Pinkie's handling of parties was masterful, there was no other word for it. Not only had she organised it and done a lot of the decoration and catering herself, she was now rushing between groups to ensure that everyone was having a good time. As always, her energy was unmatched and she showed no sign of slowing down.
Sunset watched her rushing through the room, sometimes back into the kitchen, sometimes out onto the porch. She was barely paying attention to the group she was standing with, until someone finally nudged her shoulder, pulling her out of her staring.
"You finally gonna do something about it?" Rainbow challenged with a smirk, "This will stop being funny eventually."
"I don't know. I'm not sure what to say," she admitted quietly, scratching the back of her neck.
"You have got to be kidding," Trixie chimed in while rolling her eyes. Sunset wasn't sure why she was here or how she even knew about her and Pinkie. "This is where Sunset Shimmer's infamous confidence finds its limit? A girl?"
"She's not just some girl," Sunset protested, already feeling the heat rushing into her cheeks, "She's... special, okay?"
"There. That." Twilight pointed at her, a little closer to her face than was comfortable. "Say that. It's as good a start as any."
"Easy for you to say. Timber practically fell into your arms. He's perfect for you. You don't even realise how lucky you are." She quickly took a sip from her cup before she started sounding honestly resentful.
"Besides, Pinkie is either super observant or denser than lead," Rainbow added, "And I think we all know what she's like in this case. You're gonna have to break out the L-word."
Sunset stared at her for a second. "Lesbian?"
"No, dumbass, the other L-word!"
"Lesbians...?" Trixie suggested. Twilight and Rainbow's hands met their foreheads.
"Love!" Twilight shouted, a little louder than intended.
"Honestly, you two would deserve each other," Rainbow said bitterly.
Sunset and Trixie looked at each other before answering in unison. "No thanks."
Two arms wrapped around their shoulders and a puffy mass of pink hair appeared between them, decorated with candy-shaped hairpins. "Hey, guys! Having a good time!?"
"Uh, yeah." Sunset's cheeks lit up and she could immediately feel everyone else's looks even while just staring at Pinkie's wide grin. "All doing great. Thanks."
"Awesome! See ya again in a bit!" Pinkie was about to dart off again, when Rainbow quickly grabbed her arm.
"Hey, Pinkie wait! There was something, um..."
"Sunset needs to talk to you!" Trixie jumped in, roughly shoving Sunset towards Pinkie. They almost bumped into each other and Sunset found herself face to face with her crush, barely inches apart.
"Oh, okay!" Pinkie crossed her hands behind her back, looking up at her. "What's up, Sunny?"
"I, well..." The music died. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Vinyl quickly switching one record for another on her mixing pult. The moment dragged on. Her heart hammered in her chest. "I was wondering... no, I mean..." The words stayed stuck in her throat, but she had to say something soon. "I just wanted to... Pinkie, I..." She was tilting her head at her now, like a little puppy hearing an unfamiliar noise. Her heart was going to stop, she would die here, of cuteness and shame. "I think I... love you..." she pushed out finally, but the next song drowned out the critical two words.
"Uh, I don't think I got tha--whoops!" Someone bumped into Pinkie and she stumbled forward, against Sunset's chest. Instinctively, Sunset put her arm around her waist. Her heart lurched into her throat. Now! her mind screamed at her Now or never!
Sunset leaned down, but her lips missed and only caught the corner of Pinkie's mouth. A bright snort and giggle caught in her ear and wouldn't leave her mind for the rest of the night. Pinkie's hands rested on her shoulders and her lips pressed against her cheek.
Sunset's arm slipped from Pinkie's waist and she stared down at her bright smile. "...love you..." she managed to say again.
"Love you too, bestie!" Pinkie beamed and tussled Sunset's hair, before bouncing off to check on other guests again.
Slowly, Sunset stepped back against the wall and sunk down. She wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her head on them. Twilight comfortingly rubbed her shoulder while Trixie doubled over laughing, not even trying to hide it the way Rainbow was.
"Just kill me."