Chapter 12: Association
Sunset didn’t know what to think or how to react.
That was a first for her. When she got her Cutie Mark, she had immediately gone to her mother with her guest list and an itinerary. When she was accepted into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns as the highest graded examinee, she had given a lengthy speech without breaking a sweat. Heck, Princess Celestia herself approached her to offer private tutelage, and Sunset had naturally accepted… After jumping around giddily for a whole minute.
But now, when Princess Celestia announced she would be adopting Mi Amore Cadenza as her niece, and then revealed that as per Equestrian Law, she was to be crowned princess… Well, Sunset simply stood there amongst the cheering crowd.
Sure, she had been briefed about Cadenza’s trials and subsequent ascension to alicornhood, and Sunset had actually been excited at the prospect of that being an actual possibility. She had spent many nights coming up with theories on how to replicate it for herself. She had even managed to convince Cadenza to subject herself to many tests that ranged from basic spit DNA to more intrusive and private ones. And through it all, Cadenza had been amicable, kind, and quite interested in the actual research.
Sunset had begun liking the mare and her affable attitude.
Why, then, was Sunset in no mood for celebration? Why, then, when Celestia waved at her to approach her, did Sunset act like she hadn’t seen her?
Sunset was Princess Celestia’s personal student, her protegé, and she had thought that was enough. Who would have thought that anypony could get farther up the royal line? Not even Blueblood was regarded as anything more special than a descendant of Celestia’s only lover some eight hundred years ago. But Cadenza proved it could be done. She had become an alicorn, and that apparently meant being legally adopted by Princess Celestia and being granted princesshood.
Suddenly, Sunset’s options broadened. She quietly made her way out of the throne room and to her personal chambers. Her research on ascension had become all the more important now. Maybe… Maybe she could ascend too? Come to think of it, Sunset was the first to be personally scouted by Princess Celestia in two centuries. What if… What if she could do more than simply become the most powerful archmage in history?
What if she could ascend and become a princess? What if she could rule Equestria by Princess Celestia’s side?
Sunset closed her chambers’ doors behind her and returned to her research.
Maybe this was her destiny all along.
~~~~~~~~
Sunset stepped into the shower.
She had tried to ask Trixie about her situation, but Trixie had refused to reply. That girl could be so infuriating sometimes.
The rest of the day had passed by swiftly. Sunset figured Diamond Rush wouldn’t have had the time to spread the news that Sunset Shimmer had defended Trixie and thus was to be alienated too. Sunset couldn’t decide whether she’d rather everyone knew already or not. But the prospect of finally being left alone was an appealing one. Sure, she wouldn’t be able to study humans from inside their social circles, but it was just a minor setback. She could simply observe them from afar.
She tried not to think of the other good thing of Rainbow Dash also not wanting to get near her for her association with Trixie. Sunset wasn’t completely sure it would stop the brute girl, but she hoped it would at least give her enough time to make her case. If Rainbow still decided to beat her up… Well, she had to believe with all her heart she could somehow outrun an athlete.
With a heavy sigh, Sunset placed her head on the cold wall. She was being stupid now. There was no way she’d be able to escape if Rainbow did want to beat her up. Sure, she could try to make sure to always be within ten hooves of a teacher or authority figure while on school grounds, but she would not be able to pull that off forever. Besides, Rainbow could simply wait for her in the street, two or three blocks away from school. Then Sunset would have nowhere to run and no one to protect her.
Maybe she had been too hasty. Faust Almighty, she was beginning to hate making choices in the heat of the moment.
But what’s done is done, and Sunset was going to face the consequences of her decisions. She had decided to side with Trixie, who apparently was so unpopular she could be considered anti popular. That was odd, she concluded. How was that possible? Sunset had always thought bullying was a straightforward endeavor. One or many jerks ganging up on one or many victims.
