might not ever exist." She took a moment to compose herself before continuing. "Because what you are afraid of isn't about what you think it's about, the reality is that it's about power, they want to overcome you with their power, so you feel weak, alone, and defeated. They want to make you less than them. You can't give into that, not now, not ever."

Her knees felt like jello, and Sunset sank to the bench in the changing room, the epiphany ripping through her heart and soul violently. She could see it, in her mind’s eye, the distorted memories from the Fall Formal that seemed so long ago...of five human girls standing in defiance of a monster with the power to tear them limb from limb...their lack of fear, their willingness to leap into the line of fire rather than shy away from it... It was like something she’d been missing clicked into place, and as her memories danced before her eyes, she could feel the way the world shifted for her. “Grogar’s bells...” Blue-green eyes looked out from a somewhat ashen face. “I never stood a chance...Twilight Sparkle didn’t empower you girls...you empowered her.”

Rarity lumped the pile of tops to the side and tentatively put an arm around Sunset. "Sunset, I know that must have hit you hard, but what happened then isn't something we are holding over you like some dreadful sword, and it's something you should stop holding over yourself. You have made mistakes in the past and you are learning from them and grown because of that—but you aren’t alone in that. That's why I'm here, helping you try on outfits—because not only have you grown, we have all grown, together.” Rarity leaned her head onto Sunset's.

It felt good to lean into the hug, letting the closeness of a friend soothe the tremors that rippled across her skin. "...It's...hard," she confessed, and her conversation with Twilight Velvet several weeks prior gave her a nudge to open up about something else. "...harder with the she-demon jokes that have gone beyond accidental and into 'over-used running gag' territory." Sunset rubbed her eyes to try and banish the tears she could feel trying to build. "I'm trying so hard to be better...but things just keep happening to remind me of what I used to be, of the things I did...not to mention how my choices are the reason we're facing problems now. The Sirens were my fault--if I had never put on the Crown, then they would not have had Equestrian magic to feed on, and they wouldn't have been able to torture people, hurt people. The magic that is growing in this world is my doing, set in motion by my choices, my mistakes, my actions, and I can't undo it. And what's worse, I did it all for power. I really was a monster."

The designer leaned in closer to the sideways hug, one manicured hand offering up a handkerchief if Sunset needed it. "What happened has already happened—it’s over and done with, darling. You cannot change it, and rather than dwelling on it, you need to move forward, to understand that the choices you made may have been wrong, but in some ways they also brought about some good. Some of it is easy to see, like the events that led to you having friends, but some of it won't be seen until later, and some of it you may never actually live to see at all, though it will still matter in the long term."

Rarity leaned her head against Sunset’s. "You should also remember that no one is perfect—we have all done things we regret, made terrible awful choices we would take back if we could, things done out of fear, or anxiety, or anger, or simply because we lacked the wisdom to find another option." There was a moment of hesitance before she continued in a quieter voice. "I will tell you something, something I did that I'm not proud of, because I also make mistakes that I still carry with me. Back in eighth grade, I used my amazing fashion sense and eyelashes to die for to turn a low ‘D’ in science into a high ‘B.’"

That derailed Sunset’s train of thought entirely. "What?" she asked, completely confused.

"Almost no one knows about this,” Rarity explained, cheeks flushed. “But I was on the verge of failing science in the eighth grade—there was a lot going on at the time, and I couldn’t focus enough to study. Failing the class would have held me back for the year, and I couldn't go on with my friends. So I batted my eyelashes and said ‘Pretty please’ in just the right tone of voice and my science teacher was like clay in my hands." The sudden shame and reservation in Rarity’s tone made Sunset frown.

Eighth grade...she remembered eighth grade as the year she was finally getting into the groove of playing human, of the power games and struggles for popularity suddenly making sense to her, as if she suddenly had a playbook that described all the strategies and how they worked. And yet...for all her information gathering over the years to blackmail people with...this was something she'd never heard. Sunset rubbed the back of her neck. "...I...have a hard time imagining you doing something that...manipulative and underhanded, Rarity," she admitted. Especially given the not-so-subtle devotion between the fashionista and the farmer, as well as the latter's penchant for honesty. "...I also can't imagine Applejack taking it well either..."

