//------------------------------//
// Wondercolt of Personality: Ch.1 
// Story: The First Equestria Girl 
// by Mani-Roar 
//------------------------------//

Principal Celestia sat in her comfortable office chair with a feeling of complacency. Being the principal of a district magnet school was a great honor in her industry. There was a time when she had great passion for her work, living the dream of guiding her students into their successful futures as young adults. But lately that vision was blurry and the dream was stale. Something in the air at Canterlot was missing. A certain luster and excitement used to fill these halls with spirit and hope. The lack of it wasn't miserable by any means, but its absence was palpable. 

The magic was gone.

Her desk phone rang, drawing her eyes to it.  

“Principal Celestia speaking.” She calmly answered the phone, letting it rest wedged between her shoulder and ear. She carried on typing at her desk looking busy. Creating the illusion of multitasking. 

“That’s it?” A cold, shrill voice chided on the other end of the line. “No ‘thank you for calling Canterlot High’ or ‘how can I help you?’ I expected better from my prestigious rival.” She continued her taunting critique. 

“Principal Cinch, how are you?” Celestia said in a noncommittal manner. 

“It’s a little late for pleasantries now, Celestia.” Cinch complained while changing the subject. “Despite your rude lack of manners, I’m afraid I have some serious business to discuss with you. Consider this call a professional courtesy.”

Celestia could hear Cinch’s snide smile through the phone receiver. 

“Courtesy?” Celestia replied incredulously. “That’s a new one from you.” 

Although miffed by Celestia’s return jab, Cinch didn’t take the bait and continued.

“Yes, well, there’s been a bit of a scheduling issue with the Friendship Games. They won’t be able to take place during the spring semester this year. Instead, I insist that our annual display of…” Cinched paused looking for a way to slight Celestia once again, “...friendship be moved to the fall semester instead.” She settled on. 

“Fall? That’s way too soon for Canterlot. We couldn’t possibly be ready to host in time, much less compete.” Celestia complained perhaps giving away too much information. “We always have our Fall Formal dance, you’re asking me to rearrange the entire school year because of your scheduling conflict? I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline. If your school can’t be bothered to make it to the games at their usual time,” Celestia smiled deviously, a rare indulgence for her, “Then you’re more than welcome to forfeit. I’d understand.” Celestia leaned back in her chair. Finally fully invested in the conversation. 

“Hmm, yes. I’m sure you’d love that. However, I have already taken this issue up with the school board and the superintendent told me I have her full support on this sudden schedule change. I’m afraid if anyone is going to have to forfeit due to lack of preparation, it’ll have to be Canterlot High.” Cinch’s smug satisfaction dripped through the phone line. Celestia paused for a long time, prompting Cinch to continue. 

“Although I would advise against forfeiting so easily. Word on the street is that the school board isn’t too impressed with Canterlot’s performance lately. The results of the last two Friendship Games speak for themselves in my opinion. I would hate to see the school board be forced to make… changes to Canterlot High.” Cinch’s voice sounded deadly serious. Celestia remained silent for a long time.

“What’s that? No comeback? No quick witted quip? I expected more from my rival than this, but, then again, I suppose I’m not surprised given recent history.” Cinch twisted the knife with her words.

“Is that all Principal Cinch?” Celestia asked politely with no emotion. 

“For now. I look forward to seeing you again this fall. As I’m sure it promises to be another stirring victory for my school.” Cinch giggled to herself.

“Have a good day.” Celestia’s expression was neutral and her voice even. She refused to let even the slightest bit of frustration leak into her voice or demeanor. 

“Hmpf, good indeed.” Cinch chorted and hung up the phone. Celestia gently laid down the receiver and folded her hands in front of her face. After a few brief seconds of reflection, she returned to her daily work as if nothing had happened. 




****




Sunset walked down the halls of her newly adopted school and home. Her first full week of classes was freshly behind her as the ringing of the final bell echoed in her head. She paused in front of a door to a room she had yet to enter so far. It read “Music Room” on the door and was quaintly decorated with colorful music notes. There was faint talking and laughing to be heard from inside the room.

“Sunset!” A familiar voice called out. She turned and smiled. Seeing it was Tempest Dream approaching, she waved to her roommate. 

“I’m so glad you made it.” Tempest gave Sunset a quick side hug as she met her at the door. 

“Well, yeah. You asked me to come to this club meeting and I couldn’t think of a reason to say no.” Sunset threw up her hands playfully. 

