//------------------------------// // Thursday Afternoon // Story: The Beach House // by NightCoreMoon //------------------------------// /x/x/x/ “Can someone remind me again why I'm doing this here with you girls?” asked a bored-looking Flash Sentry in between sips of a frozen slushie. His other hand rested in the front pocket of his cargo shorts. A charcoal gray muscle tank, sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose, and a pair of unremarkable sandals completed the ensemble. Sunset, in a gold-studded black crop top and a flowing skirt that matched her hair color, smirked and nudged him in the shoulder. “As if you've never been a human privacy curtain before,” she commented. “Except this time instead of me forcing you into it because I was an evil and manipulative bitch, you offered out of the goodness of your heart!” He blinked at her slowly as the hustle and bustle of the mall’s food court echoed around them. “And... because we offered to buy you lunch.” She finished, nervously giggling and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Flash heaved a heavy sigh before taking another sip. “Yeah, yeah,” he muttered, before flashing a small though sincere smile. “Happy to help.” “You know, I still refuse to believe you were ever evil,” Twilight offered, stepping behind the pair. “I think it was just a hallucinogenic fever dream or pesticides in the groundwater at Canterlot High.” Sunset glanced over her shoulder before turning around fully and stepping to the new arrival. “Hey, Twilight!” she greeted, opening her arms. “Good to see you. You looking forward to today?” Twilight nodded and hesitantly returned the hug, wrapping her arms around Sunset’s waist and blushing slightly. She looked up to see the impassive look on Flash’s face, and his own slight nod of greeting. She gave him the kind of smile you give people when you aren't exactly in the mood to actually smile at them but you still don't want to be rude, and you end up looking like you're trying to pretend that you didn't just loudly pass gas, or are overhearing a loud argument from across the room, or are greeting somebody who used to date what basically amounts to your clone and he still inexplicably has feelings for you as well despite the fact that he's a man and you're a lesbian. ... Wait a minute. Sunset pulled her arms tightly around Twilight’s shoulders for a moment before she pulled away and rested them behind her back. “Oh, and by the way, thanks again for talking to Dean Cadance for us. This weekend is going to be great!” “Yeah... it's really not a problem. What else am I gonna do,” Twilight nervously muttered, trying hard not to stare at Sunset’s exposed belly. “Just not talk to her after Rainbow brought it up? I don't think so. You girls deserve to have a good time.” “And we will, all because of you!” Sunset smiled encouragingly. “And since we have some more privacy than we usually would at the public one, I get to learn how to go swimsuit shopping like the humans do. Back home we didn't really have that because, you know... we didn't really wear clothes.” Twilight blushed furiously at this while Flash merely raised an eyebrow. “You know,” he said. “Up until this moment I never really put much thought into the fact that both you and Princess Twilight really are ponies... do I have a type?” After a moment of puzzled confusion, his face blanched. “Oh my god... I fucked a horse...” Sunset merely shrugged. “I’ve fucked both a human and a horse before too, so don't worry, I'm pretty sure that you're in the clear.” “Guys,” Twilight interjected. “You’re talking kind of loud...” Sunset and Flash glanced around to see that there were indeed nearly a dozen people standing there gawking at the two apparent zoophiles. They exchanged glances before their minds kicked into overdrive. “We’re rehearsing for a play!” They both shouted simultaneously. “The Legend of-” “Stony Terror-” “The Centaur King-” “Picture Show-” “Director’s Cut!” The smiles on their faces rivaled the size of the average Pinkie Pie grin, even if they had the sincerity of her pretending to enjoy watching paint dry and the awkwardness of both Twilight and Fluttershy on their worst days combined. Twilight herself watched the scene unfold through her fingers as half of the crowd dispersed in varying levels of convinced. Sunset groaned and hid her face in her hands. “Oh Creator, please just strike me down right now...” Flash just clapped his hand on her shoulder before tossing his empty cup into a nearby garbage can. “Hey, at least Rainbow Dash wasn't here to see anything.” “Yeah, good thing,” said Rainbow Dash, who was standing right behind him and struggling to keep a straight face. “Otherwise she’d totally rub it in your guys’ faces all day because it was fucking hilarious!” She finally let a smile crawl across her face and send her doubled over laughing at the pair. “Just kill me, right here and now...” Sunset muttered. “It's okay, I’ll accept death, please just... give it to me.” Flash heaved a heavy sigh. “Man, I was really hoping that karma would smile on me today for taking time out of my busy Thursday.” By then, Rainbow had regained her breath, and started to wipe her now-wet eyes. “Oh man, that was priceless. I just wish I got that on tape! But, whatever. Hey Flash. Sunset...” her smiled faded imperceptibly as she placed her hands on her hips and nodded. “Twilight.” Despite the outfit consisting of a sports bra and shorts that seemed much shorter than they had any right to be, Twilight had no difficulty at all keeping eye contact with her ex-girlfriend. “Hi Rainbow... you look nice.” Sunset looked up as she heard the slight strain in her friends’ voices. “You too.” Rainbow crossed her arms and leaned against a support pillar. “But I kinda disagree with your choice in clothes. It's like ninety degrees out, why are you wearing pants and a t shirt?” Twilight glanced down for a moment and back up. “They're, uh... not pants. They're called capris. I think. Rarity picked them out for me.” An awkward silence would have rang out if not for all of the busy people walking around them, and it grew slightly until it was luckily interrupted by a steadily loudening and unmistakable voice. “And then I was like ‘nuh-uh, cupcakes are WAY better than muffins’, and then she was like ‘you're crazy, muffins are a bajillion times better than cupcakes’, which I mean is a total lie because no offense to your apple cinnamon muffins which are super scrum-diddly-umptious, they just don't even hold a candle to our apple cinnamon cupcakes we made that one time, especially when we put on that icing with the caramel in it, ooh! After this we should go and get a caramel apple, or even better we