//------------------------------// // 2. What is it now, Lieutenant? // Story: Oh, Ma'am, just one more thing... // by the frank //------------------------------// A short walk, a three stop ride with the Q-train and another short walk later, they found themselves in Sunset and Starlight’s apartment. The trip had been painfully silent, save the occasional  “left next” and “watch the third step.”  Even as they entered the apartment Sunset could still tell things were awkward as Rarity had surprisingly not commented on the interior. Ignoring her growing worry, Sunset had walked straight to the bar and took two glasses. And now, she had to say something. “On the rocks?” “With a small breath of soda water, but indeed lots of ice, please.” Quickly pouring the glass, she handed it to her. “There. Sorry I didn’t have the 30.” “Oh, do not fret over that little detail! Two glasses of 15 makes up well enough. So, let’s begin. Why are you afraid to see me alone?” Sunset looked at Rarity. She swallowed her own drink in one go. Then she refilled her glass and swept that one too. Rarity looked with concern at Sunset, and said, “Sunset, are you mad at me?” “Yes. -NO!- I… I don’t know…” Rarity took a sip of her own drink, then she leaned forward and put her hand on Sunset’s with a determined face. “We are friends. We have fought foul magic together. We have seen each other sweaty and covered in mud. And even if it's been a few years, I still love you as a friend. Please, talk to me.” “I… I…” she sighed and made a gesture towards the bottle, but Rarity stopped her. “After the explanation, Sunset.” Sunset swallowed. “No. No, I need to… I can’t…” Rarity sighed as Sunset refilled her glass for the third time but didn’t drink. After what felt like an eternity of embarrassing silence, Sunset spoke up. “It’s all… It’s so silly. Now. I have been… So afraid. Of this. Of talking to you. Just you. And… Here I am. And I really don’t know why I was ever afraid to begin with.” “I think it’s pretty obvious it must have something to do with our break-up, dear. It was pretty clear that you didn't want to talk about our relationship back at the café and since that was the moment in our discussion that you broke…” “Heh, got it on go. Never could hide things from you.” “Thank you,d- Ehrm. Would you please care to explain now?” Sunset shook her head. She wasn’t ready to go there yet. She slowly sipped her drink, prompting Rarity to do the same, before looking back at Sunset as she emptied her glass. Rarity was still on her first. She looked at her glass, then at Sunset’s glass, and then at Sunset. “Okay. While you get slushed, perhaps I shall begin. What happened at the café is history. Done. Nothing. So let’s dive into ‘der pudels kern’, shall we? I have no idea from where you got the impression that you broke up with me, when it was clear that it was I that did it!  I still remember that dreadful moment! It was the night before I left.”  Sunset thankfully took a pause from her gulping down booze like water to listen.  “We were sitting under the stars out at the acres. It was on that, Goodbye-Rares-Please-Don’t-Get-Kidnapped-in-Neighrope-Party Pinkie threw. And I… I did really like you darling. But we'd grown apart and even if I hated myself for thinking so, it was better to break up instead of keeping up something that would end in tears later. “ Rarity took a moment to sip her drink, helping to steady herself as she continued to remember that day.  “I had so many doubts. Was I doing this out of egoism or was I really doing what was best for both of us? Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps we were meant to be? But then, why couldn’t I see a future when I looked at you? Why did... but… “  She looked at Sunset, whose face was completely blank. "You don’t… you don’t recall this at all?” Sunset shook her head.  “Huh. Here I sit making excuses for you and... And you say YOU broke up with me?” Sunset nodded. “Really?” Sunset nodded again. “Alright… so, how did you break up with me?” Sunset swallowed and, thankfully, put away her glass. She didn’t need it at  the moment. In spite of how things started, the whole situation started to feel less embarrassing and more and more… friendly. Rarity was her friend. A good friend that she could talk to about everything. She took another glance at her friend and suddenly she wished that hadn’t put her glass away. She could have used that comfort of holding on to something solid. That bitter, cold feeling in her gut and spine wasn’t completely gone. And she was still unsure of what to say. But she was no longer afraid to say it!  “I… I loved you, Rarity. For real. But you were going away. And I was afraid. I trusted you, I did! But…” She sighed. “Maybe I was too much in love with the idea of love itself then I was with you. You… were my first real love. Flash was a great guy but… “ Rarity blushed and looked at the floor. She seemed uncertain how to handle Sunset’s little confession, but in the end she choose the ‘good friend’-path. She put her hand on Sunsets and said, with a slightly unsteady voice, ”Yes. But that is water under the bridge now Sunset! Please, do go on.” “Ok. So, um, yeah. I... wasn’t sure of myself. I think that was it. I told myself that it was because I doubted you but… in reality it was me all along.” She paused. “Heh, I even rehearsed a script. It started like that. Kind off. ‘It’s not you, it’s me’.” Rarity immediately let out a short hearty laughter. “Sunset! Giving me the break-up equivalent of ‘It was a dark and stormy night?’ REALLY?” Sunset looked at Rarity. Laughing? Really? She wanted to give her a biting reply, but it didn’t come. And she had to admit that ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ WAS lame. She rolled her eyes and smirked at Rarity.  “Ha ha. Laugh all you want, but I thought it was a good start! I can’t really recall the rest but it was something like, ‘Not wanna hold you back’, ‘freedom’ ‘if you love them, set them free...' Etc.” Now Rarity was laughing with her whole face. “Oh, but Sunset, DARLING! That was the worst staple of cliches EVER! If you had said that, I would have broken up with you just because of lack of originality!” Sunset was giggling as well. “As if yours was any better! Stars, a moonlit sky? Who’s the queen of stereotypes here?” “Pot calling the kettle black? Well, then pot! Refill my glass and tell me how I SHOULD have done it!” Sunset made new drinks for them both and sat down. She was silent for a while. “Well... I would have sent you a text, asking to meet at a place where we would be alone, but not entirely. As an emergency exit, in case things went south? That...ice cream place near the cinema? And then I would do it simple, yet elegant.”  Immediately, Sunset did her best impression of Rarity’s posh manner of speech, which only served to make Rarity chuckle more.  "Dearest Sunset. I like you very much but I can’t help feeling that things have changed, and will keep changing as the years pass. And… I can’t see us in that. I’m setting you free, darling. You will always have a place in my heart, but it will not be us two anymore.’” She paused and continued in her normal voice. “And then I would cry, you would give me a hug, pay for my ice cream and leave. And I would call Twi and cry my heart out.” Rarity, no longer chuckling, walked over to Sunset and gave her a hug.  “SUNSET PLEASE! I would NEVER leave you alone like that!" small pause. "Although I admit most of it seemed a tiny bit plausible. A-and it’s good you never got to give me your speech," She added with gusto." That WOULD have ended in tears.” Sunset smiled. “So, how should I have done it then?” “We-ell… You would have asked me over to your apartment, asked me to sit down, done a bit of small talk… then you would go…’I’m so sorry, Rares.’ And I would say, ‘Why are you sorry?’ and you would be ‘Because I have something to say… and you won’t like it.’ ‘Oh.’ I would reply. ‘So what is it?’ ‘I don’t wanna say’ you would say, ‘but I need to’ and then we’d go back and forth a bit and then you would blurt out, like you always do when you get to emotional ‘I’m breaking up with you!’ and then you would run out of the room crying and I would run after and find you on your bed and I would comfort you and dry your tears and kiss you and…” “Rares...keep it PG-13, ok?” Rarity placed a hand on her chest and stared at Sunset. “WHY I’d NEVER!... I would just comfort you! Far be it for me to take advantage of you in such a vulnerable state! But I wouldn’t have left until you were asleep and then I would leave… and spend the rest of the night crying and eating ice cream. Maybe call Fluttershy in the morning.” Sunset put her arm around her friend. “Rares, um, eh, I’m not sure about that running out crying but, yeah… that’s pretty much me.” The two friends sat in silence for a while. But now it was a good silence, the one you didn’t mind. Then Sunset said, “Rares? You said you broke up with me the night before you left? At the party?” “Yes?” “There… There never was a party that night." Silence. "Huh?" "I remember now. I haven't… really thought about this before. But… yeah, that was the day. It must have … yes! Yes! Pinkie got sick the day of that third party and…" Sunset paused. "And we simply decided to skip it.” Rarity blinked. “What? No no no, that can’t be! I have pictures!” “Yes, but Pinkie threw two other parties that week! She did the “Rarity’s-Going-to-Neighrope-Good-Luck-and-Come-Back-Soon” party first, then the “Rarity’s-Going-to-Neighrope-I’m-So-Sad-But-Happy-Too-Please-Send-Me-Swiss-Chocolate” party. There was supposed to be a third one, but then she got sick! And no one was really up for more cake so we just stayed at home and rested. Then we all sent you off at the airport. And I know it didn’t happen there, because Pinkie filmed the whole thing!” Rarity stared blankly at Sunset. Then she said slowly, “Dammit… you’re right! It never… But...But…Then…” “Then you didn't break up with me. But since you had it all planned out and with there being two other parties… the memories probably got mixed up.” Rarity was silent again, deep in thought. She took a final sip of