Rarity laughed softly as she readjusted herself on the bench, blue eyes dark with regret. "Applejack was more than a little upset—she fully intended to piledrive the teacher into the nearest hard surface, but I assured her there was no physical contact involved." Her tone grew firm. "There wasn't." Then just like that she was back to the soft voice she was using before. "I just…wore attire that accentuated my feminine assets, and periodically positioned myself in class in such a way that let him take little peeks, here and there. We both knew it was happening, without discussing it. I had the power over him—I admit, at the time it felt good, that power and control…but it also made me realize what I had, what power meant, and most importantly, that it such things are tools, not inherently good or evil on their own. They take on meaning as good or evil depending on how and why they were used. In that case, to my continued shame and regret, I used what I had for selfish gain." She sighed heavily, then straightened, as if realizing the depth of what she had just unloaded from her soul to her friend.

The revelation was incredibly sobering, yet Sunset could not find it in her to judge the other girl. Her own demons--somewhat literal in this case--meant that she had done far worse in her time, and there was a very appropriate human saying about people in glass houses throwing rocks. "...I guess you're right. We all have regrets that haunt us....but even in Equestria, there was never a way to really turn back time and change things, so...we live with it, right?" She found herself hugging Rarity back, before she stood up and looked over the shirts they’d brought into the changing room. "Maybe try and keep others from making our mistakes?"

"Hopefully we do more than simply living with it—we need to learn from it." Rarity looked up, as of she realized something. "You know, there is one good thing that came from the situation with my old science teacher. If I hadn't convinced him to up my grade, then I might have been held back a year. If that happened we wouldn't have any classes together." She smiled very honestly, before handing Sunset one of the tops. "Now, you've been topless for so long someone might get suspicious, so let's see if we can find something that you like and that likes you."

"And doesn't put a giant flashing sign on me that says 'Please stare here?'" the redhead quipped, before accepting the offered shirt to try on. "...I'm glad we have English together. For a while there, it was one of the only highlights of my day at school...outside of detention with Applejack." Her eyes were far away for a moment. "...and...I know you were talking about moving on and learning from the past...but..." She took a deep breath. "...I want to apologize for what I did to you last spring. It was horrible, and wrong...and I should've apologized long before now. You deserved that crown way more than I did, because you're a stronger person than I've ever been."

Ignoring the fact that Sunset was half dressed and they were in a tiny, cramped changing room surrounded by forgotten hangers and a pile of colorful fabrics, Rarity stood up and hugged Sunset tightly. "That's all in the past, Sunset. Your friendship is proof of your apology, which I gladly accept."

Sunset came out of the changing room with a beaming smile and an air of excitement. The new top she’d swapped into after buying it fit her much better, and now the duo had moved onto having her try on pants. Rarity had tried to convince the redhead to try some new skirts as well, but she’d shaken her head and made an excuse, choosing to stick to jeans for the time being. It had proven to be a little exasperating, because she just knew there were some skirts that would look absolutely gorgeous on Sunset.

None of that mattered at the moment though, because Sunset had just sauntered out of the changing room with all the air of a smug cat, wearing a pair of jeans that, while cut to hug her curves, had enough give and stretch to the denim to be comfortable. She stood before Rarity and did a slow spin, arms out, seemingly unaware of the affect she was having on most nearby observers, including the tailor. “They feel good—and they they don’t interact weirdly with my boots! Do they look okay?”

Rarity maintained her professional demeanor and bearing—barely, she admitted privately, and made a mental note to see if Applejack was free that evening. "Absolutely stunning, darling!” she exclaimed, proud of the fact that she even managed to maintain her usual tone of voice. “I do believe you will be turning some heads. Do they fit comfortably in all the right spots? No pinching or bunching? If they aren’t quite right, but you like the style, we can buy the next size up and I’ll be happy to alter them for you to fix the fit."