“That’s the spirit.” Tempest teased. “Speaking of spirit, I just know the Spirit Club is going to love you.” Tempest thrust open the Music Room door and guided Sunset in. 

Sunset walked into the music room to see that she and Tempest were the last two to arrive. On the left side of the room sat a grand piano in fairly pristine condition. On the right side of the room was a slightly raised stage platform for a musical class to congregate and rehearse. In the center sat a small group of students circled up in chairs. Three of them Sunset didn’t know very well, but the last one was a very familiar face that filled her with regret. 

Flash Sentry looked up at Sunset as she entered the room only to immediately blush and turn away. Sunset hunched her shoulders into a self-learned bad posture. She nervously gripped her arm with her right hand. Flash sheepishly tugged on the back of his neck as he stared at the floor. 

“Hey guys,” Tempest cheerfully broke the ice, “This is Sunset Shimmer. She’s a new freshman at our school and I invited her to our spirit club to help us plan the upcoming pep rally.” Tempest showed off Sunset like a game show host displaying the grand prize. Nobody reacted very much to Tempest’s enthusiasm but she continued on undeterred. 

“Sunset, this is Fancy Pants. Our decor expert and interior designer.” Tempest waved her hand in a posh manner and gave a half-hearted bow. Fancy Pants stood up and extended his hand to Sunset.

“Charmed to meet you, Sunset Shimmer.” He was handsome in a distinguished and mature sort of way. Something about his dress and demeanor made him seem older than a high school student. His hair was sky blue. He wore a matching blue and white letterman sweater with “CHS” in gold yellow font just below the left breast. 

“You as well.” Sunset replied meekly with a little nod. She remembered a similar looking Fancy Pants attending court in Equestria. At this point, the coincidence no longer surprised her. 

“I like your sweater.” Sunset commented. Fancy Pants beamed with pride.

“Thank you, I designed it.” He mildly bragged as he retook his seat. 

“This is Minuette, our student assistant band director. Or is it concert master?” Tempest wondered as she moved on to the next club member. 

“Hi Sunset.” Minuette opted to wave at Sunset from her seat instead of standing to greet her. She was sitting backwards in her chair leaning over the back rest. Her hair was a mixture of cool blue and snow white. She wore leggings that matched her hair in thick horizontal stripes. Her shirt was a skirt length blouse and she wore a light colored denim jacket. “And it’s Assistant Band Director for marching band and Concert Master for orchestra so… both I suppose.” She shrugged with a half cocked smile. 

“And this is Derpy Hooves. Our baker extraordinaire.” Tempest introduced a dainty girl with faded blond hair. She wore a blue dress blouse with a yellow tie and a green skirt. Something about her eyes didn’t quite line up but Sunset knew it would be rude to bring something like that up. 

“Do you like chocolate or raisins better?” Derpy casually asked as if they were already in the middle of a conversation.

“Uh…” Sunset stuttered, caught off guard by the sudden inquiry. “Well I guess it depends on what mood I’m in.” Sunset shrugged along with her noncommittal answer. 

“I couldn’t agree more!” Derpy practically shouted. She wasn’t angry but rather her enthusiasm had gotten the better of her. “Too many people jump straight to chocolate, and lots of them will say they hate raisins in baked goods. But the flavor and texture is an under appreciated pallet in my opinion. Especially in muffins.” She joyfully clapped her hands together and giggled. 

“Oh well in that case, I’d love to try one of your raisin muffins sometime.” Sunset was genuinely intrigued. 

“Say no more.” Depry declared as she pulled a quaint wicker basket covered by a plaid towel from behind her chair. She brandished a muffin from the basket and walked towards Sunset to hand it to her. 

“Th-thank you.” Sunset said as she hesitantly accepted the muffin. “I’m uh… not hungry at the moment, but I’ll be sure to enjoy it later.” Sunset was embarrassed as she wasn’t sure where to set the muffin for now. 

“Let me know what you think.” Derpy smiled gleefully. At least one of her eyes caught Sunset’s gaze directly. 

“And, I know you already know Flash Sentry, but this is Flash Sentry again.” Tempest laughed as Sunset and Flash’s eyes awkwardly met yet again. 

“Hi Flash.” Sunset tried to smile, but uncomfortable was written all over her face.

“H-hello again, Sunset.” Flash replied, but turned away again. His eyebrows furrowed with guilt. A dead silence hung in the air until Tempest continued.

