"T-that's... that's impossible!" Sunset Shimmer muttered, eyes glued to Pinkie Pie's phone showing a pictures slideshow of Magical Girl Sunny. Of herself. "Where did you get this?"
"Internet, there are plenty more on a MyStable fan page," Rarity answered, then coughed "Sunset, darling, would you like to tell us something? We promise we won't make a scene if you--"
"That's not me! I-I mean, she looks exactly like me, and sounds like me too, but she's not! It has to be a hoax! Someone photoshoped them to make fun of me!"
Twilight shook her head. "These look too real to be fakes."
"There's a video, too!" Pinkie Pie took her phone back to play a clip of Magical Girl Sunny posing for pictures, the ones she saw previously. She winced when her lookalike said 'Sun'ya' before teleporting away.
"Not ta mention Rarity and I were there, in da middle of it all. We almost got shot!"
"Weren't these guns fake?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow.
"Details, details..."
"You even saved my precious earrings," Rarity added, exposing her ears to show two blinking crystals on her ears "I was so shaken I didn't even take time to properly tha--"
"IT WASN'T ME!"
For a few more seconds the echoing 'wasn't me' went around Canterlot High, suddenly devoid of any other sounds. Despite being chock-full of students at this hour. Sunset Shimmer blushed slightly as she tried to avoid everyone's stares, especially after the mass whispering started. And judging by the amount of students walking around with smartphones, she knew exactly that the main topic of discussions could be one of two. And the Catchamon Go died months ago.
"Aaaalright," Rarity coughed, trying to bring the topic back on tracks "I suppose we jumped to conclusions a bit too fast there, darling, but ... we were there. I know what I saw, we have a ton of proof, so please forgive us for not believing in the age old 'I was alone in my room watching television' excuse."
Sunset opened her mouth for a moment without saying anything, then groaned, massaging her temples. "Okay, I see your point. But that doesn't change anything. It wasn't me back there and if you don't believe me--"
Rarity quickly interrupted her, waving her hands frantically. "Hold on, we didn't say we don't believe you! It's just that..." She bit her lip, trying to think of something else to say, looking for some hints from the other girls, who were just as clueless. "...well, nothing good will come from denying it, but we're having a hard time believing it. Even though we want to."
"So, if it wasn't you," Rainbow Dash asked "then who?"
Twilight Sparkle's eyes shot open. "M-maybe it's this earth's Sunset Shimmer?" She suggested. "I mean, you're from Equestria and we already met my other Princess-self, so maybe..."
"Impossible!" Sunset Shimmer quickly declared, then turned and started walking away. "Whoever it is, I'm not going to let her walk around posing as me!"
Everyone looked at each other in panic, trying to figure out which of them would be the one to stop Sunset from leaving. It ended with Twilight saying something first. "B-but, the classes...?"
"Tell Harshwhinny I got sick," she answered without looking back "it's not that far from the truth!"
As their humanized unicorn friend was leaving, the other six girls looked at each other, unsure what to say or do at this point. Twilight Sparkle was the first to stand up. "I'd better follow her. Maybe we can find something together."
Applejack nodded. "Good call. Keep us informed if ya learn anythin'."
After they bid themselves farewell, Twilight rushed after her fiery-haired friend, leaving the other five at the table. I'm skipping school! Because of friendship reasons! This is absolutely awful... why do I have a feeling Cadance will approve of this?
The other Rainbooms sat silently for a moment.
"So, what do we do?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Ah dunno," she shrugged, looking over the other equally confused four "What can we do?"
***
Sunset Shimmer yawned. She always imagined internet to be this wide open sea of information and entertainment, the black hole for spare time. And yet here she was- lying on her bed, with Coco's laptop on her chest, hot cup of cocoa at her desk (only so she could make puns at her roommate's expense... it wasn't worth the effort) accomplishing the impossible feat of being tired of OurPipe and MyStable. She glanced at her roommate, humming happily while working on her newest creation.
"I'm bored," she said, closing the laptop "how much longer?"
"Just a few more minutes, I'm almost finished." Coco answered, not missing a beat.
Sunset groaned, putting the laptop on the desk, then turning on her belly. "Kay."
Coco was able to work in perfect silence. For about two minutes, which was how long it took Sunset Shimmer to empty her lukewarm cup of cocoa.
"Done yet?"
"No."
One short pause later. "Are you done now?"
"Please don't start that age old routine. I promise I will tell you when it is."
Sunset whined, burying her face in the pillow. "Ugh, this is taking forever!"