her drink, placed it on the table and looked up at Sunset. "Sunset! Are you... sure... " Rarity stared at Sunset, then at the wall. "I think I can call mom and ask her to dig up my old diary for confirmation, or text Twilight if you want confirmation of the dates." "You know what, darling... I think I would prefer if you did that." Celestia didn't answer, not even on text, but Twilight did. She didn't ask any questions, she simply confirmed that Sunset had been right. Then they sat in silence again, Sunset with her phone in hand, Rarity with a drink in hers. Finally Rarity spoke. “Yes...yes that must be it. It's hard when the memories are… And I could see it in my mind, it was so real. But it can't be real." A pause, and Rarity took a sip, then looked at Sunset. "I am sorry I asked you to... well, get evidence but..." "Rares. Don't worry. I was going to look through my diaries for conformation when I got home-home next time anyway. I am revisiting this as well." "Yes. But still, I am sorry for doubting you." A brief pause. "But! Here's what’s so boggling about all this! I can’t remember you breaking up with me either! When was that?” "Ehm...What does Pinkie do nowadays?" "Don't try to dodge the question!" Pause. "No idea, now that you ask. She's still on myStable, but her address is set as 'unknown.' But still! I want an answer, darling!" Another pause. "Oh, whatever. What he doesn't know won't kill him. So, DARLING. When did you break up with me?" Sunset sighed. She had almost forgotten that part of their evening. Eh, better get it out as well, she thought to herself. She swallowed and started to speak. Silent and slow at first, gaining volume and speed as she went on: “It was graduation day. I had it all practiced! We were gonna have the ceremony and then we were going out for coffee, tea and chocolate, and I was going to tell you afterwards. I had spent all night thinking about that and I had decided that I didn't want this to affect us hanging out with the girls, plus I didn't want you to ruin your makeup because you had shown us all the outfits you had planned for graduation and I remember that I felt so sad because of what happened then, especially the blue one that caught fire and … and…” She was silent and her face got a deep crimson red. “Oh shit." "Sunset, We don't have to talk about graduation and I have gotten over those dresses!" Another short pause. "Mostly." "Yes yes, but it's not that! Because in all the commotion that followed after Trixie... I never -we never had chocolate! We didn't have anything. We…" She paused. "I don't need to look at my diary or ask Twi to remember what happened that day. And I..." Sunset looked up at Rarity. “I didn’t break up with you either. None of us did.” Once again a deep silence. “Sunset…” “Yes Rarity?” “Do you have enough booze to cover this?” "Let me check." *** Much much later, the two friends were sitting in the kitchen. First they had cried, then laughed, then they laughed and cried at the same time. Then they had declared themselves to be the masters of friendship and un-break-ups and then they had another drink.  After that, the evening had been more sketchy but Sunset was pretty sure she hadn't had that much fun in years. She had fetched her guitar and sang through a few of the love songs she had written for Rarity. They were all very sincere and sooo cheesy making them both laughing their hair off. Then Rarity shared a few of her love poems from back then.  You really saved those? Ah, you never know when a good rhyme will come in handy darling!  Some she had shown Sunset back then, but most of them she had never dared to show. Rarity had dared to cross over into the x-rated area and… yes. There had been laughs, even more blushing, and  Sunset saying “That’s not what cervix means.” To which Rarity replied, trying intensely not to spit out her drink. “Oh-h-h-h darling! Don’t I know it! First time with Jack… when I asked him to… to...And he just looked at me and was ‘Did y’all sleep through anatomy class or do yer really want me to get mah knife?’ More laughter, more cider. Then silence again. “I can’t believe I have been such a fool through all these years.” “Well, kettle… I’m right here with ya.” “Jack is rubbing off on you.” “Oh, please don’t tell him! It would go right to his head!” Sunset looked at her friend, and smiled. All the fear was gone. She was still a bit embarrassed, and just wait until Rainbow heard about this… but still. She felt lighter and much happier than she had in years. And then her mouth spoke without her thinking. “Does this mean that we're technically still together?” “You mean like in that awful movie? About the girl who wanted to get married and wasn’t divorced?” “No! Or, um, sorta?” “...In a way I guess, but not really, right?” “Perhaps we should do it?” “Darling. Bisexual or not, I AM married.” Sunset gave Rarity a punch on her shoulder. “Not THAT ‘It’! Break up I mean! As we, as we planned to do. Also, married woman here too, remember?” Rarity looked surprised, then she gave it some thought and finally she said, “You know what darling! Yes! I think we should!” Sunset cleared her throat. “Alright. Rarity Belle-Apple. I’m breaking up with you! AND I’m making it official on MyStable!” She took her phone up and began to write, but then Rarity smiled and put her arm on her hand.  “Oh no. No no. We are not to be breaking up like adults. That just wont do after this Da-SUNSET. Ehrm. I want you to break up with me just exactly like you would have done it back then. I want my teenage gee-eff Sunset Shimmer to do it. Because she was the one that wanted to, and she should have the honors. And after that… Teenage Rarity would do the same to her gee-eff. To put the past behind us 'for realsies' as Sonata says.” Sunset shook her head, chuckling again at her friend’s antics, but excused herself and went out into her study. It didn’t take long to get the note. She had actually told Rarity a small lie. She still remembered most of her script and she had saved the note, though she’d never understood why. Perhaps it was for this reason. That she might actually need it.  As she passed the hall, she searched her closet and soon emerged with another accessory that was totally necessary. Her leather jacket. To her chagrin, it didn’t fit as well as it used to … Eh, it wasn’t as she was going to close it anyway. As she entered, Rarity clapped her hands and shouted "Bravo!" Sunset bowed, produced the note and began. “So...um...Rares… I…” “Don’t be shy, dear!” Sunset threw a pillow at Rarity. “Stop! You’re ruining the mood! So...Ehrm… Rarity. It’s not you. It’s me. We are going in different directions in life. I can’t go where you go, I want to, but I can’t. And I don’t want to be the burden that keeps you from spreading your wings and flying away. You need your freedom, you deserve that freedom. They say, if you love them, let them go. And that’s what I’m doing. Letting you go. Now. Right. now. Yeah.” Rarity looked at Sunset. And then, tears started to flow. Soon Sunset joined her, and they sat down next to each other to hug it out. “So...that… that was actually quite painful, darling.” “I-I know…” “But at the same time… it felt good.” “Yeah. Yeah it did.” “Do I need to break up with you?” “Only if you want to.” “I would need that starry sky. And you can’t see the stars in Manehattan.” “We could take a cab?” “I can’t walk longer than the bathroom.” “Just do it here then.” “Okay...Sunset Shimmer...I...Oh crap. I can’t remember.” “Just do it anyway.” “So...It’s not you, it’s me…STOP LAUGHING!” *** The morning after. Sunset woke up in her own bed with a dreadful headache and a dry mouth. But the toilet called so she had no choice but to leave the bed. As she passed the living room, she found Rarity still sleeping on the sofa, a small string of drool from her mouth. Sunset smiled. She even made an awkward sleeping position after a drunk night in apartment living room look good.  Turning back to her intended task, Sunset went to the bathroom, and after realizing she was way too awake to go back to bed, she went and made some coffee while also clearing up the worst mess they’d made last night. It took an hour for Rarity to wake up and crawl out to the kitchen. She mumbled, “Coffee”, got it, and drank. After that, she was more her usual self.  “Ouch… what a night. And I’m going back home todaaay…” “Call Jack. I don’t think he’d mind.” “Oh, he wouldn’t, the dear… but I have business to attend! I… Oh whatever. They can wait. I want to spend the day with my FRIEND. Mrs. Shimmer-Glimmer.” “It’s just Shimmer. Shimmer-Glimmer sounds like a cartoon character.” "Indeed it does. Good choice. Can we go to the park? After last night, I need some fresh air.” “We still need to clean this mess.” “Darling, why do nasty handiwork when there are people you can pay for it? I have my favorite cleaners on speed dial, just a second.” Rarity quickly whipped out her phone and speed dialed before listening in. “Maurice! My soap mop superhero! How is business? Oh, that’s lovely! So listen, my friend and I had a bit of a party last night and could you possibly squeeze us in? Upper Hills, 16th and Plain. Third floor. Sunset Shimmer. Yes, her! Exactly! Yes, elevator. ...Yes, they have insurance. By lunch? Oh, Maurice, you are a sweetie! The normal bonus for all...Is it Joan? My my! Then triple bonus it is! Ciao! There! Now, to the park!” “Wait a minute, did he know me? And why are you on first-name basis with the owner of a cleaning firm in Manehattan?” "Ah! First, no, but his boy goes to Starlight's kindergarten. Apparently she talks about you a lot. Second, true ladies NEVER kiss and tell! Now come! We’re wasting sunlight here!” And with a wink, they were out of the apartment. In the cab on the way to the park, Sunset was very much in sync with the world. Things were good. And then her phone started to buzz, A message from Starlight. What is this *changed relationship status*? BROKE UP WITH RARITY BELLE-APPLE? IS THERE SOMETHING I NEED TO KNOW? Sunset laughed and pressed ‘call.’ As she waited for her wife to pick up, she chuckled to herself. “Oh Babe...you don’t know the start of it.”