“Anyway… I’m Tempest. Head cheerleader and president of the Spirit Club.” Tempest grabbed Sunset’s hand and vigorously shook it. Sunset smiled genuinely again as she felt her arm go wild in Tempest’s grip. 

Of course you’re the head cheerleader. Sunset thought to herself.

“Now onto business.” Tempest declared as she pointed to the ceiling. “Are we gonna have everything ready in time for next week’s pep rally?”

The room was quiet in response.

“Don’t tell me we’re not going to be ready in time.” Tempest looked aghast. 

“Well, no that’s not the issue.” Fancy Pants spoke up. “All the planning and preparation, that’s the easy part. The real issue is… well…” Fancy Pants paused.

“Nobody gives a crap.” Minuette inelegantly finished Fancy Pants’ thought.

“Indeed.” He solemnly agreed.

“Oh come on guys. I’m sure if we give it our all, the students will get into it.” Tempest pumped her fist.

“You mean like they haven't for the last few years?” Minuette said deflated.

“There’s gotta be something we can do this year. Something we’ve been missing to help inspire the student body.” Tempest tapped her foot and rubbed her chin as she thought. “Sunset, you’re my fresh-minded freshmen, what do you think we’re missing?” Tempest turned the conversation on her. 

“Uhm, well first of all, how come nobody gives a crap?” Sunset asked. 

“Because we get our butts kicked every year without fail.” Minuette sighed. “It's hardly a fair competition anymore.”

“Competition? Which competition?” Sunset innocently asked. 

The room burst into laughter. Sunset felt her cheeks turn red. 

“All of them!” Minuette cried, still giggling. “Sorry, we’re not laughing at you, it's just… it’s frustrating you know. If we don’t laugh about it, ya almost wanna cry.” She shrugged.

“Yeah I can imagine.” Sunset remembered school competitions at Celestia’s gifted school. Celestia’s students rarely lost those competitions. 

“Worst of all, the Friendship Games have been moved to fall so we get to look forward to Crystal Prep beating the tar out of us for the 3rd year in a row even sooner than usual.” Minuette complained.

“What are the Friendship Games?” Sunset asked. “My, uhh, old school didn’t have them.” She quickly added.

“It’s a yearly competition between our school and Crystal Prep.” Tempest jumped in. “Each school selects twelve students to represent them in a contest of academics and sports.”

“And we suck at it.” Minuette stated bluntly. “Continuously.”

“It wasn’t always like that.” Fancy Pants said defiantly. “In fact, we used to be capable of beating them often. We beat them our Freshman year.” Fancy Pants gave a knowing look to Tempest. 

“But, we haven’t beat them ever since.” Minuette burst the bubble. “Our senior class is the last class at Canterlot to remember what it was like to win.” She stared solemnly at the floor. 

“That’s what this pep rally is all about. Principal Celestia has charged us with the task of getting our fellow students fired up for the Games.” Tempest balled her fists as she spoke. "We have the best Seniors and the best upcoming freshmen in our school to see it through. Go Spirit Club!" Tempest jumped and raised her hands in the air like a cheerleader. 

"Wait a minute." Sunset remarked as she put two and two together. "So Flash, Derpy, and I are freshmen and Tempest, Fancy Pants, and Minuette are Seniors?" She asked.

"Yep." Tempest responded, her hands still raised in the air.

"That's weird. How come there's no sophomores or juniors in the Spirit Club?" Sunset rubbed her chin.

The Seniors shared an awkward knowing glance with each other.

"Well. It's hard to convince someone to come back to the spirit squad once they've been at Canterlot High for at least a year." Minuette admitted with her hands on her hips. 

"Wow it's really that bad?" Sunset was beginning to wonder if she made a mistake coming to the "Spirit Club." 

"Putting all your energy into a competition only to be humiliated at the hands of Crystal Prep just takes the gusto out of students, it seems." Fancy Pants sighed as he explained. 

"But you guys stick around. It can't be all gloom and doom, even if the results are the same." Sunset reasoned. 

"Probably because we remember winning. I guess that still fills us with a false hope. But after this year, that hope will graduate with us." Minuette looked down at the floor. The atmosphere in the music room was getting heavier by the moment.