Coco stopped for a moment, rolling her eyes. "Your whining won't make me work faster."
"I'm not whining, I'm just..."
"I know, I know," she sighed and turned to her roommate. "Could you pass me the cape, please?"
Sunset looked at the other bed where said piece of clothing lied, waiting to be picked up. Pointing her finger at it, she started slowly levitating the cape towards the future fashion guru, who nodded with gratitude and grabbed it without so much as flinching at the display of magic before her. It took a few days to get used to her roommate's magical powers and levitating clothes (and books, pens, towels, hair brushes, the list goes on) were already becoming a new norm.
"So," Sunset started, sitting on the edge of her bed "what's with the change of heart? I thought you didn't like capes."
Coco stopped for a moment, before sighing deeply. "I still don't," she explained "but I want to create dresses for a living when I grow up. Part of my dream job is meeting my clients' requests, no matter how... impractical they are in my humble opinion. As someone smart once said, it's not about what I like or not, it's about making the most out of what the future wearer wants. I treat it like a challenge. If I can't make a cape work on a magical girl costume, then why would I expect to do well in the showbiz?"
Sunset nodded. "Yes, your words are wise and thought provoking. And speaking of what the wearer wants--"
"No spandex."
"OH COME ON!" Sunset yelled, teleporting right in front of her friend, looking down at her. "Why not?"
Coco turned away, slightly blushing. She got used to random teleportations, but close facial proximity? Not nearly as much. "I just refuse. It's a matter of principles."
"You'll deny the world the view of my perfect body in a skintight jumpsuit?" She made a cute pose to emphasize the point.
Coco coughed, making sure Sunset Shimmer didn't notice the blush. "T-the world will have to live without it!"
"Oh come on, Coc's!"
Coco twitched, then turned at Sunset with wide eyes. "W-what did you call me?"
"Coc's. It's your new nickname," she leaned over the tiny girl with a sly smile "kinda cute, huh?"
"I-I'd rather you didn't," Coco muttered, blushing "I-I don't feel comfortable... with..."
"Why not, Coc's? What's wrong with..." her eyes widened as well "...ooooh, oookay, sudden realization! Didn't think this through!" Now it was Sunset's time to blush, while Coco giggled at her roommate. The seamstress continued her work for a while longer, while Sunset Shimmer's head cooled off after her recent faux pax.
"I don't think it would be good publicity if you suddenly changed your image, especially right after your debut! It's a lot easier to explain a new outfit on a magical girl than on a western superhero. They changed them every season and the public was in awe, but have Mili Second change her costume to a different shade, and you get a huge internet flame war!"
Sunset Shimmer hummed, then shrugged. "I guess. I mean, I agreed to the whole magical girl gimmick."
Coco continued. "I've watched enough TV to know that masked vigilantes aren't as accepted by public as little girls in bright costumes. Even if the powers aren't all that different."
"Who are you calling little? Although the latter is true," Sunset answered "speaking of which, how many dresses do you plan on making?"
Coco stopped on her tracks for a moment. She looked at their wardrobe, where her first masterpiece, the one Sunset used at the jewelry store, resided. They moved away all other clothes to different shelves and boxes to make space for spare costumes as they'd come around, as well as some emergency clothes in case Sunset needed something else on the field. Truth be told, she never had an end goal in mind. For now all she wanted to do was create them, one after another, see how her owner and public reacts to them, get some feedback and learn from it while aiming to make the one, the ultimate iconic magical girl outfit. And hoping she'd never have an excuse to stop. Not when she was hit by an endless fountain of inspiration after a miserable few months of... whatever you call a fashion designer's version of writer's block. Fashion block? Sewing block?
"I don't know. I'll make as many as I can. If you want them, that is."
"Kay," Sunset answered "so thirty seven is not a final number?"
"Thirty seven? Where did you get tha--" she stopped, her eyes widening in panic. She turned back to notice her roommate inspecting a particular notebook. The one she'd rather nobody looked at. Ever.
"I'm not sure about number 14, though," Sunset noted, rotating the open notebook to get a better view of it's content "I'm okay with ribbons, but this might be a bit overkill."
"GIVE IT BACK!" Coco jumped at Sunset and snatched her notebook away, then ran at the corner of the room, holding her prized possession tightly to her chest, sobbing.
Sunset Shimmer blinked a few times, then snorted. "I didn't say they were bad!" She giggled for a while, but her smile slowly faded as Coco's mood did not improve. She coughed and approached her friend. "Coco? Was it something I said?" She stopped one feet away from Coco, scratching her head in confusion.