Sunset took a moment to go through a series of stretches, followed by some simple, slow motion mock kicks and punches—all of which just further solidified Rarity’s resolve to get Applejack alone that night. “Yeah—the last pair I had that fit like this was my favorite! I was so bummed when I couldn’t get into them anymore.” She ran long amber fingers down the thighs to her knees before straightening. “I want to see if they have more like this—you think they’ll have a pair in black?”

"I'm sure they do, Sunset. We can go check—though I do hope you want to find pairs in colors other than black. You would look marvelous in a large variety of colors." Rarity smiled warmly at her friend, subtly trying to encourage her fashion sense.

Blue-green eyes dancing, Sunset made an offhand motion. "Black, blue, and you can pick a third color you think will look good and I'll try them on?" she offered, still clearly riding the high of finding a pair of jeans that fit so well.

Leaning against the door in the changing room, Sunset shivered, crossing her arms over her bare chest. "I really don't think it's going to make a difference, Rarity. Bras are a horrible torture device engineered by humans, all for an overdeveloped piece of anatomy that isn't even used half the time for its actual purpose! What was with your species evolving this way in the first place?"

Rarity’s voice was accompanied by the sound of shuffling fabric and the plasticky click of hangers. "Hush now, darling. Having breasts isn't as bad as you think it is..." Black fabric draped over the door above Sunset’s head, getting her attention. "Besides, they are only torture devices if you want them to be—like that horrid bra you started today wearing. It's like you just grabbed one off the rack and guessed!"

Reaching up to take the garment being offered over the top of the door, the former unicorn stared at it. "...Rarity...is this a joke? This looks like Rainbow's idea of a swimsuit top."

"Trust me, Sunset,” she replied through the door, still rifling through the nearby selection. “There is nothing more comfortable on a lazy day at home than a sports bra. Even I own a few for just such an occasion.” There was a pause as something occurred to her. “The tag marks the back, in case you weren’t certain.”

Skeptically, Sunset wriggled her way into it, taking a minute to fidget and straighten the various parts of it. There was a long moment as she stood there, somewhat dumbfounded. "...why didn't I know about these sooner?" she asked after a minute. "...it's not pinching me, and I didn't have to twist myself up like Pinkie Pie chasing the last bite of cotton candy caught by a stiff breeze to get into it." There was a moment where she had to resist grinding her teeth. "If these exist, why the blazes do they even make the other kind?!"

The other girl’s voice belied her sense of shock. "...You didn't actually grab one off the rack and hope for the best, did you?" Rarity asked with considerably more worry and dramatic indignation than Sunset felt the situation called for. "Oh my—all bras have an occasion to be worn and a woman who prefers them.” More fabric draped over the top of the door, the designer displaying them for her. "This one is meant to be worn without straps." It was replaced by a different bra a moment later. "This one is meant to make you look bigger." Another switch. "This one is meant to downplay them. A bra is another type of tool, Sunset, with the right one benefiting a given set of circumstances."

Sunset sighed, tapping the toe of her boot on the tacky store carpet. "...I mean...I tried them on until I found one that fit? And then I bought several like it? When I outgrew them, I'd just go back and repeat the process. You have to understand, this is totally something we don't need in Equestria! I swear, when I first arrived, it took me several months to realize that all adult females had breasts--I thought the entire adult female population was pregnant!"

"Oh, you poor dears!" Rarity exclaimed, her words directed at Sunset’s breasts first, before going back to giving the redhead instructions. "Come now, that sports bra won't be an acceptable for our get together with the girls, so try this one instead." The fabric that dropped onto Sunset’s head turned out to be a much simpler pattern and design than any bra Sunset had ever owned.. "This should do nicely, and shouldn't hurt to wear."

Amber fingers accepted the new garment with a good-natured eyeroll. "I'm fairly certain my breasts are incapable of appreciating your sympathy for them," she remarked dryly, changing from one kind of bra to the next. "....though if you can point me to some more that feel like this one and that sports bra, I will accept your sympathy on their behalf."