"It's not just that." Tempest declared defiantly. "Our hope isn't false, or misplaced, or naive, or whatever. We all have the potential in us to be great. We just have to realize it and work towards it. Plus, as long as there's even a ghost of a chance that we can make a dent in Crystal Prep, then I'm gonna do everything I can to bring the best out in everybody." Tempest spoke passionately. The seniors smiled genuinely and nodded at her uplifting statement. The freshman shared a tepid look with each other.

"Ok I'm game." Sunset said casually. Everyone in the room looked at Sunset. She knew from personal experience that trying to be a Princess was a truly impossible task. There was no way defeating a rival school, no matter how talented, could possibly be harder than what she had been through. Plus it filled her with a new purpose in this strange new world. A challenge she could rise to instead of spinning her wheels in a world with no magic. 

"That's my girl!" Tempest shouted as she offered Sunset a double over hand high five. Sunset obliged and the smacking of their palms echoed in the small music room. 

"So what's the plan? How do we stick it to Crystal Prep once and for all?" Sunset grinned maniacally. She was starting to feel as pumped as Tempest. The feeling in the room became infectious. 

"Woah there. Pump the breaks a bit. It’s gonna take alot of hard work and training obviously to win the Games. But first, we gotta get as much of the student body on board as possible." Minuette said with much more energy in her voice. A small smile crept back onto her face. 

"That brings us back to the pep rally. We have one week to prepare the most bombastic and audacious rally this school has ever seen." Fancy Pants declared. The passion returned to his voice. "I'll be sure to design a fabulous spread of decor. The whole gymnasium will be beaming with competitive energy and school spirit." His eyes glistened as his creative imagination soared. 

"I'll have the band practice all the pep rally standards so we'll be ready to blast everybody to the beat. Really get their blood pumping." Minuette stood up and held out her hands as if she was about to give the band their entrance as a conductor.

"Yeah, and maybe I can get my band to come so we can work some rock music into our repertoire." Flash stood up and confidently crossed his arms. 

"I like your style." Minuette winked at Flash. He pointed a finger gun back at her. For some reason the exchange bothered Sunset ever so slightly. 

"I can make a sweet and delicious snack spread by the door. Then everyone will be amped up on sugar for the pep rally." Derpy rose up and clapped her hands together gleefully. 

"You don't gotta twist my arm on that one sister." Tempest rubbed her stomach as she dreamed of delicious cakes. "And I'll get my cheerleaders ready to lead the crowd in our chants. But I also need new recruits this year. The squad is a little thin this semester. Flash, Sunset can I rely on you to join the cheerleaders?" Tempest held her hands together in a prayerful gesture as she bowed to them.

"Oh well. I don't know. I've never done anything like cheerleading before. I'm not sure my balance is good enough." Sunset complained looking down at her human legs. 

"I'll show you. It's not as hard as you think. It's basically acrobatic dancing." Tempest shrugged her concerns off.

Acrobatic dancing sounds really hard. Sunset thought. 

"Ok I'll do my best." Sunset held up her hands in defeat. She knew Tempest would beg till the end of time until she said yes. Some things never change.

"Uh well… I…" Flash stumbled over his words. "Isn't cheerleading kind of…?" He trailed off.

"Boy cheerleaders are super athletic and very manly. I promise." Tempest finished his thought for him.

"Oh uh… no I wasn't gonna say that… I mean I…" He looked at Sunset who just sort of playfully shrugged and said,

"C'mon girly girl, let's see what you got." She teased. 

"Alright, fine." He laughed out loud. "I guess my band will play at the end so I have time to change." He folded his arms and shook his head. 

"Sounds like a game plan to me. Alright, let’s do this!" Tempest declared. "Everybody bring it in!" She declared, placing her palm face down in front of her. One by one the spirit club members came forward and placed their hands on top of hers. Sunset was unfamiliar with this particular ritual but she meekly complied doing her best to fit in.

"Wondercolts on 3. 1, 2, 3…" Tempest yelled and then the whole group shouted in unison with Sunset just a little bit behind,

"Wondercolts!"

As they said it, Sunset felt her arm thrust into the air along with everyone else's. The brief group chant gave her a rush of excitement. 

After the meeting, Sunset saw Flash slowly approach her in the hallway. She was about to head back to her dorm when she saw him walking up. He sheepishly grabbed the back of his neck with his hand. 

"Hey uhm. I just wanted to say…" He sighed barely able to make eye contact with her. "I'm sorry about the other day." He looked at her with regret in his eyes. 