However, Trixie was brushed aside. Ignored and isolated. Sunset honestly couldn’t think of a single reason why that was bad. Back in Equestria, she was always followed by ponies that wanted something from her. Sunset wanted to be admired and revered for her achievements, so she hated when others saw her as just a solution to their ineptitude.
She sighed as steam hugged her body. She was just trying to find excuses to make herself feel better now. There really was no way to know the real consequences of her choice until they actually happened. So, with nothing better to do than waiting, Sunset stepped into the shower.
As soon as she stepped under the hot water, there was a knock on the bathroom door.
“What?” Sunset called, hearing her own voice echoing loudly in her ears. She heard a murmur, but the sound of the shower obscured it. “Can’t hear you!” Sunset said.
“Nothing!” Came Trixie’s response. “I’ll wait for you to finish!”
Sunset blinked several times, then shrugged. She was getting used to Trixie’s weirdness. She couldn’t decide whether that was a good or a bad thing.
~~~~~~~~
The next day came too soon, Sunset decided as she stared at Garden Grove’s main entrance. The few students already there were giving her odd looks, ones she could not recognize. She could feel their animosity, though, as if she had just gotten on stage in a stand-up show with a yovidaphone.
Sunflower wasn’t at their usual meeting spot. That made Sunset wonder. Had the girl not received the memo or was she still acting in accord with Diamond’s ‘suggestion’? Sunset made a mental note to ask the girl as soon as she saw her.
Sunset entered the school. She made a point to observe the students’ reactions to her as she crossed the hallways. It was an interesting change they had gone through overnight. Before, they had looked at her with suspicion and even fear, but now they looked at her like she was a stain on their gala dress. Sunset couldn’t decide which she hated more.
After taking her things from her locker, Sunset made her way to the classroom and settled down. She had chosen, in the classes that she could, to sit at the back just so she could observe human children during class. This decision proved to be useful as she saw students arrive in short amounts. They all looked at her funny, none greeted her.
Even Sunflower, arriving just a minute before the teacher, had barely spared a glance at her. Sunset didn’t like the heat that rose in her chest. What an odd reaction.
Classes went by pretty swiftly, which Sunset felt relieved for. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t been worried everyone would decide to bully her now. Even she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop that many people going against her.
As the lunch bell rang, she decided to approach Sunflower. But when she called her, Sunflower had already disappeared among the river of students. Sunset hurried behind her, but she lost sight of Sunflower. Even in the cafeteria, the girl was nowhere to be seen. Sunset was about to search for her there, but she felt the mocking eyes of Diamond and company on her. A look around told Sunset that there wasn’t a single open space to sit on.
Huh.
Sunset grabbed a sandwich, ditching the food tray, and decided to walk around the school.
It was pretty obvious now that Sunflower, like the rest of the students, had decided to listen to the rich brat and completely ditch Sunset. Honestly, Sunset couldn’t blame her. Sure, Sunflower had told her she had her back, and she had tried to pull Rainbow off of her, but in the end, she was just a normal kid, and normal kids always wanted to remain within the social structure.
Sunset couldn’t blame her, but that didn’t mean it didn’t make her feel bad. Sunset had begun to like their study sessions before and after class. Sunflower had been the very first one to ask Sunset for honest, ulterior motives-free tutoring.
Fortunately, losing her potential first real friend was inconsequential to Sunset. She was in the human world to study them, not to befriend them. She would be returning to Equestria in just a couple of years and would never see them again, after all.
So why did she feel this apprehension?
Her thoughts were interrupted as she realized she had gotten out of the main building, where the soccer field was. Sunset shrugged and decided to check on Trixie. Everyone already knew she had defended her, so her initial request of having their association hidden for the sake of scientific research was meaningless now. Might as well hang out with her.
But Trixie wasn’t in the small unkempt area. Sunset bit on her sandwich as she stared at the lone tree. She bit on her sandwich as she weighed her options. She could try to look for Trixie within the enormous building and get tired of walking, or she could simply go to her locker, grab her things, and head early for her next class.
She ate the last piece of her sandwich as she decided to do the latter. The next class was English and she’d be able to meet up with Trixie there anyway.
