Derpy made a tired sound as she flung herself down on her couch as Sparkler and Dinky both looked at her from the table where the two were playing a card game.
“What’s with you?” Sparkler asked as she tapped the table. “Hit.”
Dinky passed Sparkler a card and the mare sighed in frustration as Dinky took Sparklers last remaining piece of candy happily. Dinky was surprisingly good at blackjack, beating even Sparkler at it. Sparkler had lost all of the candy she and Dinky were betting with.
“Dealer wins!” Dinky announced with a grin.
“Long day at work is all. How was your first day of work?” Derpy asked as Sparkler shrugged as the unicorn levitated the playing cards into a box on the shelf.
“It was okay. Sunset came in right before we closed. Something about needing coffee to help her sleep again,” Sparkler said as Dinky raised an eyebrow.
“Isn’t coffee caffeine? How does that help her sleep?” Dinky asked as she scrunched up her muzzle and the two older mares smiled at her.
“I don’t know but it is caffeine yes. Sunset is a bit of a strange mare at times.”
“Chocolate sometimes helps me sleep but in rare circumstances,” Sparkler admitted as the unicorn shifted in her chair. “Everypony is different I suppose.”
“So that’s where my chocolate has gone,” Derpy gave Sparkler a flat look as the unicorn gulped. “It’s bed time girls, go to bed. You two are getting watched by Sea Swirl and Sassaflash in a few days while I go to Canterlot with my friends. I trust you’ll behave?”
“Yes mom, we will,” Sparkler rolled her eyes. “Why do I have to stay with them, I’m old enough to stay home.”
“Because I’m asking you to, that’s why. And besides, you went to school with Sea Swirl. You two might like catching up,” Derpy suggested with a smile.
“Hm we will see,” Sparkler answered as she followed her younger sister down the hall and Derpy paused for a moment.
“Were you teaching your sister blackjack?”
Derpy stood in front of the purple house that had two dolphins swimming in a circle engraved on the door as she knocked on it gently.
A tired looking lilac unicorn with matching cutie mark to the engraving on the door opened it as she levitated a coffee mug to her lips.
“Hi Derpy,” Sea Swirl said as she covered a yawn with a hoof. “Morning, how’s it going?”
“Good thanks. I’m here to drop off Dinky and Sparkler if that’s okay. I’m leaving for Canterlot in a few hours. If not, I can find Flitter,” Derpy said as Dinky jumped out of her mane and waved as Sea Swirl grinned, watching Sparkler step from behind the pegasus.
“That’s more than alright! I love your kids, you know. You can drop them off anytime you need some time alone Derpy, you know that,” Sea Swirl giggled as she hugged the pegasus. “Have fun in Canterlot, be sure to stop by Donut Joe’s! Used to go there all the time as a filly, it’s a good place.”
“I’ll see if the girls wanna stop by,” Derpy conceded and hugged the mare. “Thanks again Sea Swirl. Tell Sassaflash I said hi.”
“I will,” Sea Swirl waved as Derpy took to the sky. “Come on in, what do you all want for breakfast? Sassaflash should be here soon. I got cereal and uh cereal.”
“We already ate but thanks Sea Swirl,” Sparkler said as she and Dinky the unicorn inside. Dinky shoved the door shut with her head and grunted as she stepped back.
“Took more energy than I thought,” Dinky muttered and rubbed her forehead with a wince. She and Sparkler looked around the blue room as Sea Swirl sat down on a couch, patting a spot on either side of her.
“Sit down, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve foalsitted you girls. How’s life been treating you all?”
“Good! Miss Cheerilee is awesome as usual. What about you?”
“Oh fine. Just busy with work and the dolphins as usual,” Sea Swirl waved towards the part of her house that housed a submarine she had created. It was admittedly still a work in progress but she was optimistic. “Benefits of building my house near the ocean and all. Hey Sparkler, been a few weeks.”
“Indeed,” Sparkler commented coolly as she sat down.