can make our own caramel apples! WAIT! We should totally make our own caramel apples this weekend when we go to the beach house! And speaking of which I’m super excited to pick out my swimsuit, I can't believe I haven't gone shopping for one since last summer and even then it had to be all ‘appropriate’ and stuff or else Maud would have probably killed me but- oh, there’s Dashie! HI DASHIE! HI SUNSET AND TWILIGHT AND FLASH!” Applejack, who had been steering Pinkie Pie through the throngs of shoppers with an arm around her shoulders, raised her free hand in greeting as she brought in the proverbial S.S. Pinkie into harbor. Both were in shorts and tank tops. Various verbal greetings were passed around. “Alright, so all we’re waiting for now are Rarity and Fluttershy,” Rainbow remarked. “So, Flash, you're sure the jeef’s not coming?” Flash raised an eyebrow. “...jeef?” “G F. Girlfriend. Ball and chain. Boo, beaux, honey,” she started making a lewd jerking motion with her arm. “...right hand personified.” “Alright, I get it!” He cried, face red. “June’s not feeling well.” “Alright, sorry to hear that. Maybe next time...” Rainbow turned to survey the surroundings. “Aw man, they got rid of that old Asian place I love... oh well, I guess we really do need a third Starbucks.” “They what!?” Flash cried, wheeling around. “No! Why!? I loved that place!” As he and Rainbow commiserated, Sunset leaned in to Twilight. “What's Asian again?” “The northeastern part of the continental landmass separate from the one we’re on,” she answered. “Think rice and noodles cooked in sesame oil, plenty of vegetables, flavored with pepper, ginger, garlic, onion, soy sauce, and horseradish... sushi, sake, sometimes curry.” “Oh sweet Celestia that sounds amazing,” the former pony said, staring starry-eyed off into the distance as her mouth began involuntarily salivating. “I haven't had Nipponeighse in years. I gotta go to one of these places... oh, I just hope there are vegetarian options.” “They have tofu,” Twilight answered. “It's made out of soybean paste and it tastes like whatever you cook with it. And like I said, there's also a lot of vegetable options and stuff.” Sunset clapped her hands together in glee. “We gotta go together some time, just you and me. But, uh... how do you know so much about this?” Twilight ignored the fact that Sunset basically just asked her out on a date, albeit probably a friend date but a date nonetheless. “I, uh... ordered a lot of takeout at Crystal Prep. The cafeteria closed in the afternoon and sometimes I did work straight through the evening, and the Chinese place was the only one that did delivery to the school. And it really helped that I knew the kid who brought the food, and I always made sure to tip him well.” “Who was he?” “He was Sugarcoat’s cousin. She and I were never close friends but we were at least... eh... okay so she was kind of a bitch but she was a little less of a bitch to me than she was to everybody else. So anyway, his name is Scarlet Scribe. I don't know much else about him besides the fact that he does edits for the local paper. But it doesn't matter, I’ll totally take you out for Chinese or something some time. I'm... somewhat of a master at it. Not much dairy in it, too, so that's a bonus for me.” Sunset smiled and tilted her head slightly to the side. “Well, I'll be looking forward to it. It'll be fun!” Twilight bit her lower lip. ‘God, she's adorable...’ Suddenly Applejack cut through the group and started waving an arm in the air. Everyone turned to face her direction to see none other than Rarity with Fluttershy in tow. Both were wearing strapless sundresses, powder blue and seafoam green respectively, and Rarity in a straw sun hat. She returned the wave before grabbing Fluttershy’s hand, nodding her head, and making her way to the group. “Sorry we’re late, darlings, the parking lot is an absolute zoo right now!” “I should have left sooner...” Fluttershy murmured. “Hey, it's all cool!” Rainbow assuaged, pulling her oldest friend in for a hug. “You're here, now, that's all that matters. All you guys missed was Sunset and Flash yelling about how they’ve both fucked horses.” “RAINBOW!” The duo screamed. Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy merely gaped at them before Pinkie started tittering. Applejack and Rarity merely rolled their eyes, and Fluttershy effectively bluescreened. Rainbow, however, cackled as she headed deeper into the mall proper. Twilight sighed and resolved to follow her, not quite in the mood to feel the potential amusement garnered from seeing Flash flustered. ‘Wish I was Fluttershy...’ she mused. ‘Holding Rarity’s hand, hugging Rainbow...’ She blinked when she realized she was absentmindedly staring at Rainbow’s shorts. She shook her head and brought her eyes up. Behind her she could feel the heat of embarrassment radiating off of Sunset and Flash. She slowed her pace slightly so she was even with them. “I don't know where that girl thinks she’s going,” Rarity said from behind them. “She wouldn't know a Rue 21 from a Forever 21.” Rainbow stopped in her tracks as another girl in a similar outfit to her own walked by. She checked her out with all the subtlety of a monster truck in a china shop. This gave everyone else the time they needed to catch up to her. Twilight grit her teeth slightly but her own eyes followed as well. But at least she wasn't glaringly obvious about it. “Rainbow, my dear, much as we appreciate your enthusiasm, perhaps I should lead this expedition. I do have the most experience in this department after all...” Rarity paused for a moment, chuckling to herself. “Oh my, no pun intended.” “Yeah, sure Rares,” Rainbow replied, distracted. “Whatever you say.” “Alright, lovergirl,” Applejack exasperatedly sighed. “I’m gonna just pick ya up in a sec if y'all don't quit starin’ at every girl who shows an inch o’ skin... an’ you too, Flash!” Twilight crept past to get in step with Rarity and Fluttershy, who began to lead the procession. Pinkie and Sunset merely giggled as another girl in a crop top walked by, drawing the attentions of the totally oblivious Rainbow and Flash. Applejack facepalmed and proceeded to literally pick the two pervy teens up and sling them over her shoulders. “So, Rarity,” Twilight began to ask. “Where will we be shopping today? JC Penney?” Rarity whipped her head around and placed a hand on her chest, mouth frozen open in shock. “Never say that to me again, Twilight! Obviously we will be going to the J Crew.” She stepped towards the mall directory and scanned through the store list. After a moment of searching, her face blanched. “Okay, never mind,” she said, utterly defeated. “We’ll be going to...” Rarity