As she settled on her seat, she decided to make one last attempt to reach Sunflower. She wanted to make sure of the exact reason why Sunflower was avoiding her. So, Sunset grabbed her notebook and tore a small piece, then wrote down a simple note: Have you still got my back? Once done, she folded the piece of paper and slipped it on Sunflower’s seat.
Sunset acted like she had not seen Sunflower enter, but kept vigilant to her seat through the corner of her eye. Sunflower sat down, placed her book and notebook on the desk, took the paper, and opened it. From her angle, Sunset could not see the girl’s expression, and she almost looked at her, but she got distracted by the teacher entering the room. She resisted the urge to click her tongue in annoyance.
Trixie sat down at her right and gave her an odd look, but said nothing.
After checking homework and a short lecture, Miss Green Spell placed both hands on her desk and gave the class a wide smile.
“Alright, class!” The teacher said. “Halloween’s coming in a month, so you’re going to work in pairs-” almost everyone groaned at that, “-and work on a presentation- “another collective groan, “-about any Halloween-related topic. It can be the history of the celebration or a scary tale, you choose. But it has to meet certain requirements.” She turned to write on the blackboard. “Five minutes tops for each team, or we’ll never finish. You have to use any of the subjects we’ve covered so far, but you have to do it right. I don’t want you just reading notes. If you don’t know what you’re talking about, I’ll give you an F on the project.”
Sunset listened attentively. This was a great opportunity to learn about human holidays and traditions. Whatever this Halloween was, she wouldn’t have to ask stupidly, and simply look it up with the pretense of wanting to learn its history.
“So,” Miss Green Spell continued as she began pointing at students. “You and you. You two. You -yes, you, Mister Wave.”
Not many were pleased with the teacher’s arbitrary selection of work pairs, but she happily ignored the complaints, so it was a lost cause to keep asking to be paired with their friends. Sunset ended up with Granite Rough, a tall, lanky, gray-skinned boy of short, dark gray hair. She hadn’t interacted much with him, despite sitting behind him.
It didn’t look like she’d get much out of him now, either.
“What a pain,” he muttered as he turned his chair to face Sunset. “So, what are we-”
“I was thinking we should cover the history of Halloween,” Sunset said as she scribbled it in her notebook. “How it came to be, and how culture has shaped it through the years.” And, as an added note, she wanted to see if and how many similarities there were with any Equestrian holiday.
Granite huffed. “Yeah, whatever.” He waved his hand and looked away. “Just give me the notes for presentation day.”
Sunset deadpanned. Of course, as soon as they recognized her superiority, they’d try to make her do all the work. Fortunately, or unfortunately so, she had plenty of experience dealing with this.
“I’m not doing all the work,” Sunset said simply. “If you refuse to do your part, I’ll tell Miss Green Spell.”
Granite frowned and looked back at her. He turned this way and the other before he leaned in and covered her mouth as if that’d stop anyone else from hearing him reply. “Look, I don’t want trouble, alright? If they see me with you…” He then tensed up and leaned back, placing both arms behind his head. “Yeah, so,” he said a bit too loudly, “just do it and give me the notes.”
Sunset frowned as it clicked. This wasn’t a sloth wanting to do the least amount of work, but about him trying to alienate her. For some reason, Sunset was really offended that her superior intelligence was being ignored in light of Diamond Rush’s meddling. Well, if that’s how it was going to be, then she decided to join the game.
She began raising her hand.
“Come on, Miss Spell!” Said a girl in the front row. “Can I work with Roselle? Please?”
Miss Green Spell gave her a toothy grin. “Well, you know the rules!” She replied in a sing-song voice, which made many students laugh. Sunset cocked her head at that.
The girl that had spoken looked around. “Come on, guys! Roselle and I are besties!” Many girls raised their hands. “I’ll bake you cookies next week!” Some boys raised their hands. The girl kept pleading, but there were still about ten students who wouldn’t raise their hands, Sunset included.