“Hey Dinky, I still have some toys in the spare room for you to play with. Why don’t you go play while I talk to your sister?” Sea Swirl suggested with a smile as the unicorn folded up a newspaper.
“Yay!”
The two watched as Dinky jumped off the couch and ran away as Sea Swirl gave a quiet laugh.
“That filly is a ball of endless energy. How you truly been Sparkler?” Sea Swirl asked as she folded her forelegs across her chest and stared intently at the other mare.
“I’m getting by. How’s it going with your marefriend?” Sparkler teased as Sea Swirl blushed.
“Sassaflash is not my marefriend, she’s just my roommate. Admittedly, I wish she was my marefriend but she’s dating Caramel and I’m not a jerk to try to break them up like others have suggested,” Sea Swirl said with disdain. She may hate Caramel with a burning passion but she is above breaking up her best friends relationship for her own gain. “Besides, it’s fairly obvious doesn’t swing for her own team.”
“I don’t know about that,” Sparkler snorted as she shifted her weight. “Vinyl says Sassaflash sets off her gaydar like crazy.”
“Her gaydar? What the hay is that?”
Sparkler put up her hooves as Sea Swirl shot her a confused look.
“I have no idea. But she said you set it off too when you first moved here so it must be pretty accurate, right?”
“I don’t know. Like I said, Sassy is dating Caramel and well, that doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. They just came back from Manehatten last week. Consider yourself lucky, you don’t have to hear about her sex life or well, lack of one I should say.”
“I really don’t wanna know about that,” Sparkler said hastily with a red face. “I already hear enough about Lyra’s lack of one too and the opposite with Minuette. Minnie for some reason needs to share every single detail of what she gets up to with Berry.”
“I know. She’s like that with me too. Both of them really. We need to get Lyra a marefriend,” Sea Swirl mused as she tapped her hoof against her chin. “Who was that one mare she was talking to at the summer sun celebration party in the library a few months ago?”
“Not sure but she was a pretty shy mare from what Moondancer was telling me. Three pieces of candy for a cutie mark as well,” Sparkler answered as the door opened a light blue pegasus with two lightning bolts trotted in and shut the door behind her.
“Hey girls,” Sassaflash waved a wing as she trotted past and Sea Swirl glanced at her flanks before turning red and looked away hastily as Sassaflash flung herself down on a recliner. “What’s up? Where’s my favorite unicorn filly at?”
“Playing in the toy room.”
“Ah. What were you two talking about?” Sassaflash asked as Sparkler and Sea Swirl shared a look, having a conversation based purely on facial expressions.
“Nothing,” Sparkler decided and Sea Swirl gave her a grateful look. Sparkler personally thought Sea Swirl should just tell her but at the same time understood her fellow unicorn could very well lose a friend if she did so. Sea Swirl was pretty stubborn too.
“Huh okay,” Sassaflash shrugged and reclined her chair. “What do you three wanna do?”
“Whatever you want. This is your and Sea Swirls house after all,” Sparkler said as Dinky’s laugh echoed down the hall.
“I’m down to just stay home and watch movies. The projector is somewhere I think,” Sea Swirl commented and looked around for the projector. “Aha! There it is.”
Sea Swirl levitated it to them and examined it with a faint smile.
“Remember when we first got this? You had just moved to Ponyville back then,” Sassaflash grinned slightly at Sea Swirl. “I met you for the first time that day when you were shopping for one and I had to help you find the aisle in the store and we spent hours searching for it.”
“Good times,” Sea Swirl smiled fondly at her friend. “Dinky, come here! We got ice cream!”
A blur ran into the room as Sparkler and the other smiled at the filly.
“Got butter pecan?” Dinky asked hopefully as she stared at Sea Swirl, placing her hooves on the mares thigh.
“Got chocolate, butter pecan, strawberry, vanilla and Reeses,” Sassaflash recited with a shrug. “And whatever happens here stays here girls. Remember that.”
Sparkler smirked as Dinky cheered and looked out the window at the moon. The two did always love coming here.