sighed, slumping her shoulders. “...Macy’s.” “Oh, that's great, I love the Macy’s!” Applejack cried, Flash and Rainbow in tow. Rarity gave a knowing look to the girls at this. “I remember when I was real little, mama took me there to look for dresses for my first day o’ school. We were gonna do that the year after that, but...” she smiled melancholically. “It's always gonna have a place in my heart. Good choice, Rarity!” Rarity didn't answer, and instead stared at the directory, grimacing. She pressed a fist to her mouth and closed her eyes. Flash and Rainbow exchanged a worried glance behind their mount’s back. After a few moments Rarity looked back up with a smile on her face and made her way back to Applejack. “But of course, darling, it's a respectable establishment if not exactly the highest of class. And sentiment is, um, of course a factor to be considered...” As she continued to chat with Applejack, the rest of the girls followed suit. The suddenly tense mood evaporated as they walked, if no conversation occurred. Even Pinkie’s step had slightly less of a spring in it, but by the time they got to the entrance, it had become resprung as Applejack showed no signs of sadness or regret. “Hey, uh, AJ?” Rainbow asked, shifting around. “Can you, like... put us down now?” “Yeah, no offense but your shoulder is a bit...” Flash scrambled for an inoffensive word for horribly uncomfortable. “...muscular.” She made as if to drop them like two sacks of potatoes, chuckling at their brief yelps of panic, then gently set them down on their feet. “Only if y'all agree to behave,” she said. “There ain't no... reason to... uh...” A man in a small piece of fabric masquerading as an a-shirt revealing the entirety of his huge biceps, the sides of his heavily sculpted pectorals, and part of his well-defined abs walked by, turning the farmer's head on a swivel as she gaped like a fish out of water. Once he was passed she turned back around to see a very cross Flash and Dash, in identical positions, with their arms crossed and tapping their feet in tandem. She chuckled nervously at their twin expressions of ‘are you kidding me?’. “Alright, point taken, let’s just go.” The group followed after Rarity, who was now approaching the swimsuit section. Luckily it was devoid of life, but full of bright colors. Pinkie started to squee as she slipped around straight to a large mass of pink. Fluttershy stepped towards Rarity as the rest simply glanced at the selection. “Alright girls, find a few pieces you might want, and we’ll all meet in the dressing room! And Flash-” “Yeah, yeah, I know the drill,” he said, pulling out his phone. “Sit down, shut up, and make sure that no creepy dudes get inside. Right?” She nervously laughed in reply. “Well... in different words than I would have said, but you seem to know what you're doing.” Sunset shrugged. “I taught him well. So uh... what do we do?” “Yeah,” Twilight said, stepping forward as well. “I haven't exactly done this before either.” “And where are the one-pieces?” Applejack asked. “Or at least the, uh... more than just triangles and string ones?” “And why are they all in pastel colors!?” Rainbow exclaimed. Rarity turned to Fluttershy. “Would you be a dear and help Rainbow and Applejack find things more suited to their tastes while I give the rundown to Sunset and Twilight?” Fluttershy nodded. “Okay. Follow me, girls, an extra pair of eyes won't hurt...” As the trio left, Rarity clapped her hands together as her eyes gleamed with excitement. “Girls, let’s find you some suits!” She quickly reached out and grabbed their hands before pulling them along into the throngs- and thongs- of fabric. Twilight barely had time to blush before she found herself surrounded by bikinis, bikinis, and even more bikinis. She glanced up to see her friends scattered about picking out different ones from different parts of the section, before she brought her attention to her own situation. “I assume neither of your measurements have changed much since the last time I took them?” “Yeah, no, I’m pretty sure I’m the same,” Sunset said. “And uh... you would know considering the blog... “Uh... yeah...” Twilight blushed yet again as her mind was on the concept of measurements and the implications of today settling in. A small fire started to kindle in her belly and her pulse started to increase. “Splendid!” Rarity turned and started rifling through one of the racks. “All you need to do right now is to find a few matching tops and bottoms that will fit your bust and waist, and then we’ll try them on after that’s done. There's really not much to it. Oh my goodness, this one is simply gorgeous... perhaps I've misjudged this place?” She pulled out a hanger upon which sat a royal purple twisted bandeau. Twilight’s eyes nearly bugged out of her skull. There really wasn't that much of it. “Awww yeah!” Rainbow cried from a few racks away. “Now that's what I'm talking about!” She held up a hanger that held two very small black triangles with yellow lightning bolts on the front. “Does this say awesome or what!” “Or what!” Applejack volleyed. “That’s barely a sleep mask! What in tarnation are they tryin’ to sell here, cuz it sure ain't clothes!” Twilight returned her eyes to her immediate surroundings, trying to quell the thoughts of seeing Rainbow in something like that. Not that she hadn't already seen her in her underwear before, but that was different. And her bra covered a lot more skin anyways. Which meant that this would definitely be an... interesting weekend. She cursed both her sister-in-law’s privilege and Rainbow’s memory. “Hey Rarity,” Sunset chimed. “Is something like this what we should be looking for?” She held up a pale blue halter top that also wouldn't be covering very much skin. Pure willpower kept Twilight’s jaw from falling open. “Oh my goodness, Sunset, I think that would be perfect for you! It would go so well with your eyes!” Rarity jumped in place. “I don't think you'll even need to pick anything else, but... you probably should still, just in case. This is a fun excursion, after all, not utilitarian. Just save that one for last.” Twilight pursed her lips as she turned her head away from the spectacle, and absentmindedly rifled through the selection, not particularly paying attention to any of it. ‘Easy, Twilight, just play it cool. So they're all going to be trying on bikinis, no big deal. It's just a little bit of borderline nudity among friends... friends who are way sexier than they have any right to be and don't have very many boundaries when it comes to physical affection and oh my god I am literally going to die!’ She pulled her legs tightly together as a warmth churned between them. ‘This is the worst, this is the absolute fucking worst, they're all gonna think I'm a perv and kick me out of the friend group and then I'm going to be all alone again...’ “Hey Twilight!” “Hey Pinkie.” Beat. “Pinkie!?” Twilight jumped as the rest of her mind became suddenly aware of the party girl’s presence right next to her. “Don't scare me like that!” She exclaimed, catching her breath. Pinkie giggled. “I didn't scare you, I startled you. There's a big difference. I know that I’m stealthy and stuff so I sometimes startle people which I'm really sorry for by the way, I’m not just completely ignoring that like some kinda meanie-pants, but I know that I'm not scary or anything like a monster or a serial killer like in one of those slasher movies Dashie really likes unless somebody has some kind of irrational phobia about teenage girls and the color pink and as far as I know the only phobia you have is turning into a monster yourself which is totally not gonna happen and isn't a problem anymore because Midnight is donezo so there's really not a very good chance of me being actually scary to you, does that make sense?” Twilight blinked, pulse having returned somewhat to normal. “Surprisingly, yes... what brings you to me right now?” Pinkie shrugged and held out an armful of suits. “I got all of the things I wanna try on already but it isn't time to go try them all on yet and stuff so I looked around at everybody else to try to see what my options for spending time with my friends were and I saw that Rarebear and Sunnybunny were together working through their stuff, and I can see both Flutters and AJ looking for more conservative pieces while Dashie helps them because I think she looks pretty dead set on the black one with the lightning bolts which I think look super awesome and cute but anyways I figured I would go and help them out but I saw that you were all lonely and not really focused and kind of sad looking so I came over here to help you out and see if I couldn't cheer you up a little!” Twilight felt a slight headache coming on but she managed to push it down as she thought about how Pinkie’s thought process made perfect sense even if it was a bit long-winded and tangential. No wonder she did so well on essays in English class. Aside from the massive run-on sentences, of course. Anyways, she could also recognize a kind-hearted gesture of friendliness when she saw it. “Thank you Pinkie, I appreciate the help... but I'm fine,” she lied. “I'm not really upset about anything, I’m just... overwhelmed by the... choices here.” Ah, yes, the choices. Skimpy style #1, skimpy style #2, slightly less skimpy style, way skimpy style, and would it even be legal for a teenager to wear this in public style. At least they came in different colors and designs. “Are you suuure you're not upset?” Pinkie inquired. “Dashie might not look it but I know she is a little bit. So i’m just a little concerned for you, you know? Not that I think you're weak or anything, because I know you've got a lot of emotional strength and stuff like that, but because I know that breakups can be hard for anybody to go through...” “I'm fine.” Twilight stated, more firmly than she meant to. “Really. I am. I just...” she sighed. “My problem is more that, you know. I'm gay. And me being here and seeing all of these really tiny two piece swimsuits is... kind of a lot, emotionally.” Something clicked in Pinkie’s head. “Ooohhh... that's right, you haven't done this before...” she smiled. “Well, don't worry, I know how you feel. Kind of. I can at least imagine it. This is kinda the first time I'm going bikini shopping at all, let alone with my best girl friends. Are you worried about us thinking you're pervy and stuff just because you like girls?” Twilight shrugged. “I guess, yeah...” Pinkie rested her arm around Twilight’s shoulders. “Well, Dashie and I both like girls. Fluttershy too, sort of. And Sunset likes girl ponies. But just because AJ and Rarity are straight doesn't mean that they're gonna judge you for who you wanna dance the sideways samba with.” “Pinkie!” “Aww, you're cute when you’re flustered. And hey, I can say that without it being weird or creepy or anything, right?” Twilight opened and closed her mouth a few times as she pondered this. She did have a point. It was not exactly much of a secret that Pinkie at least kind of thought that Twilight was attractive. She wasn't overt about it, but she wasn't secretive either. It didn't change anything between the two of them, even if there was some level of mutual attraction in place. But there was still a difference. Pinkie had only ever seen Twilight in full dress. The least she had ever seen was a sleeveless tank and gym shorts. Twilight had of course accidentally seen her naked in the school locker room once for about half a second before she covered her eyes and promptly walked into the wall. But it was at least somewhat obscured by steam. Regardless, it wasn't just Pinkie. Twilight thought that every single one of her close female friends were the proverbial bees’ knees. All of them. She liked Rainbow enough to date her, after all. Rarity was beautiful, Applejack was practically made of muscle, Fluttershy was gorgeous, Pinkie was sweet and very well-endowed, and Sunset... well... Sunset was perfect in every single way, and externally seemed visibly comfortable with her body, and was always there for her supernatural insecurities, and always considerate and kind and caring, and sure she sometimes made mistakes but always atoned for them, and had a really nice butt, and gave really nice hugs, and was super cuddly when she was high back when they all still smoked, and she was just basically perfection personified. Or... would it be ponified... “It's... not weird or creepy... right?” Twilight blinked a few times as she realized she had totally spaced out for a second. She shook her head and turned her eyes to Pinkie, adjusting her glasses which had come slightly askew. “Yeah, no, it's not! I'm... flattered, actually. And I know that a lot of you girls are on different levels of, you know, sapphic proclivities. But I just...” she sighed. “It's different when you like the person than it is when you just like people of their gender, you know?” Pinkie slowly nodded. “Right... look, um. Can you keep a secret?” “Yeah, sure. What?” “Pinkie promise.” Twilight nodded before pantomiming the process. “I swear, Pinkie, whatever you're about to say stays between you and me.” Pinkie leaned in and conspiratorially whispered into Twilight’s ear. “I have a crush on Dashie too.” ‘Too?’ “Okay?” Twilight asked. “And you remember what I said earlier about the lightning bolts?” “It was like two minutes ago so yeah.” “I'm actually... really looking forward to seeing her wear that.” Pinkie pressed her forefingers together in thought. “Dashie is really hot. I've seen her naked before but, I’ve eaten freshly baked chocolate chip cookies a hundred times before, and each time you make another batch it doesn't make it smell any less delicious, you know?” ‘I’d like to eat Rainbow like a hot cookie...’ ‘Now is NOT the time for that, brain!’ “Well then how do you do it?” Twilight asked. “How do you just not feel like you're betraying your trust and friendship in someone by thinking about them in a sexual manner?” Pinkie gave her a sad smile. “Because it isn't... it's okay to think your friends are hot stuff. I know I do. And I'm sure Dashie does. I mean, she thinks half of the girl Wondercolts are sexy and she's still super close with all of them. She even showers with them after games. And just because she’d have sex with them given a moment’s notice doesn't mean that she's any less of friends and teammates with them.” ‘But she’s not... like me...’ “And,” Pinkie continued. “I’m friends with a lot of boys who like girls. A lot of them like me, and I like a lot of them. So if boys and girls can be friends and everything be fine, then gay girls can do it too. It's just logic. It's like that one math thingy where, like, if a plus b is c then b plus a equals c, right?” “I... think I understand.” Twilight forced a smile, recognizing Pinkie meant well despite ultimately missing the point. “I should be fine... thanks Pinkie.” “No problem-o, Twi Twi! Now, uh... you should probably pick something. I think AJ and Shy-Shy found some stuff. What color do you want?” Twilight tried to shrug her sadness out. “I don't know... pink, I guess... but you don't know my size.” Pinkie pulled out a pale pink set. “Yes I do,” she said, handing them to Twilight. “And I think this would look really cute on you.” Twilight took the fabric in her hands. The top was comprised of two intersecting pieces of long, curved trapezoids that connected to a mesh with a small circular gap in the middle of the upper one. It seemed like it was made to cover and support at the same time, and seemed secure enough. The bottom was the same exact color and followed a similar style, the mesh on for her hips, and it was a lot thicker of material. And it was exactly her size. “Pinkie, how did you-” Twilight turned to address the apparent psychic with a luck stat of 21 but she was already right next to Fluttershy, who threw something in the air and let out an exclamatory noise of shock. Despite herself, a small giggle made its way to her lips as she looked back down at the material. It was smooth, and cool. Breathable. She turned it around and looked at the price tag, before shaking her head and looking more closely at it. No, she was not hallucinating, the decimal point most certainly was right there. Twilight did not hurt for finance but hot DAMN was that a tall order. Still, she felt herself pulled to it. A small though genuine smile crawled across her face. She would feel like a literal princess in this. She fingered the strings. They were very thin, but they felt sturdy. She wasn't big on fabrics, but she could tell that it was very high-quality. Then again it could also just be polyester or something and Rarity would literally faint at the sight. Speaking of Rarity, Twilight could see that she was heading to the changing room. Sparing one more look at the swimsuit in her hands, she nodded and made her own way over. By the time she arrived, the other six were standing in a semicircle around Flash, who was still fiddling with his phone. Rarity cleared her throat and he looked up. “Hats and purses?” He asked. “Ever the gentleman, Mister Sentry,” Rarity answered, gently placing her hat on his head. He grimaced and sighed before glancing back down at his phone. “Don't worry, I'll break the fingers of any would-be pickpockets. And I’ll make this hat look good while you're busy in there and doing...” he waved his hand. “Your girl stuff.” “You're a dear,” she said, leaning down to kiss him on the cheek before walking into the dressing room proper. He merely rolled his eyes. The girls all followed suit, leaving their purses and such with him, and stepped into the changing area. Once they were all in, Flash set his leg in front of the doorway, and started to scan the area every few seconds. “Now,” Rarity stated, turning around to face the girls. “I know that it's not technically store policy, but we should at least pair up for those of us who are new at this in each room. The rules do say that only one person is allowed in each room at a time, but that rule I’m sure only exists to prevent sexual encounters. I doubt that this will be a problem here, however.” “I dunno, Rares,” Rainbow said with a sly wink. “Unless you wanna taste the rainbow?” Applejack sighed exasperatedly, grabbed her hat, and whipped the back of Rainbow’s head with it. “Thank you, Applejack. Anyway, assuming you all are wearing some kind of underwear that isn't a thong or... less... and you have all deposited your bags and accessories as I have done so, we shall separate into pairs for the sake of the ones of us who haven't done this before. Sunset, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, each of you should enter a room with either myself, Fluttershy, or Rainbow Dash. Any of the three of us should help get you sorted with any complications. Is that agreeable with everyone?” Sunset stepped forward. “I have no problem with it, I don't know the first thing about...” she lifted one of the suits, two small ivory triangles dangling on her fingers. “...these things. And you've already seen me naked before so, mind helping me out, Rarity?” “But of course, Sunset! Let's go.” The two girls stepped into one of the rooms and closed the door behind them. After a moment, a dress, skirt, and crop top hung over the door. Twilight’s skin turned several shades darker, and her mind turned several shades greener. Applejack stepped forward next, and glanced briefly at Rainbow’s suggestive face and eyebrow waggle. “Fluttershy?” She asked, causing Rainbow’s expression to shift to that of pure shock. She stuck her tongue out briefly at the stunned athlete before taking Fluttershy by the hand. The shy girl nodded and the pair stepped into another room. A pair of shorts, a tank top, and a dress soon draped over the door, leaving a trio. Rainbow gently laughed to herself before she glanced at the two remaining as her face blanched. “Uh... Houston, we have a problem.” Pinkie glanced between the other two as the pieces instantly clicked into place. Twilight’s face was now almost completely flushed, and her body started to tremble slightly. Rainbow sighed. “Look, this doesn't