
Nopony ever locked their door in Las Pegasus. In the affluent southern suburb of the bustling metropolis of Manehattan, you never knew when a celebrity or talent agent could burst into your home and give you a big break.
Usually—for Electric Wave, at least—it was just your best friend, with some stupid idea for how to waste an afternoon.
Palm Spring’s plots could typically be divided into three categories: ways to meet colts, ways to meet famous ponies, and ways to become famous ponies. Electric Wave kept a chart above her bed for easy reference. Almost every day, there was something new.
She never put much stock in the ideas that her best friend dreamed up. She was of the school of thought that, if she waited long enough, fame, fortune, and handsome colts would come to her. It was the law of averages. Or something. Electric Wave had never been very good at math.
She simultaneously loved and abhorred summers. On one hoof, she didn’t have to wrack her brain trying to comprehend imaginary numbers and quadratic equations. On the other hoof, she had to share a house with her bratty sister Moon Unit all day, every day.
In that way, Palm Spring’s plots saved Electric Wave from going insane—they got her out of the house, away from her little sister, and, more often than not, into a bit of trouble—and, sometimes, public humiliation. Electric Wave couldn’t forget the time the pair had shown up in bikinis to a formal dance. She was still trying to live it down.
Palm Spring’s sister, Palm Beach, wasn’t any better than Moon Unit, and so both mares were keen on getting as far from their homes as possible, for as long as possible. They had journeyed from Las Pegasus to Manehattan and back more times than Electric Wave could count, and had once even taken the train to Ponyville for—some reason that was no longer clear to Electric Wave. She could’ve sworn it had sounded excellent at the time. They brought back asparagus.
But that had been last summer. They weren’t fillies any more. Maybe Palm Spring’s plans for this summer would be slightly less prone to failure. Electric Wave could really get enthusiastic about an idea if it was a guaranteed success, and maybe—
“You, like, wouldn’t believe it, Lex,” Palm Spring said, trotting proudly through Electric Wave’s front door. “Our luck, I mean. We’re so lucky.”
“Why’s that, Palm?” Electric Wave inquired.
“I, like, signed us up for this big pageant in Manehattan,” the blue mare declared, helping herself to a bowl of chips on the kitchen counter. “It’s going to be so totally super. Colts and celebs, like, everywhere, girl.”
“Like, when is it?” Electric Wave asked, smiling. “It sounds totally fun.” They could spend a week shopping for dresses, losing weight, doing each other’s hair, and by the time the pageant happened they would look fabulous, totally fab—
“Tomorrow.”
But that had been last summer. They weren’t fillies any more. Maybe Palm Spring’s plans for this summer would be slightly less prone to failure. Electric Wave could really get enthusiastic about an idea if it was a guaranteed success, and maybe— just as stupid as ever.

“The Fifth Annual Equestria Girls Beauty Pageant,” Electric Wave read from the pamphlet as their train was approaching the station. “Come see the most beautiful mares in all of Equestria compete against each other for pride and glory. Judged by the incomparable Photo Finish!”
“See, Lex? I’m telling you, this is going to be so totally awesome,” Palm Spring said. A wide gesture with her hooves encompassed the glittering metropolis of Manehattan ahead, glowing like a second sun against the evening sky. “The most beautiful mares in all of Equestria. You can just tell that they’re talking about ponies like us, right?”
“Yeah, Palm. The more I think about it, the more I think you’re probably right,” Electric Wave admitted. “This is, like, a super-incredible opportunity. I just wish we had, like, more time to shop for our outfits before this thing got started.”
“Why do we need more time, Lex?” Palm Spring inquired. “We’ve still got all night to hit the stores, girl.”
As they disembarked, the two ponies took the opportunity to drink in the aura of excitement that a night on the town in Manehattan held. For two adolescent mares from comfortable suburban Las Pegasus, the city was all their hopes and dreams realized—a Mecca of style, a nexus of glamour, and a whole bunch of other words that neither understood, but both knew had been applied to the luminous city by newspapers across Equestria.
“This is so totally super,” Electric Wave marveled, overawed by the sheer glory of the Manehattan shopping district. Even through her orange-tinted sunglasses, its brilliance was nearly blinding.
“Best thing ever. In my life,” agreed Palm Spring, as they trotted down the wide Everfree Boulevard. “This is too perfect.”
“So totally perfect!” Electric Wave said, staring in wide-eyed wonder at mannequins clothed in the finest, most alluring gowns and dresses that she had ever seen. As she did, a grim thought crept into her mind. “Hey, Palm, do you really think we’ll have, like, enough money to pay for new outfits? Such super-perfect dresses must be really super-pricey.”
“I don’t think so, Lex,” Palm Spring disagreed. “There are so many boutiques here, and they get, like, hundreds of customers every single day. What they sell doesn’t need to be super-pricey, because they sell, like, millions of something. Supply and demand!”
“Is that how supply and demand works?” Electric Wave said, cocking her head. “I know I only got, like, a C in Economics—mostly because the teacher was totally super-lame—but I don’t remember any of the stuff you’re saying.”
“That’s because I’m totally smarter than you!” Palm Spring declared, chuckling.
“Ha ha. You’re sooo funny that I totally forgot to laugh,” Electric Wave retorted. “Seriously, though, Palm, I’m, like, really unsure here. Those dresses are really nice.”
“Stop whining! Come on, Lex, I’ll show you that I’m right! Then we can focus on looking super-hot for the pageant tomorrow!” With that, Palm Spring chomped down on her friend’s tail and dragged her into the nearest store.