"Well, then I have wonderful news for you; all your bras will feel like that now, since I sized you before and these are all made for someone of your proportions,” Rarity laughed. "After wearing a bra that's the right size, you should be able to tell the difference right away. They don’t have to be torturous.”

"I look forward to the lack of suffering and the ability to take a full breath at school..." Sunset joked, joining in the laughter.

As she followed behind Rarity, arms full of shopping bags, Sunset wondered just where she was going to keep all these new clothes. She was going to have to rethink organization in the loft. Maybe she could move some of the things she didn't use to the attic space? Pick up another dresser at the thrift store or perhaps order one online? Or maybe some of those “under the bed” containers? “I think I’ve gotten just about everything I could possibly need and then some, Rarity,” she told the tailor.

Rarity was walking along with her share of bags, the picture of contentment. She turned briefly and responded to a question that wasn't asked. "If you need extra storage space for all this, darling, I recommend talking to Big Mac—he is quite talented with carpentry and enjoys building things." The pale skinned tailor looked around them before taking an abrupt detour to another store. "Looks like we need one last thing, Sunset. Not to worry, it shouldn't take long."

Sunset bit back a groan. "What did we not get already? Pants, shirts, bras, I even picked up a package of thicker socks and I just recently got new gloves and a winter scarf. What else could I possibly need? Or...is this something for you?"

"Nothing for me today; this trip was all about you." Rarity led the way towards the back of the store, where a huge selection of leather coats met their eyes. "I think it might be time to replace your jacket. I know you are attached to it, Sunset, but it looks like it's about to fall apart.. and it doesn’t fit you properly anymore with your...new growth spurt."

Her heart gave a pained lurch--replace her jacket? Sunset found herself slowing, her expression shifting into a frown. She knew the coat was on its last legs, that it had been through too much with her, been subjected to too much wear and tear over the years...but to even think about giving it up bothered her more than she really wanted to admit. The jacket had been with her the entire time she'd been in this world, granted by the magic of the portal that had reshaped her body and made sure she didn't stumble into the human world naked. She had no idea where it came from beyond that, as the only thing she had been wearing when she bolted through the mirror had been a set of saddlebags stuffed to bursting with the possessions and valuables she couldn't bear to be parted from.

It had been almost comically oversized then, with sleeves way too long for the child wearing them, and the bottom of it had reached her knees, the whole of her upper body disappearing into the warmth of the leather. Sunset had ultimately grown into it, of course, and started to outgrow it when she'd had that last growth spurt that added height to her frame last year, but even then she couldn't stop wearing it. She wasn't sure she could ever replace it...but Rarity was right. She could only patch it so much before it would be tattered beyond repair...

"...I..." she swallowed several times, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat, looking down at the sleeve where she could see a ragged tear that went through the leather entirely. "...Maybe you're right...I just...I don't want to throw it away. I've had it since I came through the portal."

Rarity started with a very soft tone. "Darling, no one is suggesting you throw your jacket away. I'm simply suggesting you retire it. That jacket obviously means the world to you, but if you keep wearing it you may not have a jacket left to retire." She offered an amused smile. "Besides, I know how much you want to keep your look. It's almost like you want to fit the stereotype."

The former unicorn nodded. “I know you’re right...I probably should have replaced it last year.” She chewed on her lip, taking in the comfortingly familiar scent of warm leather that surrounded her, before setting her bags down on a nearby bench and shedding the coat, tucking it in a bag with her new clothes. “Let’s see if they have one that I like the feel of. I like the way I look in a leather coat.”

Then she stopped, the last part of Rarity’s words catching up to her. “Wait....what stereotype?”

"I know you come from a world of magic and fantasy, Sunset, and that your culture likely does not have the same associations, but here you fit the stereotype of a particular type of lesbian,” Rarity explained, grinning.

Sunset found herself staring somewhat blankly at Rarity. What was it with humans and their need to obsessively categorize things? "...Well...that's better than looking like a bully, or the cops always assuming I'm up to no good...but...liking the way I look in a leather jacket makes me a stereotype?" she clarified, making sure she was interpreting things correctly.