have to be weird. We’ve all seen tits before. I've seen you both in, well. Pretty much exactly what we’re gonna see here.” She spared a wink to Pinkie. “And I've made out with both of you. So come on, let's just... you know.” Twilight brought her doe-in-the-headlights gaze to Pinkie, who mouthed ‘its okay’. Twilight merely shook her head, and took a step back. Rainbow frowned. “Look, Twi, I thought we were cool. If there's a problem, you gotta let me know so I can find a way to fix it. Whatever I did to hurt you, I'm sorry, alright?” She spread her arms to either side. “I still wanna be your friend.” “Tha-that's... it's not... I...” Twilight swallowed, back growing moist. She couldn't get the words out, and worst, Rainbow thought she was upset with her. She tried to get her breathing under control, and was very nearly able to, before one of the doors opened up. “Well, darlings?” Rarity asked, proudly displaying her body clad in just the set of violet bandeau and matching bottom over a pair of simple white cotton panties. Her top was only a few inches thick, even slimmer in the middle, and it couldn't have been covering much more than her nipples. One hand was on her hip and the other was behind her neck. “How do we look?” Behind her and to the side was Sunset. She was gripping her arm with the other hand behind her back, and looking off to the side. She had on a simple white triangle-cut bikini that seemed a bit small, and still showed a little bit of the bottom and sides of her breasts. Her lower piece was black over her crimson underwear. “You two look amazing!” Pinkie cheered. Rainbow nodded, distracted. “Yeah, queens of the fuckin’ beach. Look, Rare-” She was cut off by a sudden stamping of feet heading out of the room. The girls all turned to glance at where Twilight had left the room sprinting. “Damn it!” Rainbow cried before shoving the contents of her arms into Pinkie’s, and running after her. Turning the corner, she smacked right into Flash, and the two went sprawling onto the ground. “Aw, fuck!” Rainbow shouted from atop him. She glanced up to see Twilight sprawled out on the ground, bringing herself up and grabbing her glasses before she went running again. “Jesus Rain, what the hell-” “I'll explain in a sec, sorry!” Rainbow yelled to him as she scrambled to her feet and began to chase after her ex-girlfriend. She made her way through all of the racks to the open area. She glanced to the left to see nobody, but to the right she could see the shrinking figure she was seeking. “Holy shit you're fast,” she muttered to herself as she set off. Instantly she regretted leaving her geode in the wallet that was currently sitting right next to Flash Sentry, but there wasn't time to go back for it now. If what she thought was bothering Twilight was actually what was bothering Twilight, then it was a problem that needed to be rectified as soon as possible. Rainbow dodged and weaved past the few groups of people, and nearly smashed into another. She ran through a pair and behind her she could hear glass shattering. She shouted an apology behind her before almost accidentally running into a large man. She cursed and hopped on one foot before resuming chase when he was out of the way. She was just getting into the run when Twilight tripped again, and fell to her hands and knees. Rainbow slowed her roll to a brisk walk and came to Twilight’s side, noticing that she was sobbing. “Twi...” Rainbow got on her knees next to Twilight and set a gentle hand on her heaving shoulder. Twilight shoved her hand away and leaned to the other side, gripping the grate of a divider sitting between the two halves of the walkway. Rainbow sighed and crawled around to be in front of the crying girl, sitting down and leaning her head on the divider. “You don't want me to touch you, that's fine. But I'm gonna be here until you at least talk to me, okay?” Twilight continued to cry, but she nodded. “Alright, good.” Rainbow looked around to see a crowd of gawkers. “Move along, people, nothing to see here! We’ve got a very sick grandma at home, and it's emotionally traumatizing!” A few of them shrugged and carried on with their business immediately. A few others simply stared suspiciously, but moved on after a moment. One other furrowed his eyebrow. “Hey, isn't she the demon monster from the friendship games?” Rainbow glared at him before jumping up and taking a threatening step forward. He yelped and scrambled away, before heading into the nearest store. He then immediately came out of the lingerie shop, red-faced, and went to the next nearest one, a candle shop. Rainbow sighed before sitting back down, putting her knees to her chest. She absentmindedly looked at some of the lingerie, furrowing her brow. After a moment her eyes widened. She spared a glance to Twilight, who started sniffling and wiped her own eyes. “I'm guessing your problem isn't with me, is it...” Twilight brought her bleary eyes to Rainbow, and slipped her glasses back on. She gently nodded. “Uh... is that a no meaning no, or...?” She nodded again. “No meaning yes...” Twilight croaked, throat raw. “I don't have a problem with you... or about you. It's just... it's with me.” Rainbow jumped up and held her hand out. “All right, I think I know what's up then. Come on, let's go get something cold in you.” “But, the girls-” “Will be fine trying on swimsuits without us. You and I only picked one each anyway, and we’ll just be gone a few minutes. We just have to clear the air a little bit. Now come on, get up.” Twilight grimaced but did as she was told, taking Rainbow’s hand and letting herself be pulled up. “Luckily you ran almost right to the food court, and double luckily there's no line here. You took your milk pill this morning, right?” “Um. Yeah, I... yes. Why?” “Good.” Rainbow lead the procession forward by her hand, Twilight following after. “You know, we never did have milkshakes again, after that night. Considering what this was all about, I figure it's only fitting, don't ya think?” Twilight didn't respond, but simply relished the physical contact. A small part of her gave a dark chuckle as she thought about how the only times she ever got to be affectionate with somebody was after she broke down in tears and wasn't even in the mood to appreciate it fully. Suddenly Rainbow stopped in her tracks. “Mother fucker...” she patted her shorts pockets before slumping her shoulders and sighing. “This is just un-fucking-believable. Flash has my wallet.” Twilight fished her hand into her pocket and pulled out her own. “Here, I... I'll pay.” Rainbow furrowed her brows before shrugging. “Alright, fine, but next time we all do something, I’m paying for you. Got it?” Twilight gently