"N-no, it's... fine... I'm okay..." Coco answered weakly.
A few moments passed in complete silence, until...
"EEEK!" Coco yelled and recoiled after a very cold, metallic object touched her cheek. Again. She turned to Sunset Shimmer, holding an ice cold can of soda. "Why do you keep doing this?! And where did you even get that?"
Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes. "Cafeteria, duh," immediately the can disappeared from her hand, presumably back to the fridge in the cafeteria, where it originally belonged "this is the only thing that works whenever you get a mood," she crouched over Coco “what’s going on? Talk to me.”
Coco looked at Sunset’s rare, concerned face, but quickly averted her eyes. “It’s nothing, really.”
“Nothing doesn’t make you cry. Tell me or I’ll do it again. And I, uh, really don't want to. Hurt your feelings.”
Coco sighed deeply, still avoiding eye contact. “I just... I don’t want anyone to look at my designs,” she answered “I know it’s dumb and I shouldn’t be bothered by it, but…”
“It’s your passion, you put all of your heart into it and you’re afraid people might hate it, I get that,” Sunset said “but what I don’t get is why you hide it from me! I'm your top model, I'll wear anything if you say it'll appeal to crowds.”
Coco’s eyes widened, and soon after their eyes met again. “I-it’s not like that!”
“Just in case you’re forgetting, Magical Girl Sunny is wearing the newest Pommel design, not some Polomare crap,” the sudden gasp from her roommate confirmed what Sunset was afraid of “because it’s about Suri, isn’t it?” She didn’t get an answer, but the silence said it all. “Figures. Anything wrong with you life can be traced to your old 'friend'. Honestly, Coco,“ she massaged her temples “whose opinion do you trust more? Some purple bitch that can’t run a fashion club without your help, or the most magical superhero ever that can’t run around fighting crime without your help?”
The seamstress managed a giggle and couldn’t help but smile at her friend. Sunset smiled as well, then stood up and extended a hand.
“Are you cheered up now? Please say yes. Human interaction is hard and bothersome. I don't want to do it too often.”
Coco took her hand and stood up. “Then you picked a wrong 'hobby'. And you’re so good at it! Cheering up, not... actually, both.”
“Aw, shucks…” Sunset scratched her head and looked away, and the two shared a laugh. A moment after the laughter died out, Sunset coughed. "So, can I look at them now?" She asked, extending her hand forward. "Pretty please? With cherry on top? With whipped cream? And sprinkles? And cinnamon? And... I'll stop now."
Coco hummed and took her time, thinking about sharing her little treasure. She looked at her notebook, then at the pleading red haired magical girl. After a long sigh, she nodded and offered her precious possession to her roommate. But before Sunset managed to grab it, she pulled it back away.
"But just this once!"
"Okay, gotcha."
"And if you look at it again, then..."
"I get it, I get it!" Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. Now may I?"
With only a few reservations left, Coco let go of her darkest secrets and passed the notebook to her roommate. "Just don't laugh..."
"I won't, I promise," she nodded, instantly opening the first page "not until I find a clown costume." Pause. "Are there any clown costumes there?" She asked with a sly smile. There was no direct answer, but Coco's annoyed glare said it all. "Just making sure," she giggled and went back to browsing.
For the next few minutes no sounds happened in their room, other than page flipping, Sunset's playful humming and Coco's rapidly beating heart, though she couldn't tell if Sunset actually heard it. Sunset's reactions were ranging from non-existent to mild amusement each time she flipped a page. At best the creation inside earned a curious raised eyebrow, but no verbal comments of any sorts, which was slowly driving Coco insane. Will she say anything? Should I ask? Logic dictated just leaving her be, going back to finishing her current project, not paying attention to being mentally reviewed. Not being bothered by someone judging your ideas, or...
"So," Coco shifted, interrupting the silence "what do you think?"
Sunset nodded, not taking her eyes of the notebook. "They're good."
Coco blinked. In this line of work a single word (especially THAT word) meant nothing. "No further comments? No suggestions, or feedback?"
Sunset shrugged. "Like I said before, I don't know a thing about fashion, I just know when I like what I see," she flipped another page "and I don't like repeating myself."
The conversation ended right there, as Coco turned away and went to one of her shelves for some more knitting materials. Or so she wanted her to think, she was just too embarrassed to show her rosy red face. Not that Sunset paid her attention right now, too absorbed in looking over her creations. She had only known Sunset Shimmer for a few days, but she could already tell that she had a very short attention span and anything that consumed her for longer than a minute wasn't just good. And she loved repeating herself. Especially when it ended up in minor embarrassment for her, though to her credit she only did it when nobody was watching. That counted for something.