Still, the girl turned towards the teacher, probably trying to pull off her best puppy eyes expression. Miss Green Spell, however, seemed immune to it. “Everyone has to agree,” she said. “Better luck next time.”
The girl slumped on her chair with a defeated sigh.
“What was that about?” Sunset asked. She looked at Granite, but he was completely ignoring her. Sunset frowned and raised her hand.
“Yes, Miss Shimmer?”
For some reason, almost everyone turned to look at her. Sunset stood up, feeling a bit awkward. “Uhm, I was just curious about what just happened.”
Miss Green Spell gave a soft chuckle. “Oh, right. You see, every time I tell students to work in pairs or in groups, there’s always someone that wants to change partners. Always. So, I made this little rule. If you ask to switch partners, everyone has to agree!”
Sunset hummed, then looked at Granite and back to the teacher. “So, if everyone agrees, I can change my project peer?” The teacher nodded, and her ear-to-ear smile seemed to urge Sunset to try it. Sunset decided to do just that, if only to avoid any more animosity. And if this didn’t work, Sunset could always simply tell Miss Spell what was going on.
She looked to her left, searching for Sunflower. The girl, however, immediately averted her gaze. Sunset felt her stomach fall. She doesn’t have my back, then, she thought. She was met with a problem here. If she was right, no one would want to work with her. She looked to her right, and her eyes fell on Trixie, who was looking at her with surprise.
Trixie’s eyes seemed to sparkle as soon as Sunset saw them.
“I’d like to be Trixie’s project partner,” she announced. Everyone gasped, then immediately began chatting and whispering with each other.
“Settle down!” Miss Green Spell called, and it took a whole minute for the class to get silent enough to continue. “Well, if everyone agrees, you can,” she said.
Sunset looked around. How to convince these moronic brats? But just as she started coming up with ideas, her support came from the most unexpected source.
“Hey, guys!” Granite said, standing up. “Don’t you think Sunset and Trixie get along really well? I think we all should let them work together!”
To Sunset’s surprise, hands shot up as students agreed with Granite. She looked around, and there were so many different expressions that Sunset didn’t try to keep up with them. It didn’t really matter, she thought, as she’d at least get to change partners.
Miss Green Spell seemed taken aback by this as well. “Well, I’ll be. This hasn’t happened in quite a long while,” she said. “I guess everyone… Oh, Miss Lulamoon,” she called, making everyone, Sunset included, suddenly put Trixie in the spotlight. “You’re the only one left. Do you agree?”
Trixie squirmed on her seat and looked down. Then, while still looking at her desk, she slowly raised a hesitant hand.
“Well, it’s settled then,” Miss Spell said happily. “Miss Shimmer and Miss Lulamoon will be project partners. Mister Rough and Miss Jolt, you’re together.”
Sunset grabbed her desk and hefted it towards Trixie’s. She could still feel the stares on her, but she ignored them. It didn’t take a genius to understand that they had taken this chance to completely isolate the two most unwanted girls in school. It suited Sunset just fine.
“Uhm… Y-You shouldn’t have…” Trixie said in such a low voice that it was almost lost under the general chatter of the class.
“Trust me, Trixie,” Sunset said as she settled on her seat. “I’d rather eat a bag of nails than work with immature, lazy brats.” She opened her notebook again and grabbed her pen. “Anyway, let’s get started, alright? I want to know all about this Halloween business.”
Trixie didn’t press the issue and instead listened to Sunset’s proposal. Sunset only hoped Trixie would not be a lazy student as well and make her regret this.
~~~~~~~~
It turns out, publicly and explicitly wanting to interact with Trixie, choosing her as a partner, was the last proof everyone needed to trust whatever Diamond Rush had told them. Now students wouldn’t even spare a glance at her. Gone were the odd looks and the whispers. Sunset was now invisible to them.
And she couldn’t be happier about it.