nodded as she handed over the black leather. “Okay, cool.” She turned around and continued her walk. They were silent until they came up to the counter. “‘Sup” she greeted. “One small choco and one small nilla, please.” “That’ll be two fourteen.” Said the lady behind the register. Her blue hair stuck up in the air before falling down to frame her face, and her nameplate read ‘Milky Way’. “Here’s some extra napkins. Are you alright, baby?” “She’ll be fine,” Rainbow answered. “Love trouble, some dude was a dickhead. I'm here to cheer her up. Good friends and all. Thanks,” she said, taking the napkins and handing them to Twilight. Her eyes shifted down to the milkshake girl’s sizable chest before snapping back up. “Here ya go.” Milky took the card and swiped it before handing it directly back. She turned her head to her partner, whose long brown bangs somehow were not impeding his vision. His own plate read ‘Mint Chip’. He handed over two glasses, and Milky turned to Rainbow and handed them over as well. Rainbow thanked her and turned to Twilight. “Come on, let's go sit.” The two made their way through the food court over to an isolated table and sat down across from each other. Twilight wouldn't make eye contact and made no move to drink either shake. “You pick.” “...I want whatever you don't want.” Rainbow sighed before pulling the vanilla one towards her. “Alright, this mopey melodrama isn't gonna last longer than this conversation, all right? You're gonna clear this cloud or we’ll be here all night.” Twilight pulled the chocolate shake towards her, but made no move to drink it. “My guess here is you feel guilty n’ shit because you're gay, and we’re all putting on swimsuits, don't you...” Twilight didn't react. “You know, at first I thought it was because of me. Of course I would, right, since I'm kind of a major narcissistic blowhard.” Rainbow took a sip. “And I know that I'm not exactly the nicest person in the world so of course I was kind of a dick about it. Which, you know, I’m sorry for. Communication and stuff is not exactly our strong suit, it's part of why we broke up. But that doesn't mean we can't talk to each other as friends, you know?” Twilight took a small sip but still refused to look up. “Now, look,” Rainbow continued. “I'm not gonna even begin to pretend to understand what it's like to feel like shit because of who you love and stuff. My parents kinda ingrained into me the whole ‘be who you are and be proud of it’ thing since before I even came out the womb. And through sports and stuff, I’ve seen more naked girls so far than most straight dudes ever do in their lives, so when I figured out I was gay, it was no big deal to me at all. But that's just me, not everyone else, and it took me a little bit of time to figure that out, but I know that now.” She took another sip. “You told me that your mom and dad and brother were the only ones in your huge-ass family who didn't throw a bitch fit when you started being open about your sexuality. And you also mentioned a lot of the trust fund brats at CP weren't, you know, dicks because of it, but that because you’re the smartest person there they tolerated you, but that was it. Plus they're already all kinda dicks anyway. You've faced a lot of shit in your life for being who you are, and it's made you stronger. But it's still left scars. Right?” Twilight snuck a glance but looked immediately back down again, and took another sip. “I know I can say this without any amount of conceit. I, Rainbow Dash, am one of the hottest girls in Canterlot High. Hell, even the district. My workout routine blows our fuckin gym teacher out of the water. And, you know, fuck clothes, right?” She motioned to her body. “I'm sure that's part of what made you wanna date me the most, as opposed to someone you have more in common with. Like, I dunno, what’s her face who sat next to us back in Hardass’ class?” “...Moon Dancer?” Rainbow snapped her fingers. “Yeah, the redhead! Probably the biggest egghead in school other than you. And yeah, considering that you're only really friends with us because we’re the human version of the pony version of you’s friends... man, that's confusing to say... But look at us. You've got an athlete, a farmer, a supermodel, Rarity, a magic horse turned human with an ass that won't quit, and the best boobs in the whole school. We are a pretty hot group of friends. And then you come along and make us even hotter.” “Whatever,” Twilight denied with the ghost of a smile on her face. “I'm serious, man, why do you think I agreed to go out with you? You're a fuckin’ catch. Any girl would be happy to be with you... I know I was, for a little bit... but that's not the point. You're not just hot, you're smart, and a good person, and nice, and fiercely protective of your friends, and you stand by your beliefs, and you're always willing to help out a friend in need. You’re, like, all the best parts of all of us combined. The only character flaw you really have is, you know, nothing I haven't dealt with with Fluttershy. You’re kinda shy sometimes, and a little socially awkward, but you know what. I'm awkward too. I just own that shit.” Rainbow took another sip of her shake. “And part of your awesomeness is that you're gay as hell. I don't mean that, like, gay people are better than straight people or anything. But it's a huge part of what makes you you, and since you're awesome, it automatically makes that awesome too. If you changed that about yourself, you wouldn't be you anymore. You know? Being a lesbian is something you should be proud of, especially when there are people out there who are stupid and ignorant enough to hate you just because they don't like it.” A small smile graced Twilight’s lips as she fingered the straw and took another small sip. “Now, part of being gay is thinking people are hot. But here's the thing, that's part of being straight too. Flash thinks you're hot, he thinks I’m hot, and if he has working eyes, he probably thinks that every single one of us is hot. Does it bother any of us when he hangs out with us? Don't answer that, it's one of those questions you aren't supposed to answer. Rheto-something. You taught me that word. It doesn't bother us.” “Rhetorical...” “Thanks.” “But-” “Lemme finish, I’m almost done. Now, we didn't let him into the changing room with us because, you know, other than the fact that the girls would feel better if we have our own private bouncer, he is a dude. With, like, a dick. He doesn't have the same parts as all of us, his brain juices all say dude and not girl, and it's just... it's different. It's different than when it’s a girl with the brain juices and the tits and, you know, the girl stuff. With you, with