Rarity held up a jacket and offered it to Sunset. "Oh, darling, it's not just the jacket. It's the jacket, and the boots, and the bike, and the attitude, all together. Some might think you drive around on weekend nights looking for cute, innocent Catholic school girls to seduce." The smile became a devilish smirk.

Incoherent sputtering sounds were all that would seem to come out of her mouth, and she could feel her face burning so badly that she must have truly resembled her name. “I—what—that’s not—Rarity!”

The designer covered her giggles with the back of her hand. "Well, we don't have horns, or wings—usually. Here we often dress to show off what kind of person we are, even if it’s subconsciously. That's part of the reason fashion is so important, Sunset."

“I wear the clothes I do because they’re comfortable, and the jacket and boots make nasty people think twice about messing with me!” She crossed her arms defensively. “...the bike reminds me of running on my own hooves,” she finished grumpily. “Who decides all this stuff anyway? Seems kind of arbitrary.”

"Oh I assure you it is entirely arbitrary, however, it's been agreed as a sort of unspoken set of rules, for reasons I can only guess." She thought about what had been said for a moment. "So are you saying you have seduced a sweet and innocent girl?" Rarity hummed softly, staring mock accusingly at her friend.

It was a good thing Sunset’s face was already red, because blushing now would have given her relationship away. “What?! No!” she squawked, voice cracking. “Why are you back to talking about my love life!? Did you not get enough last week with your weird coffee romance fantasy?”

"Because, darling, it's just so much fun to talk about." The pale skinned girl smiled and handed over another jacket. "What do you think of this one?"

Sunset ran her fingers over the leather, fished her hands in the pockets, and tilted her head. “The leather feels really stiff. I think I want something a little softer, with more give to it.” She hung it back up, thumbing through the jackets on the rack. “It might be fun for you, but it's still a weird subject for me. Humans are not usually what a pony would consider attractive.”

Rarity took the jacket back, being careful to hang back up properly, before digging through the other jackets until she found another she was interested in having the redhead model. "It's not the concept of romance Sunset. It's how you react to it. In a way, it's very adorable, very innocent." She said as she played with the sleeve of another jacket. "It's like seeing a different side of you, a sweeter side, one I like to see."

The former unicorn looked sidelong at her friend, before sliding her arms into the sleeves of the jacket and pulling it on. "...I'm not entirely sure I follow," Sunset responded, twisting this way and that and looking into one of the numerous reflective surfaces scattered around the area. "...better...but do they have something that is a bit longer?"

Rarity was once again looking through the multitude of leather jackets available, pulling out a few of varying length. "Whenever I bring it up, you always act like a young girl trying to stammer out of talking about her first crush. In my mind at least, it pushes away any lingering darkness associated with you and replaces it with this well meaning—if a little overwhelmed—and sweet unicorn spending time with us. That unicorn is who I want to be friends with, Sunset. The real you, not the bully persona you created before." She offered up the few longer variants of the same jacket, smiling genuinely as she did.

Silence held court as Sunset digested Rarity's words, trying on a longer jacket in the process. When she did finally look up to meet blue eyes, she smiled crookedly. "...This world is a little overwhelming at times, even after all the years I've been here," she admitted. "But the whole...romance thing...please...don't take this wrong...can we maybe drop that? You want an area that is completely out of my depth in either world, Rarity, it's relationships, especially romantic ones. I..." she hesitated, then followed with a half truth, "...finding someone here, in this world, would mean giving up hope of going home to Equestria someday...and I’m not sure that's something I’ll ever be ready to do.”

Her friend stood up silently, moving on surprisingly quiet feet to hug Sunset from behind without warning. "You might be here with us now by someone else’s command, Sunset, but you do have true friends here, and I hope you don't feel alone." The hug ended almost too soon as Rarity returned to the racks to look for a few other jacket candidates. "We should get pretzels on the way out, my treat. I think I've had too much sugar recently."

