Sunshine walked back and forth inside her spacious office. Charts, finances, future projects and calls from her secretary left forgotten as her anxiety slowly reached breaking point.
She obviously hadn’t expected for Sunset to accept her offer right away, but it had already been a week since their meeting, and she hadn't received even a single message from the girl.

“I can feel you getting old from here.” The voice of her friend talked through the office phone; the only contact Sunshine had allowed herself with the outside world. “You knew things could not work out in the end.”

“Yeah, I was ready for that, but I didn’t expect just… silence.” Sunshine checked her phone again, wanting to see if she had a missing call or a text. “Maybe I should–”

“Don’t you dare call her!”

“Fuck! This is going to kill me.” Sunshine let herself fall on a large black couch, big enough for her to sleep on if she had to pull an all-nighter.

“Why don’t you take a few smokes to calm your nerves?”

“I’m trying to stop doing that, I don’t want to have to deal with the consequences later down the line.”

“That hurts Sunshy. Will you care for your old friend when my body starts to give up?” The voice asked with feigned sadness.

Sunshine sighed. “Stop with the teasing. You know I can pay for any operation your body needs.”

“Okay okay, serious mode engaged.” That got a chuckle out of Sunshine. “She’s going to say yes.”

Sunshine rolled her eyes. “And what gives you this prophetic vision?”

“She’s you,” the voice answered matter-of-factly “She will need you just as you need her.”

Sunshine frowned. “What do you mean?”

There was a bit of a pause before the answer came. “Sunshine, all your life you’ve only cared for three people; your parents and me. They're on the other side of the world, and while I’m just a call and a few cheap beers away, you’re alone most of the time.”

“Are you telling me that a mature, financially successful woman should be jealous of her young doppelganger because she has more friends?” Sunshine asked sarcastically.

“And you immediately proved my point. You can’t even see it.”

Sunshine let out a grunt of annoyance. “This is like that bullshit of ‘money can’t buy happiness’.” The argument was suddenly interrupted when Sunshine’s phone started ringing.

The redhead stood up, quickly pulling it out and felt a wave of relief and nerves as she answered. “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me, Sunset.”

“How’re you doing?” Sunshine asked, shutting down her emotions with practiced professionalism.

“I’m okay, I guess. I wanted to make you an offer.”

“Do you want to make changes to our deal?” Sunshien questioned suspicious.

“Something like that. Can you come to my apartment?”

“Sure, I will be there in ten minutes.”

“Oh, okay. I will be waiting.”

Sunset hanged up, and Sunshine let out a sigh of relief before going to her office phone. “I'll call you later and tell you how it went.”

“Ask her about our bet!” the voice shouted before Sunshine finished the call.

Steer parked right outside Sunset's apartment, giving his employer a look of 'good luck' as she opened the door and went out into the street.
Sunshine looked at the apartment, wondering just how Sunset could afford it. She went up to the door and ringed two times before waiting to be let in. She fidgeted a bit, still remembering her friend's words, but remaining nervous anyway.
When Sunset finally opened, Sunshine saw that the girl had made an effort to look her best, like if she was going to her first job interview.
"I guess a more business-minded conversation will be easier" Sunshine thought, still not really sure about how Sunset was taking all this. Their first meeting had showed that they certainly got along, and Sunset was smart enough to see the benefits, but Sunshine had accidentally opened some old wounds in the girl's past by being too reckless, and she couldn't help but wonder if that was the cause of the week-long silence.
She wanted to be cautious this time. She didn't want to lose this deal.

"Come in, what can I offer you?" Sunset asked as she left space for the woman to enter.

"Do you have coffee?"

"Sure, I'll guess that we have the same preference."

While the girl went to prepare the coffee, Sunshine took in the look of Sunset's house. It made her feel... Old.
There was a huge painting on the wall near the entrance that reminded her of all the pieces she had made during her younger years, making her wonder if she could still use a brush to create something like that.
There was a pile of video games and consoles under a large TV, with a camera and microphone set ready for streaming. Streaming was one of the things Sunshine would’ve loved if it existed in her younger years, playing for hours with her friend during those days they had so little to worry about they didn't need a schedule for their entire week.
A glance to Sunset’s dresser betrayed the large amount of leather jackets the girl owned, but it also had a lot of colorful and even silly outfits and clothes, which made Sunshine wonder when was the last time she wore something other than her usual suit.

Sunshine could feel that this was Sunset's home. It had her name written all over it. "I like what you've done with the place."

"I... Didn't do anything. Just cleaned a bit." Sunset said a bit awkwardly as she gave the woman her coffee.

"And that's why I like it. It doesn't need much to feel like home. Although I would certainly miss some of the benefits of an outlandish house."

Sunset chuckled. "Well, I lived in the biggest castle in Equestria so I can understand what you mean. Sometimes I miss having a personal chef to keep my plate full. Although food delivery is a pretty close second." Sunshine smiled as the mood between them started to feel less awkward. "So, how have you been doing?"

"A bit nervous to be honest. At least when I'm not working." Sunshine admitted as she took a sip of her coffee.

Sunset scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, sorry about the wait. I needed to... Process things."

Sunshine gave her an apologetic look. "It's understandable, I put a lot of pressure on you. I'm sorry for that."

"It's okay. I called you to offer you something."

"I'm listening." Sunshine said with curiosity.

"The thing is... Other than memories regarding your family, I don't really know you. Which is weird because you're… me." Sunset added looking confused.

"No, I get it, we have lived very different lives. What do you propose to breach that gap? Do you want me to tell you about myself?" Sunshine asked, keeping a professional attitude.

Sunset put on her best smile. "Well, I would like for you to meet my friends."

Sunshine kept staring at Sunset for a few seconds as her friend's words bounced inside her head. "Could you please elaborate?"

"Back in Sugarcube Corner you said something that got me worried. That you didn't have friends."

"Oh." Sunshine clearly relaxed at the answer. "Don't need to worry, I do have a very good friend."

"You mentioned it, but, still, I would like for you to meet them before we can move forward with the adoption thing."

Sunshine put down her mug. “Sunset, be honest. You think me having only one friend is a problem?”

Sunset fidgeted a little. “Not that it’s wrong, just… I think it could help us understand each other better.”

Sunshine snorted. “So that’s how I looked whenever I asked my parents for something.” She let out a slightly annoyed sigh before continuing. "Very well, if those are your conditions, I will do it."

Sunset smiled. "Good, do you mind if we start now?"

"I don't. Who do you want me to meet first?"

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Since I value my life, you need to meet Rarity first."