She was not being treated as a bully to be feared any longer. And they even gave her a wide berth to walk in the hallway. Sure, they weren’t recognizing her as their absolute superior, but at least she wouldn’t have any problems with anyone any longer. She felt she could breathe a lot easier now.
Then she got to the school entrance, with Trixie following her closely, and saw Rainbow Dash at the side with her arms crossed. Sunset kept walking, hoping they’d simply ignore each other. Rainbow looked up at her and lowered her arms.
Sunset’s legs began shaking.
Well, it was nice while it lasted, she thought. When Sunset had left Diamond’s group and sided with Trixie, she had hoped that Rainbow would act like the rest of the students and simply isolate her. Associating herself with Sunset would be almost like associating with Trixie, Sunset had concluded, and thus no one would bother her anymore. But apparently, these subtleties escaped Rainbow’s comprehension.
Sunset took a deep breath, straightened her back, and continued forward. Rainbow had a small frown on her face, which was infinitely better than the murder glare she had given her a while ago, but it still worsened her shaking legs. She kept her arms glued to her sides. If Rainbow wanted to hit her, there was literally nothing Sunset could do to stop her. She only hoped Rainbow wouldn’t take long, and that the damage wouldn’t be too terrible.
She was rather fond of her face, even in her human form.
After ten painfully slow seconds, Sunset had reached Rainbow Dash. And against her better judgment, she stopped right in front of the bully and stared right at her eyes.
She was very surprised that Rainbow was still not beating the living lights out of her.
“So,” Rainbow said in a very eerie calm voice. “You ditched Diamond Rush?”
Sunset blinked. “Uhm… yes?” She replied. A conversation certainly wasn’t in her list of things to do with Rainbow Dash.
“Everyone’s saying you’re Trixie’s friend,” Rainbow said as she looked behind Sunset and to Trixie. “You know that’s social suicide, right?”
Sunset crossed her arms and huffed. “Why do you care? In fact, why are you even here? Just hit me already and be done with it.”
Rainbow stared at her for five full seconds. “Why join Diamond’s group if you were just going to ditch her?”
“Because I’m not a bully like you lot,” Sunset snapped.
“What?” Rainbow asked and actually gave a step back. “I’m not a bully!”
“Oh, then I must’ve imagined you pushing me to the floor, making me trip, throwing a ball at my lunch, and hitting me!” Sunset yelled.
Rainbow frowned and stepped forward, but she stopped before she replied. Then, surprisingly, closed her mouth and took a deep breath. “So,” she said. “You weren’t really trying to bully Fluttershy, right?”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I already told you so. Are you actually retarded?” Maybe insulting Rainbow to her face wasn’t a bright idea either, but Sunset had a lot of bottled-up anger, and Rainbow Dash had a way of rubbing Sunset in all the wrong places.
However, Rainbow didn’t seem to take offense to that comment, or at the very least, she didn’t show it. Instead, she only looked at Sunset’s eyes before speaking up. “Then, I…” She gritted her teeth and shut her eyes. “I’m sorry, okay?!”
That took Sunset by surprise. “What?”
“I saw you grabbing Fluttershy by the wrist,” Rainbow said, “right after bumping into her. I’ve seen that happen so many times I just assumed you were bullying her. That’s why I pushed you…” She looked away and pressed her lips together, then closed her eyes and leaned over. “So, to make up for it, I’ll let you punch me!”
It took maybe ten whole seconds for Sunset to process what she had just heard. “What?” She repeated.
“I beat you up real bad,” Rainbow explained. “But you hadn’t done anything wrong in the first place. I’m sorry for that. So, punch me and break my nose!”
Sunset took a slow, deep breath, covering her nose with her hands. It still stung a bit.
“I am not going to punch you,” she finally said. “That’s the most idiotic thing you could’ve asked me to do.”
“What?”
Sunset opened her eyes and offered Rainbow a deadpan. “If I hit you, I’ll be punished with detention. But, if you really want to make up for being a stupid brute, I’d appreciate you start asking questions first and punching last.”