"Actually," Sunset suddenly spoke, spooking Coco "I have one question."
Coco gulped, as few cold sweat droplets appearing on the back of her head while she slowly turned to her. "Y-yes?"
"So, me walking around in a skintight spandex outfit is a no-no, against your principles if you will... but a deep V cut dress that exposes everything down to my waist is ay-okay? Cleavage, belly button and the likes?"
A few seconds passed. "What?"
"Number Thirty four."
A few gears worked inside of Coco's head, before a revelation caused her cheeks to blush redder than ever before. Which was saying something. "I-I-I can explain!" She almost shouted, flailing her hands in the air.
"I'm all ears." Sunset Shimmer crossed her hands, clearly suppressing the amused smile from her face.
"I-it was, uhm, it was a-a... ballet! It was a re-rejected ballet dress!"
"Ballet dress?"
"YES! W-we were asked to make a few, the fashion club I mean, f-for the ballet club a-and I made this! It was rejected and they went with Suri's dress instead, though..."
Sunset nodded. "So this wasn't made for Magical Girl Sunny?"
"It wasn't."
"And it just so happens," she turned over the page to its creator "that the sketch has the exact same hair style as I do?"
"I-it's a popular hair style..."
"Coco, the sketch is colored. With crayons. It's actually kinda cute."
Coco's mouth opened and closed a few times with only occasional squeeking escaping from it, until she closed it and pursed her lips, as her eyes teared up.
"I changed my mind!" She suddenly shouted, walking towards her roommate. "Permission rescinded! Give it back!" Her hands reached out for the notebook, but Sunset lifted it so high she couldn't reach. A few futile tries later (she was a head shorter), she groaned with annoyance. Their eyes met- annoyed and determined; sly and mischievous.
Then Coco stepped back and looked around her room. Suddenly, her eyes widened as they concentrated on something else. She pointed her finger behind Sunset and gasped. "You have a fan mail!"
"Wait, what?" Sunset's eyes widened and she turned to the closed laptop.
Using the tiny gap in Sunset's defense, Coco lunged at the notebook and could almost touch it with her fingertips, when suddenly the notebook, along with Sunset Shimmer, blinked out of existence. With nothing to stop her fall, Coco landed a few feet away, flat on her face. Thankfully, Sunset was standing right next to her bed, so she landed safely, bouncing of the mattress. As she composed herself after her fail and fall, she heard a evil, maniacal laughter coming from the direction of the door.
"Mwahaha, nice try, miss Pommel," Sunset said, facing up as she laughed "but you need to do better than tha--"
POMF!
It didn't hurt. But being hit in the face by a cushion did throw Sunset Shimmer off balance and made her drop the prized possession of her partner, who used the moment to quickly dash in and out, with notebook safely in her hands. The joy of victory was sort lived when she realized that Sunset was blocking the only legitimate exit from the room.
"Miss Pommel..."
Suddenly, Coco was getting goosebumps. She swallowed, realizing what horrible mistakes had been made. But she could do nothing, other than wait and anticipate.
"I have a question." Sunset extended her hands toward her, her fingers swaying like tentacles. "Are... you... ticklish?"
Coco swallowed. She had a bad feeling about this.
Turns out she was.
In her defense, I read it as "Cokes" with the way Coco's name is pronounced. The spelling is indeed unfortunate, however.
Sunny's self-awareness continues to make this precious.
Oh boy, I knew it, it had to be Human Sunset, so what is Pony Sunset going to do now, maybe even go on the net and post a video while she is in her Daydream Shimmer form to call out on Magical Girl Sunny to see just who this "Faker" is and to see how she stands up against the original Magical Sunset?
Aw, that was hilarious, and adorable. Although things will sure get awkward whenever pony Sunset catches up with them. Although not sure how she'll catch up, considering the teleporting and all that. Coco is always adorable. The setup slightly reminds me a bit of Cardcaptor Sakura, just that Coco's the (slightly) saner one in this relationship, but she's got the fashion down. Now just need to get her a camera too, so she can set up her collection of Magical Girl Sunny in action.
I caught that reference in the title!
I think part of that is that magical girl costume changes tend to be limited only to a) Sailor Moon-style new accessories or b) super/goddess modes. There's still something of an iconic costume. Unless you go the Cardcaptor Sakura route in which there's a new costume every episode (and judging from how Coco is taking several, several pages out of Tomoyo's book, this is probably how this fic is going to go). That gimmick can be loads of fun, too.