His apology was so genuine that Sunset instantly forgave him. Not that she had ever blamed him to begin with. But whatever kernel of frustration she was holding onto, slipped away.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have run out on you. That was… rude of me." Sunset clutched her left arm with her right hand. 

"I made you uncomfortable. That wasn't fair. I should have known better." His words were dripping with guilt. 

"Flash it's not like that I…" Sunset began, but Flash interrupted her.

"Look I don't want this to be a thing between us." His eyes went wide like he'd said something wrong. "What I mean is, I like you…" He paused again to slap his forehead in embarrassment. “I mean, you’re pretty cool. And I, well, I think we…” 

He straightened out his shoulders and forced himself to look directly at Sunset. She decided to let him figure out what he was trying to say. 

"Can we start over?" He asked earnestly. 

"Start over?" Sunset looked confused. 

"Yeah, I got off to a bad start. And I'd like to make it right. From the beginning this time." He held out his hand offering her a handshake. 

"Hi, I'm Flash Sentry." He said in that sweet sultry tone that came so naturally to him, adding a masculine little smirk to his lips.

Sunset couldn’t help but laugh a little. Flash recoiled in return, dropping the act and feeling a little foolish.

"I'm Sunset Shimmer." Not leaving him hanging, she firmly shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Flash Sentry."

"Likewise." He replied. A wave of relief washed over his face. "What, no curtsey this time?" He quipped playfully. 

It was Sunset's turn to go bright red in the cheeks.

"Shut up." She lightly pushed his shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. "We started over so that never happened." She stated impertinently. He laughed along with her.

"Sorry for being weird about this. I just… I thought you hated me after that." He glanced down at the floor.

"Flash, if I hated you, trust me you would know." She grinned deviously while placing her hand on his shoulder. He swallowed nervously. 

"Oh?" Flash was intrigued by her blunt statement. "Good to know, I suppose." 

"See you at cheerleader practice on Monday?" He finger gun pointed. 

"I'll be there. Be sure to wear your favorite skirt." She finger gunned him back. 

"Hilarious." He said with a wave and walked off. Sunset felt elated and yet frustrated at the same time. She took a deep breath and carried on to her dorm room.




****




The following week was a challenging one for Sunset to say the least. Cheerleading practice was the most physically taxing thing she had ever done. It turned out being a lifelong bookworm was not ideal for her cardiovascular strength. Even when she wasn't out of breath, she was constantly face planting onto the hardwood gym floor which she felt through the thin blue mats they rolled out to practice on. She thought she had gotten used to balancing herself as a human, but cheerleading was on another level. 

"Sunset, you ok?" Tempest shouted through her megaphone. The other cheerleaders shot annoyed glances at Sunset. The routine had come to a halt once again due to Sunset falling over. This fall had been accented with a particularly loud smack when she hit the unforgiving mat. Sunset felt aches in her forearms which had taken the brunt of the fall. Her hips, knees, and shoulders felt similar throbbing pain.

"I'm good." Sunset meekly waved from the ground. She pulled herself back to her knees and looked up to see Flash Sentry holding his hand out. She grabbed it and felt herself easily lifted off the ground for what must have been the 10th time this rehearsal. Looking around to all the eyes staring at her, and feeling their judgment, made her want to run out of the gym and back to her dorm. Nevertheless, she stood tall, ready to try again. 

“Ok let’s run it again.” Tempest declared. People in the gymnasium of the next school over probably heard her.

“I don’t think I can do this. Am I really that bad?” Sunset complained low so that only Flash could hear her. He stood next to her in his new uniform. Long elastic pants and a loose fitting shirt adorned him. Sunset felt a little bit ridiculous in her cheer skirt and long sleeve sweater. Both of their uniforms were light blue with white trim. Sunset rubbed her pom poms together in frustration. 

“You can do this Sunset, I believe in you.” Flash stated confidently. “I’m sorry I’m not a better base for you. I’m new to this too.” He admitted. “I know that I’ve probably dropped you a few times.”

“It’s not your fault. You’re doing fine. I just can’t seem to find my balance when I’m flung up into the air like that.” 

“Hey.” Flash said with a knowing side smile. “You got this, ok?” He nodded affirmatively. 

Sunset smiled back and took a deep breath. 