Rainbow nodded slowly. “I can do that, but… Are you sure? I was real rough with ya.”
With a sigh, Sunset placed a hand on Rainbow’s shoulder. “If you really want to make it up to me, then I’ll just accept a token. If I ever need you for anything, I’ll call you.”
Rainbow Dash gave her a toothy grin. “I can do that! Heh, you’re cool Sunset. We should hang out sometime.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t that make everyone ignore you, too?”
Rainbow shrugged. “I’m captain of the soccer team. ‘Sides, no one can ignore The Rainbow Dash!”
“Right,” Sunset said through her teeth. “Anyway, I gotta go.”
“Sure, I gotta check up on Flutters, too,” Rainbow said and gave Sunset a soft punch on the shoulder. “See ya later.”
Sunset watched Rainbow jog away and realized many students were watching her with various levels of surprise. They had probably expected them to start fighting. Sunset wondered if they thought she had made an alliance with Rainbow Dash. Would that be so bad? She definitely didn’t like the girl, but Rainbow had recognized her mistakes and apologized for them. Maybe, just maybe, it would be wise to take up on Rainbow’s offer to hang out.
“Did you… Did you just become Rainbow Dash’s friend?” Trixie asked, making Sunset flinch. She had forgotten the girl was there.
Her legs and arms were still shaking, but she felt relieved at not being punched. “I don’t think I want to be her friend,” she admitted to Trixie. “I’m just happy this is all over.” And with that, she left the school and made her way back home, with Trixie in tow. Not having to worry about bullies and manipulators anymore made Sunset smile.
~~~~~~~~
Sunset stepped into the steaming hot water and sighed, feeling her sore feet finally relax some. Walking was definitely harder on human feet than on pony hooves. Why did they have to be so soft? Even with the protection of shoes, they still hurt after walking all the way back home.
The fact that Rainbow Dash had apologized instead of hitting her only added to her relaxation. She hadn’t noticed the muscles of her neck had been so stiff until the weight had disappeared from her shoulders.
There was a knock on the door. “Sunset?” Trixie called.
“What?”
“I… see… for…”
Trixie’s voice was so low, Sunset couldn’t hear it through the sound of the shower. “I can’t hear you!” She yelled.
There was a pause, and Sunset thought Trixie had decided to leave again. So she was surprised to hear Trixie’s next words.
“Can I come in?”
Sunset hummed. Had Trixie eaten something that had disagreed with her? She supposed she couldn’t blame the girl for desperately wanting to use the bathroom. Sunset wasn’t about to make fun of her, so she shrugged.
“Sure thing,” she replied loudly.
The door opened, letting in a cold breeze that made Sunset shiver. Trixie closed the door behind her.
“I… uhm…” Trixie said.
“It’s ok, Trixie,” Sunset interrupted her. “Do what you need to. I don’t think I’ll be able to hear anyway.”
There was a pause. “Wha- No,” Trixie said with a shaky voice. “I don’t need to use the bathroom.”
Sunset stopped massaging her hair and frowned. “Then why are you here? I’m sure whatever it is, it can wait until I’m done showering.”
“W-Well, I, uhm… I-I wanted to… Uhm…” Sunset rolled her eyes at the stammered words, but let Trixie figure out how to get her ideas across. “You see… I, uhm… I was thinking if, uhm, y-you’d like me to, uhm… j-join you?”
The last two words were spoken so lowly that Sunset thought she had misheard them. She lowered her arms and turned to the shower’s room, seeing Trixie’s silhouette through the blurry glass. “Join me?” She asked.
“Y-Yes,” Trixie replied. Sunset could almost hear the blushing in her voice.
“Why?”
“W-Well… Uhm… Y-You see… I was, uhm… I was trying to think of a way to thank you for, uhm… For standing up for me against Diamond,” she said.
Sunset cocked her head. “It’s alright, I did it because I can’t stand bullies.”