And then there's Winx Club, which basically just goes "F--- it" and introduces random powerups and new costumes out of the blue and suddenly the new upgrade you got at the beginning of the season is already moot by midseason. Notably, the "2 fairy forms per season" requirement didn't really show up until Nick got the rights to it, which is basically some of the least subtle "buy our toys" ever pulled.
I am enjoying the SunsetxCoco himself, can't wait for and the seeing the Sunsets meet. So if you recommending Magical Girl series I take it a certain series featuring a contract-offering alien will be among them.
7787151 7787141 Guilty as charged- I take a lot of inspiration from Card Captor Sakura. It's among my recommendations for later chapters.
7787251 That series might be referenced in a chapter title at some point, yes. Even though I like more lighthearted stories, that one was quite good at what it did and I enjoyed it immensely. Even if I had not idea what was going on half the time.
Sees the words 'magical girl' and immediately start singing Connect from Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
7787582
And now I remember back all those witches. Thank you very much.
Funny scenes are funny!
I get that one of the mysteries of this story is how human!Sunset got magical powers; discovering that will bring fun times. But, what about pony!Sunset's powers in this world, does she have her canon powers (Pony up, reading minds)? Is she going to have control over her Daydream form, or even her demon form?
Thanks for writing this.
She stolen Equestrian !magic! To the dungeon!
7787759 No problem. Shall I also remind you of the ironic one named Charlotte?
7787427
I'm actually cool with how this story lines up with CCS. Mainly because Sunset is very not-Sakuraesque, but stays likable. And yes, also because I love Coco, find the ship cute, and the idea of her acting as a Tomoyo figure is so very adorably in-character for her.
Okay, I'm going to say it.
JUST KISS ALREADY!!!
Dis gon b' gooood.
7787905 Oh, whoops, I forgot to mention it takes place between Friendship Games and Legends of Everfree. They don't have their own powers.
7789238 Thanks for the heads up. You should mention that timeline in the description, or the author's note after the first chapter, since LoE basically made them all magical girls.
I hope we get to see more magical girls besides human!Sunset though!
7789672 I was going to, but it slipped my mind (It was 5AM when I submitted it). Now it's fixed.
Right now I have a bigger question than Human Sunset getting powers, how the heck does she know Pinkie's saying? The Pinkie Promise (TM) is Pinkie Pie's and only Pinkie Pie's, it says so right here in sub-section nine of paragraph eight of appendix Three-B, the Abridged Pinkieous Piecous by Twilight Sparkle. *Indicates non-existent Pony Text*
Unless Human Sunset knew Pinkie when she was younger or something... Must read more to find out if right.
Capes!
Huh, that is a nice aspiration.
Wait, you actually FOUND Tokyo Mew Mew on DVD? How? and Where?! I have been trying to find it for a long time
I'll better follow her
Jusy making sure
Cleavage, belly buttom and the likes
1. I'd.
2. Just.
3. Button.
Avoid Ala Mode, it was so bad it didn't get adapted to anime.
I came here to figure out what the title reference was. Cool story! But I've got other things to do, and I don't feel like starting something new, but if I did, this looks like a good choice!
Sweet baby Cadance, I can't handle these amounts of cocodorability!
I agree: Coco = Tomoyo!
Because Cadance ships Sunlight!
Are you gonna make me ship this, too?
It's weird, I'm giving this Sunset a higher pitched voice.
I would remark on something something pony, but too many of us don't like human interaction as well, so yeah, she's one of us.
Making Pinkie Promises, are we?
Yup, I ship it!
Okay, I've figured it out. This Sunset is a mix of Sunset and Pinkie. Fun!
Well that's one really strong case of denial, or it must be a human Sunset living with Coco somewhere
> Twilight Sparkle's eyes shot open. "M-maybe it's this earth's Sunset Shimmer?" She suggested. "I mean, you're from Equestria and we already met my other Princess-self, so maybe..."
> "Impossible!" Sunset Shimmer quickly declared, then turned and started walking away. "Whoever it is, I'm not going to let her walk around posing as me!"
Why do you say that, Sunset? It's an absolutely reasonable explanation? Aside from why is she a magical superheroine, which is kind of odd, but not really all THAT odd?
I'd love to see that 😍😍😍😍🤯
Interesting premise so far and very interesting how Magic Sunny seem to have the powers of that of a unicorn: magic blasts, levitation, teleportation
Also yay for more Coco! She’s such a sweet character