“I know, Rarity, and your friendship means more than you know. It helps...makes exile not so lonely. It's just...some part of me will always hope that someday I’ll be allowed to go home, to be in my own body, with my horn and my magic, to see the places and culture that's mine.” She laughed softly, the sound directed at herself. “A slim hope that has all the chance of happening as Applejack enjoying wearing ruffles and lace, given everything I did....but it’s my foolish hope to have.”

Her eye spotted a bit of black peeking out from behind a wall of brown, and she reached for it, curious. “I will take you up on that pretzel though...sounds delicious.” She pulled the coat free and her breath caught. “Oh...”

What was in her hands was everything she wanted in a jacket and then some. In a similar style to her old coat, but with the longer length she’d out grown in the first garment, the leather was thick and durable, but held a softness and flexibility that almost defied reason. Its pockets were numerous and spacious, including one on the inside of the coat, and the silky textured inner lining felt good on her fingers. It was even cut with extra room for her chest, meaning she would be able to zip it up if she desired.

"Well. It looks like we have found your jacket,” Rarity murmured as Sunset settled the leather properly on her shoulders. She moved around Sunset, carefully examining all of the folds and seams of the jacket and how they played on the former unicorn's body. "Well, this is striking, darling, absolutely striking! You look quite good with this one! Are you happy with it?”

Sunset could only nod as she took off the coat so she could purchase it, fingers running longingly over the supple new leather. Rarity carefully took the jacket out of her hands briskly and walked it up to the counter to pay for it herself.

The redhead tailed after her, bags once more in hand. “...I can pay for the jacket,” she tried to tell Rarity. “You don’t have to...”

"Too late, Sunset, it's already paid for,” the tailor told her whimsically as the attendant bagged the purchase. "Now all you have to do in return is accept this gift." She smiled as she was walking back to collect the other bags, before hooking Sunset’s arm to drag her over to the pretzel stand in the middle of the mall. On her way, she glanced in the unicorn's direction. "You know.." she started in a sly way. "If you do think it's impossible to go home...maybe you should say something a little more outlandish than ‘Applejack’ and ‘ruffles and lace.’" She smiled, looking for all the world like the Cheshire cat.

*pulls up a chair and something to drink*

Okay. This note is gonna be kinda long, possibly a bit soapboxy, but I feel the need to address a serious subject, one that came up in this chapter in the early parts. Specifically, the objectification of women, and the way that often plays out in the real world. I understand that its an uncomfortable subject for a lot of folks, but...frankly, its something inescapable for a female human being, no matter where you live in the world.

I'm not attempting to glamorize it at all, or really even use it as story fodder. Its an unavoidable truth that girls grow up and learn from listening, watching, and living in human society that society as a whole has viewed and continues to view them as of less value of men, and that its not a matter of IF, but a matter of WHEN they will encounter it, and what form it will take. Girls learn, growing up, that rape and sexual assault and rape is common (we're talking 1 in 6 women in America), and more than that, most of the time, perpetrators of it get away with it. We learn that a very common response to speaking up about harassment or assault is "what did you do to provoke it?" We are trained, by watching our mothers, our sisters, our aunts and older friends, that there's a list of do's and don't's to minimize your chance, but we live with the knowledge that you can do everything right and it can still happen. Girls learn that on top of the ever present threat of unwanted touch, that they will be degraded because they are female at some point. Someone will make a dirty remark, and then play it off as harmless fun. Someone will make a statement about "You cant do X. Girls dont do X. Girls arent any good at X." At some point, our ability to get a job will be affected by our overt sex appeal, and even when we get a job, in most fields, women still make less than their male equals. There will be jokes about making someone dinner, and heaven forbid if you aren't outwardly feminine. Someone will be offended by that--sometimes even family. Even the story Rarity shares is something that does happen--women and teen girls using sex appeal as a way to bribe males in authority over them. I've seen it happen--in the high school I went to, in 9th grade, i had a math teacher who gave perfect grades to girls who wore low cut tops and short skirts, especially if they sat so he could look while he taught. It was wrong, but no one would listen when myself and several friends reported it.