“You didn’t have to,” Trixie said almost in a whisper. “I would’ve understood if you had done as Diamond said… And today… You didn’t have to work with me…”
Oh, yes. Yes, she did have to. Sunset had always hated bullies. She couldn’t stand ponies feeling all high and mighty just because their parents were a bit wealthy. You could only feel superior if you actually were, and Sunset, as the absolute best student there, was the superior one. Only she could claim the top spot in any place.
Sure, even she was aware enough that by siding with Trixie, her social status had plummeted like a boulder in a lake. It didn’t help that Sunflower had also ditched her at the first opportunity. But Sunset had to stay true to her principles, because, in the end, what has a mare got if not herself?
“Yes,” Sunset replied with a sigh. “Yes, I had to.”
“Well, I still want to thank you,” Trixie replied.
“You already did,” Sunset said. “You don’t need to partake in Social Bathing if you’re not comfortable with it. It’ll only make it awkward for both of us.”
Trixie shifted in her place. She seemed to be fidgeting. “I… I know it’s important to you,” she began, her voice barely loud enough for Sunset to hear through the running water. “I… I’d also like to, uhm, t-to be friends with you. Like… real friends… And…”
As Trixie talked, Sunset couldn’t help but feel a warmth in her chest. She knew humans, and Trixie especially, had a very strong nudity taboo. And yet here she was, putting aside her predispositions just to say thanks. Sunset smiled to herself. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t missed washing Trixie’s silk-like mane.
“That'd be nice,” Sunset said, interrupting whatever rant Trixie was currently on.
There was silence as Trixie seemed to register the words. “I… Ok…” Trixie swayed from side to side for a while. Sunset realized she was taking off a towel.
She stepped aside and turned around to take her shampoo bottle. She had to refrain herself from hopping giddily. Washing Trixie’s hair was sure to be the cherry on top of her ice cream of a day. The shower’s door opened, and Sunset turned to look at Trixie. She almost dropped the bottle.
Trixie was not wearing a swimsuit this time. She was covering her chest and crotch with her arms and legs, and she had such a serious blush her face was actually red. “D-Don’t stare…”
Sunset blinked and cleared her throat. “Sorry, I just expected you to… Uhm… It doesn’t matter. Come on, get your hair wet already.”
Trixie nodded and carefully stepped under the water’s stream. “I was going to wear my swimsuit,” she said, as if she had read Sunset’s thoughts. “But, well, I need to take a shower anyway, s-so it’d be kinda dumb do to it twice…”
“You’re right, that’d be dumb, and a waste of hot water,” Sunset said, then opened the shampoo bottle. “Wanna try mine? It gives more volume.”
“Sure…”
Sunset poured a bit of shampoo on her hand, then placed the bottle away and proceeded to put it on Trixie’s hair. It felt every bit as soft and silky as she remembered.
“Ow!” Trixie yelped. “Not so hard!”
“Don’t be a foal,” Sunset said. “A strong massage is the best way to get the shampoo in between the hairs. This shampoo, at least. You want more volume, don’t you?”
Trixie didn’t keep complaining. Sunset noticed that Trixie had stopped covering herself, and was looking down, but not away. She nodded to herself, that was a good improvement and a good thing for Social Bathing. And, she noticed, Trixie’s body was definitely very much the same as hers. The only major difference was the color of their skin.
Sunset beamed as she worked her fingers throughout Trixie’s head. She had really missed this.
“Alright,” Sunset said, “turn around.” She poured more shampoo on her hand.
Trixie did so, giving Sunset access to the rest of her hair. Sunset began spreading the shampoo with long, quick movements, moving the locks she was done with to the front of Trixie’s body. When she finished the last lock, Sunset took notice of Trixie’s back. It was really narrow and slim, she could even see her spine poking through.
Humming, Sunset placed her right thumb right on Trixie’s spine, feeling the bone with her fingertip.
Trixie yelped and tensed up. “W-What are you doing?!”