“Alright, let’s go again.” She declared and the music began to play. Sunset went through the dance routine that had been drilled into her at this point. She step touched with purpose. She waved her outstretched hands, shaking her pom poms with the beat. She spoke the cheer chant in rhythm. She moved in harmony with her fellow cheerleaders. All of this was fine and crisp, but soon the part she dreaded the most was coming up. She looked to Flash who had assumed the position. His fingers were entwined and he bent over with his combined palms facing up. Creating a platform for Sunset to step on. She placed her right foot into his grip and pushed herself off the floor. Flash gathered his strength and assisted her, she was raised higher into the air. He split his hands apart grabbing both of Sunset’s sneakers ready to support her full weight. 

Thanks to Flash’s height, the ground looked dizzying. Sunset could feel her equilibrium slipping. The gym was spinning and she was sure she was about to come crashing down once again. Perhaps Flash would be able to break her fall in time, but perhaps not. She flailed her arms trying to keep herself upright, her knees still bending. She shifted her weight, trying to find a stable balance on Flash's palms. The only surface between her and the hardwood floor. Finally, she felt her weight level out. She stood tall over the grip of Flash Sentry, locked her knees, and extended her pom poms outwards and upwards to the ceiling. 

“Wondercolts!” She shouted defiantly with the group, finishing the short routine. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as a feeling of elation came over her. She had finally done it. She had taken to the air and not come crashing down. It had taken hours of work and several bad spills, but she got through it. Perhaps it was the lofty height, but she finally felt more like herself. Her confidence was slowly returning.

“Ready?” Flash whispered.

“Mmhmm.” Sunset mumbled with gathering anxiety. She had never gotten this far and hoped she wasn’t about to mess up the dismount and crash fall anyway. She felt a gentle push on her feet and she leaped into the air once more. This time she tucked in her arms and spun slightly. She kept her legs together as she kicked them out to the side, now descending horizontally. It was all up to Flash now. As she approached the ground she closed her eyes, trusting that Flash would catch as he was supposed to. Her eyes flung open as she felt his arms slip under her knees and the middle of her back. She came to a halt immediately as Flash set her feet on the ground and helped her stand up once more.

“Nice catch.” She remarked. Her face flushed with excitement still.

“Thanks.” He calmly replied. “You were great! You looked like a natural up there.” He complimented her.

“Oh please.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “I must have looked like a fish out of water flailing my arms trying to stay up.” She mimicked her panicked flailing from a moment ago. 

“Well yeah, but only for a second. Before and after that it looked almost professional.” Flash replied, trying to assuage her. 

“Finally.” Sunset heard one of the other cheerleaders say under her breath. 

“Great Job everybody!” Tempest declared triumphantly. “That’s a wrap, let’s pick it up again tomorrow. The pep rally is in two days and I know it’s gonna look sharp and perfect by then.” Tempest encouraged her squad. There was a collective groan of relief as the athletes dispersed for the day. 

“Do you think the other students will respond to the pep rally?” Sunset asked Flash. 

“I sure hope so.” He shrugged.

“Yeah me too. It’d be a shame for all this hard work to go to waste. Even if we end up losing again, there’s something to be said about giving it your all, you know?” Sunset leaned her weight against Flash’s shoulder. Now that the adrenaline had died down, the exhaustion hit her like a truck. 

“I agree.” Flash nodded. “No matter what happens, we gotta give a performance that makes us proud to represent our school.” He pumped his fist. Timidly, he reached the arm that Sunset was leaning on around her waist, worried only for a moment over how she’d react. When she eagerly let it happen, he breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Hey.” She said tired, looking up to him with her cheek resting on his shoulder. “Thanks for picking me back up all those times. If I had to get up on my own constantly I might have just quit. It’s nice to have someone to rely on.” She nuzzled her face into him. Flash could feel his heart starting to pound. 

“Yeah of course, anytime.” He blurted out. Building up his courage, he decided to go for it a 2nd time.

“Hey, so, uh… you know. I really like hanging out with you.. Uh… what I mean is maybe sometime, if you’re not too busy, I was thinking maybe we could…” Flash was interrupted by a blistering yawn from Sunset that almost matched Tempest’s megaphone. 

“Sorry, I’m just so tired. I think I’m gonna go lay down and nap for a while.” She broke from his embrace, stretched her arms over her head, and yawned again. “You were saying?” She asked, trying to stay focused on what he was saying. 

“Uh, nothing.” He said deflated. “It can wait till another time. You get some rest ok? I’ll see you tomorrow.” He grinned sadly and began walking away.

“Ok, see you tomorrow.” Sunset waved back as he walked off. Sleep time could not come any faster for her. 




****