Shimmer hummed to herself as she brought a tray of snacks to the dressing room. She was technically on break, but she'd wanted to spend her break talking with the performers anyways, so she'd volunteered to take their food to them.
It had taken some time for her to finally accept the fact that these girls wanted to work here, in their chosen profession, but she'd come to find them wonderful company once they warmed up to each other. They weren't all perfect by any means. Misty Dawn was a bit of a bitch, and Belladonna could be a bit of a diva in a bad way, but Autumn Haze was an absolute dear and Rarity, for all her dramatics, was a generous soul and delightfully witty.
She still didn't entirely feel like she belonged, and every time the conversation drifted towards sex work she tried to find an excuse to be somewhere else, but for the first time ever she felt safe and valued, and she couldn't wait to see their reactions to her latest recipe.
Shimmer turned the corner and stopped at the edge of the door as a familiar voice reached her ears from inside.
"Hey babe, how about a good luck kiss before the show?"
She stopped at the edge of the doorway. Nobody had seen her yet, but she could see Rainbow Dash sidling up to Candy Apple with her usual casual grin.
She'd spent more time with the energetic bodyguard, who'd quickly become one of her biggest fans thanks to her cooking, and after their rocky start, they'd become fast friends. Her endless enthusiasm was contagious, and she could make her laugh, to say nothing of the warmth she felt when she praised her skills, but she still shied away from her whenever she started making advances towards the other girls.
Rainbow had noticed this and made a point to stop her antics whenever Shimmer entered the room, a gesture that Shimmer appreciated greatly, even if she felt a little guilty at being a buzzkill.
Today, she decided to let Rainbow have a bit of fun before she came in.
Candy Apple smiled up at Rainbow and shook her head. "Considerin' your luck with the ladies, I think I'll take my chances without. Mighty kind of you to offer, though."
"You know me, always ready to help a pretty girl out," Rainbow replied, undeterred. Shimmer Glass ignored the feeling of her heart skipping a beat as old tensions still stirred under the surface of her mind.
"Sure you are, sugar." Candy pressed her hand against her mouth and blew Rainbow Dash a kiss with her ruby-red lips. "Here, you could use some luck yourself. One day you'll find a nice gal who appreciates you."
"She's gonna be one lucky girl," Rainbow Dash agreed, and Candy Apple giggled.
"Go on, now, I gotta get all gussied up for tonight's performance."
And with that, Rainbow Dash left her alone. Shimmer felt a pang of shame for assuming that the guard would have done otherwise, but old habits died hard.
Those same old habits caused her to tense when she saw the direction Rainbow was headed: the corner that Heart Throb was currently huddled in.
Heart Throb was the Carousel's newest hire. She had some dance education, but not much experience on the stage, and certainly no experience on a stage like this one. The few times that Shimmer had gotten a chance to talk with her, she'd put on a brave face, but her nervousness was still obvious to anyone who took a closer look.
Shimmer had done her best to reassure her, but she really didn't know what to say. She certainly never wanted to be up on stage wearing what Heart Throb was wearing right now, but she understood that they had different experiences.
Still, that didn't mean she wasn't worried about how the new dancer would respond to Rainbow's behaviour. Shimmer prayed that nobody would get hurt.
"Hey there, beautiful." Rainbow's voice was unexpectedly soft, though it still held her usual swagger. "You ready for your first show?"
"I— I guess." Heart Throb shifted uncomfortably in her scandalously-cut dress.
"Well, I'm not guessing," Rainbow replied. "I know you'll get everyone out there all hot and bothered no problem."
She took a step forward, and Shimmer almost stepped in to stop her, but the faint smile on Hearth Throb's expression gave her pause.
"C'mon, let's see the goods." Rainbow did a little twirling motion with her fingers as she spoke.
Hearth Throb looked surprised, but she did as instructed, and Rainbow whistled appreciatively as she took in the show.
"Yup, no way a beautiful girl like you won't knock 'em all dead," she said with total confidence. "Maybe afterwards I'll see you for a little private show, huh?"
With that, she sauntered off, and Shimmer saw Hearth Throb stand a little taller as she grinned and stepped out of the corner with a little sway in her hips.
The sight shook Shimmer out of her voyeurism as she remembered why she'd come here in the first place.
"Hey everyone." Shimmer grinned as she brought in the pastry-filled tray into the rehearsal area. "I brought something special for you before the big show."
Every pair of eyes in the room turned towards her with almost predatory glee, but Rainbow Dash was, of course, the first one to reach her, flying over with blinding speed to grab a cookie from her tray.
"Wow, these are awesome!" she declared. "I need to sneak into the kitchens more often if you're gonna be working in there."
And then, it was open season as the girls descended on her like a pack of starving dogs, grabbing the cookies and showering her and the rest of the kitchen with compliments. Shimmer took them in stride, playfully suggesting that they help out with the dishes to get more treats.
All the while, she kept her eyes on Rainbow Dash and Heart Throb. The new dancer still kept her distance, and her nervousness was still visible, but she also held herself with a confidence in her body that was heartening to see. As for the source of that newfound confidence...
"I call dibs on the last one!" Rainbow Dash was as boisterous as ever as she plucked the last cookie from the tray before anyone could react. And yet, despite all her joking and teasing, she never once made any advances towards any of the girls, and she didn't even make the lewd jokes that Shimmer knew she enjoyed when she thought Shimmer was out of earshot.
It was a little sign that she cared, and Shimmer made a note to sneak something from the kitchen over to her the next chance she had.
She had friends now for the first time she could remember, and she would take care of them however she could.