It's harsh, and its incredibly sad, but the fact is...that's life. That's the way it is, and while its getting better with every generation, its still there. I know people who have been assaulted. I've experienced harassment and inappropriate, unwanted touch. In high school, I helped a girl get the evidence she needed for the police--and her PARENTS--to believe her that her boyfriend was a violent rapist who was threatening her life. Just this year, someone I know had someone try to grope her in a public place, surrounded by people who watched it happen and did nothing.

Now, this isnt me saying men are evil, or all men are pigs, or that only women can be treated this way, or that only men encourage these things, because shit can happen to anyone, and there are plenty of women who play into it, just as Rarity did in her story about the science class. But the fact is, that its a part of life for women to the point where we dont even think about it. We know it, we accept that it can happen, the same way a flat tire or a car crash can happen, and we go on with our day.

And that, right there, is why it comes up, and probably will continue to do so periodically in the story. Because for Sunset its NOT common. Its not "a fact of life" where she comes from. Ponies dont exhibit that kind of aggression, and they dont have the sexual dimorphism that puts females at a disadvantage (a female equine has two very powerful and painful reasons a stallion will take no for an answer--being kicked by a horse fucking HURTS.) Its culture shock for her. Its also a driving motivator for a number of her actions in the past, the present, and ultimately in the future.

In the end, that is why I choose to present it in the story the way I am: as realistically as possible, in regards to its existence in a human setting, with the knowledge that not everyone handles it the same way, or the best way, and not everyone is equally lucky. I just hope I've managed to handle the topic well so far, and that people take it the way I mean it.
(Statistics and more indepth information on the sexual assault as well as information and assistance for victims of it can be found here:
https://www.rainn.org/ )

*kicks soapbox off-screen* Sorry about that. Okay. Serious time over. Now for the fun parts of this note.

Some people asked in comments about if Sunset was ever going to apologize to Rarity for the Spring Dance. Ironically, I've had this scene written since before I started posting the story, so I knew it was coming, but didn't want to spoil it.

Sunset being a "lesbian stereotype" is a running gag in the discussions with the two people who are, at this point, my co-authors for Rubicon. She's assertive and dominant, she wears leather jackets, spikes, leather boots, she rides a motorbike, and oh by the way, apparently has a soft spot for cats, if you watch the short where she stops running to school in the pouring rain, all for the purpose of giving chin scritchies to a stray cat. And if anyone is going to twig to that from an in universe perspective, it'd be Rarity, who is the most "socially aware" of the group. Besides, it was too good to pass up the chance to make a quip about sunset riding around to seduce innocent school girls.

Sunset and bras, again, started as a running gag between me and my partners in crime. Because bras suck, and the image of Sunset trying to figure out bras as a former pony is...comical.

The Leather Coat: So, if you've read my story Mirrors on the Ceiling, you know that Sunset came through the portal with the coat she wears in the first EqG movie. And we all know cows are thinking, talking beings in equestria. But...we also see plenty of things that likely use leather in equestria as well, from harnesses to hats to book covers to any number of ubiquitous items. And this is where another discrepancy comes into play: Ponies keeping pigs as farm animals.

Pigs...well. People raise pigs for...pretty much two reasons: to slaughter and harvest the meat and materials, and to consume organic refuse like food scraps. But since pony farmers could also use most pony food scraps as compost for growing more food, pigs become...superfluous. So why keep pigs?

In the end, I'm taking the logical answer: Leather, and as food components for either pets (like dogs and cats) that require meat in their diet, or to sell to species that are clearly carnivorous (such as griffens.) Now pig based leather isnt as durable as cow or horse hide, but with a little bit of magic, it very much could be.

Now....the biggest thing is that no one has bothered to mention to Sunset that she is wearing dead cow skin. It hasn't occurred to them to ask, and it hasnt occurred to her that it might even come from Bessy and not Wilbur.

Anywho. That's it for this chapter, stay tuned for next week's, when they meet up with the other girls! You'll get to see what everyone got Sunset for Christmas! :}