Pinkie, with me. It's fine to be a lesbian and be around girls even if they're in bikinis. Or naked.” Rainbow took one more sip from her shake. “None of the girls are weirded out or anything by me being the way I am. Yeah, sometimes I'll find myself staring or something, but I don't creep anyone out on purpose, unless they know it's a joke. I wouldn't have fucked around with Rare and AJ today like I did if I’d known there was a problem with it. And you don't fuck around with anyone at all. Neither does Pinkie, unless she’s alone with me, and... well...” she blushed. Slightly. “But... that's neither here nor there.” Rainbow threw back the last of the shake before she continued. “And yeah, I think you girls are hot. Like I said before. I fucked Pinkie. I would have fucked you if you wanted to keep going. If I didn't grow up with Fluttershy and it wouldn't make things weird between us, I’d fuck her too. If Sunset was into human chicks, I'd fuck her. If AJ and Rare were gay, I’d fuck the shit out of them too, if they'd let me. And I’m of course hella excited to see what kind of bikinis you'll all be wearing this weekend. But I also love you all as friends and I would never, EVER do anything to mess up our friendships. And I know that you're the same way. You wouldn't ever do anything purposefully to fuck up our friendships. We all know that.” “Maybe not on purpose...” “Twilight. Look at me.” She reluctantly brought her gaze to Rainbow’s. “Would Sunset abandon you just because you thought she was hot?” Twilight sighed. “No...” “Would Rarity?” “...no.” “Name one of our friends who would ever think any less of you just because you thought they were attractive when they were wearing a bikini.” Twilight took a sip. “None of you...” Rainbow leaned back in her chair and rested her hands behind her head. “We won't have a problem with it. If they can tolerate my gay bullshit, they'll all be totally fine with your gay not-bullshit. So what we’re gonna do here is we’re gonna go back to Macy’s, we’re all gonna try on swimsuits and tell each other we look sexy as hell, and we’re gonna have a good time. And then we’ll get food, and then we’ll have a sleepover at my place, and then we’re gonna have an awesome time at your sister’s beach house for an entire weekend. And you're not gonna feel bad about any of it. All right?” Twilight sighed again before taking one last sip of her shake. “All right... I'm sorry about this whole... everything.” “Hey. We gays gotta look after each other.” Rainbow reached across the table and took Twilight’s hand in her own. “Don't be sorry. Take this as a learning experience, grow from it, and move on.” Twilight nodded and smiled before drinking the last of her milkshake. “You know, these really do taste great...” Rainbow started snickering and thunked her forehead on the table. “They are better for your tongue than they are for your hair.” Piped in a new and all too familiar voice. Rainbow’s laughter cut off abruptly and she jumped out of her chair, stepping protectively in front of Twilight. “I suggest you take your posse of inbred preppy douchebags as far away from this place as you can in as little time as possible, Jet Set, before you find yourself owning less teeth than you woke up with.” Jet and company stood in front of Rainbow with trays of salads in their hands. “Easy, Rainbow Dash,” he teased. “I'm not in the mood to get my ass handed to me today. And don't worry, I’m not going to get on my soapbox either.” She crossed her arms. “Then why did you walk up to us?” He smirked at her and cocked his head to the side. “Oh, I just wanted to satiate my curiosity a bit. Word was that you two were no longer an item. And yet, here you are on a date?” “We’re friends having food together. Unless you and your friends here are about to have an orgy.” He snorted. “Crude. But, whatever. Just wanted to keep up-to-date on the rumor mill.” He leered at her stomach. “I see you're keeping in shape. It's good, I don't want you to go easy on me next month for tennis.” “I'll crush you like a grape.” Jet grinned. “Now that's the attitude I wanna see on the court. Let's go, boys... oh, and Twilight?” He sniffed as his eyes softened slightly. “Good luck on your entrance exams. Not that you'll need it.” Rainbow grit her teeth after him as he left, but she grounded herself and stowed away her anger for future use. She turned to Twilight, who had a perplexed look on her face. “What's up?” “Did Jet seem like... slightly less of an asshole, to you?” Rainbow shrugged. “I dunno, I don't like to spare much thought to him when I can. Are you okay?” Twilight pursed her lips in thought. The logic was sound. Everything that Rainbow said made sense from a factual standpoint. Analytically, everything fell into place. Granted, it wasn't operating on the full set of data, but she meant well. And in the grand scheme of things she was at least 90% right about everything. The last 10% stayed niggling at the back of her mind, but she figured it was more worth it to ignore it for the time being for the sake of appeasing her friends. This whole trip was for their enjoyment, after all, and they did care about her well-being. If she was miserable and bad at hiding it, or worse, didn't even go, they probably wouldn't enjoy themselves as much, and that just wouldn't do. “Yes,” she answered with just a splash of lie. “I'm... I’m okay.” “Good,” Rainbow said with a nod and a smile. She stepped forward and pulled Twilight into a hug. She accepted it, setting her arms around Rainbow’s waist. The skin contact sent a small wave of warmth up Twilight’s arms. She smiled in spite of herself: hugging Rainbow was always nice. She was tough and muscular, but soft in all the right places, and when she didn't smell like sweat, she actually smelled really nice. “Now come on,” she said, taking Twilight’s hand. “I'm sure the girls and Flash are worried about you. Let's go see you burn down the house in that pink mesh.” Twilight felt her cheeks color as a gentle warmth enveloped her hand and crawled up from her chest. She nodded and let herself be swept away by her former lover. She no longer felt the butterflies that welled up whenever she thought of Sunset or any other person she had a crush on. Instead, it felt as it threads of pure golden sunlight entwined themselves around her arms and legs, connecting them to Rainbow. She didn't feel anxiety, or any complicated emotions, or infatuation. This was love, pure and simple. Not love for a paramour, but for a friend. For someone who had your back through thick and thin, no matter what pain they may have undergone by your hands. For someone who could understand you in a way others couldn't. She felt safety. She felt home.