“I’m just curious, geez,” Sunset said as she moved her thumb down, tracing the spine for just a couple of vertebrae. It certainly felt different than a pony’s back. She placed both hands on Trixie’s back to get a feel of the shoulder blades. Trixie flinched but said nothing. “Sweet Celestia, Trixie, your skin’s really soft. How in Tartarus do you manage this? I thought your hands were soft, but this is on a completely different level.”
“I… I do have a body cream my mom recommended,” Trixie said as she slowly relaxed.
Sunset hummed, slowly moving her hands, feeling the incredible softness of Trixie’s skin. “You must tell me which cream it is. I thought my skin was softer than when I was a pony, but if there’s a way to improve it even more, then I want it.”
“S-Sure… It’s a bit expensive, but you can- EEP!”
Trixie tensed up once again when Sunset lowered her hands to Trixie’s waist. “Yes, I can afford it. I may even get you some, just for sharing the tip.”
“S-Sunset…”
“Hmm?”
“Y-You’re… too…”
“I’m what?” Sunset asked as she kept exploring Trixie’s back.
“I-I mean, I know you’re just curious, but I’m still not used to- Whoa! Too low! Too low!” Trixie yelled, finally stepping away from Sunset’s grasp.
“What?” Sunset blinked in confusion for a moment. “Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot butts are a ‘forbidden’ area for you humans.”
Trixie turned and glared daggers at her. “You forg… Is it normal for you ponies to go around feeling each other’s butts up?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say feel up,” Sunset said with a shrug. “But you normally tap sompony on their flank to get their attention if they’re in front of you. And since it’s where our Cutie Marks appear, it’s also normal to look and be looked at.”
Trixie kept glaring at her for a while. “I’m… still not very comfortable with this.”
Sunset sighed. “Yes, I kn-”
“So please be patient,” Trixie continued. “Maybe next time I’ll feel comfortable enough to wash your back.”
Sunset stopped for a moment. “Wait, next time?” Trixie nodded, and her blush seemed to deepen. “So you’re gonna bathe with me from now on?” She couldn’t avoid the excitement in her voice.
Trixie, once again, nodded. “Just so long as you respect my boundaries.”
“Deal!”
This day was just getting better! What was next? Discovering a way to use her magic without a horn? Now that would be about the best thing that could possibly happen to her. She’d show everyone at school not to mess with Sunset Shimmer.
The rest of their shower went by pretty normally. Trixie seemed less apprehensive as she washed Sunset’s hair, which was yet another point to Sunset’s already great day. She decided she loved having somepony else wash her mane. Sure, back in Equestria it had been an everyday thing, and the maids knew how to make it so Sunset’s mane always looked gorgeous. But all that paled in comparison to having fingers massaging her scalp.
Now that was almost as good as any massage she had ever received.
The bad thing was that, after washing each other’s hair, Trixie had decided they’d wash their own body. Sunset rolled her eyes but didn’t complain. Just joining her had been hard enough for Trixie, so she supposed she wouldn’t push her.
Some time later, they were out of the shower, having already dried and changed to the much more comfortable pajamas. They brushed each other’s hair, which Sunset relished on as well. Trixie’s hair was simply gorgeous, and having her more-sensitive-than-hooves fingers only made her appreciate the softness even more. She almost didn’t care if her own hair didn’t receive the same attention, just so she could keep brushing Trixie’s hair. Almost.
Once that was done, they found themselves in Trixie’s room. Sunset wondered if Trixie ever tidied it up. There were clothes everywhere, even over Mr. Squibbles’ cage. The little hamster would’ve probably complained if he weren’t busy sleeping.
Trixie booted up her video game console and handed Sunset the controller. They spent their weekends playing Timeless Tirek, mostly. Sunset was still very uncoordinated for the faster-paced games, and she also liked the story of this one over the others. She sat with her legs crossed on Trixie’s bed and began playing.
Sunset decided then that playing video games with Trixie after bathing with her was a very acceptable way to end a school day. She’d just have to make sure to always finish her homework and projects first.