So that's what she said,” Twilight finished explaining to her wife.
Rainbow Dash, who was curled up on the floor in front of the apartment's glowing fireplace, snickered. Twilight glanced to her with a confused expression while Sunset just shook her head.
“Well,” Sunset caught her spouse's attention again. “Cadance is right. I mean, if she's really this world's version of the one in Equestria. I've told you before what kind of powerful magic the Equestrian one is capable of - along with her husband too. As long as our own love is strong, we should be able to transform at will. Not that I see what use that is. It's not like we ever walk out the door and suddenly need to fight a super villain.”
“Not anymore,” Twilight nodded.
That made Sunset chuckle. “I suppose.”
“Just kiss already!” Rainbow shouted over at them with a mischievous grin.
“Enough from the peanut gallery,” Twilight coolly responded. She had gotten good at that over time.
Rainbow folded her arms and scooched closer to the warm fire. “Fine. But what are we doing today? I'm bored.”
It was a Sunday and a rather relaxed one at that. The couple had no plans and Rainbow was not one to spend much time indoors, except when she was napping. She got as restless as Spike, who was peacefully laying about after his recent walk.
“How about you come up with your own ideas, Dash,” Sunset grumbled at the girl.
Rainbow got a sour look on her face at first but then it cleared up in a flash. “I have an idea!”
Twilight giggled and Sunset just rose a brow.
“Snowboarding!” the athlete got to her feet with a sparkle in her eyes.
Twilight looked to her wife. “It is cold enough at The Peaks. That's only a thirty minute trip from here.”
“You've never snowboarded before,” Sunset commented.
“No, but I've always wanted to try skiing,” Twilight looked hopeful. “And, besides, I've got you.”
Sunset couldn't help grabbing and hugging her spouse in response. Rainbow just rolled her eyes and tapped her foot, waiting for them to get on with it.
“I'll teach you,” Sunset told Twilight. “And we'll take it easy. I don't need a competition with Dash to have fun.”
“Whoa!” Twilight was wide-eyed and nervous. She had almost fallen over for the dozenth time. At least the bright sun-reflecting snow was thick enough to be useful for padding.
“You're okay,” Sunset held Twilight's hips and helped her steady. They were on the practice bunny slopes and there were a few parents around them teaching their children how to use either skis or snowboards. “It's like riding a bike. Once you have your center of gravity down, you never forget.”
“Why do I get the feeling you're just trying to keep my spirits up?” Twilight's voice wobbled almost as much as she did. Since it was still technically fall, she hadn't expected it to be as cold as it was in these mountains. They already had plenty of snow and the breeze was biting. The conditions were more favorable for these activities than even she anticipated.
Sunset began rubbing her hands up her wife's sides both for warming and comfort. Their winter gear was mostly sufficient, but she wouldn't pass up any opportunity to be helpful to Twilight. “Just relax.”
“I'm trying,” Twilight sighed.
A blur rocketed past them, startling Twilight to fall completely into Sunset's arms. The boarder circled them and stopped with a spray of snow. Her colorful gear matched the locks of her hair.
“What's up?” Rainbow asked with a big grin. She loved being out and beating every other snowboarder by double on the half-pipes.
Sunset's response for their friend was flat. “Didn't know you could go that fast on the bunnies. What are you doing back here?”
“The pipes were getting boring.”
“I thought they had expert-level ones,” Twilight shuddered as her wife got her back into a good position on her skis.
“Like I said.”
“Let's try it again,” Sunset told Twilight and lead her to the next downturn in the snow.
Twilight, to her benefit, did better this time. She shook but managed to get through. Her excited expression came from her joy at finally getting it.
“Well?” Rainbow insisted as she followed on her snowboard, riding backwards.
“Well what?” Sunset rolled her eyes.
“I'm bored.”
Twilight giggled. She was more patient than Sunset was currently being, even with the challenge of the bunny slopes she was navigating at a snail's pace. The cold air was even colder moving against her cheeks. “Maybe Sunset can help you out.”
“Huh?” Sunset rose a brow. She almost dug the front of her skis into the next bump in the snow. “What do you mean?”
“Come on, Sunny,” Twilight encouraged. “You're better on a snowboard anyways. I remember last winter. Go board with Dashie.”
Rainbow couldn't have been more happy with that suggestion. She put her hands to her cheeks and her eyes sparkled with hope.
“Fine,” Sunset relented with the ghost of her own satisfaction. She enjoyed teaching Twilight, but boarding with Rainbow would probably be plenty of fun as well. At the very least, it might mean she would be satisfied enough to not bug them later.
Rainbow was so instantly sold on the idea that Sunset's vision became a blur of movement. The powerful athlete popped off Sunset's skis, grabbed her hand, and nearly flung her toward the rental stand. “Let's get you a plank and go!”
The half-pipe was long and deep. Sunset had been pleased with the proposition at first, but now...
“Come on!” Rainbow insisted next to her. Neither of them had started down it yet because Rainbow wanted to go at the same time. “What are you waiting for?”
Sunset looked down at her fire-styled snowboard on her feet and then the sign next to them that declared the pipe “expert” level. The skull and crossbones didn't make her feel any better about it. “Anyone told you that you have an adrenaline problem?”
“They're just jealous of my mad skills,” Rainbow flipped her multi-colored hair and then stared down the pipe like a predator. “Three.”
“No.”
“Two.”
Images of being stuck in bed for weeks entered Sunset's mind. Twilight would be there for her, spoon-feeding warm soup to her mouth and then kissing her to make the broken bones all better.
“One!”
“Go!” Twilight pushed them both from behind. She laughed as her wife and friend soared down into the pipe to grab the first air. She planned to cheer them both, but Sunset more. Maybe that'd score her some points. In any case, she was getting this all on her camera as a memory to cherish.
Rainbow was first to the edge of the pipe, since she had angled herself better. The goggles filtering out the excess light to help her keep focused on where she needed to be. She got incredible air time, executing several turns and a full flip right off the bat. Her disadvantage was that she couldn't compare herself to Sunset on the tricks. The black diamond half-pipe allowed not a micro-second of distraction from the actual moves.
Sunset had not faired as well on the first airtime, though she didn't know either at the time. She got decent air, but she felt as if the pipe was at the limits of her ability. She had always been considered by their friends as a solid competitor against Rainbow in terms of athleticism and musical ability. In fact, adding her scientific abilities to the mix, she was the best at the most number of things in their group.
Sadly, her jack-of-all-trades approach to life meant she could still be bested by Rainbow in this kind of competition and by her wife for that matter – if it had been a science test. After coming down for a solid landing on the first airtime, Sunset wobbled mid-pipe on her board. She kept it together, though, and got enough air on the other side of the pipe for a full two turns.
“Go, Sunny! Light it up!”
Sunset heard her wife cheering as she came back down through the pipe and Rainbow criss-crossed her path. As if Twilight knew how to spark Sunset's drive, a fire lit within her and she narrowed her eyes with new determination. The next airtime was high and longer, adding a flip and half a spin to her moves. The next touchdown saw her rocketing past Rainbow with greater speed.
It's on, Rainbow thought gleefully to herself as she got her own air. As if to deny physics, she flew farther than ever before and ignited with a magical glow. Her ponytail extended and her pony ears popped out along with her wings. “Yeeeeaaaah!”
Sunset only saw a rainbow streak blow by her when they crossed low in the pipe. Colorful magical flecks painted the pipe in Rainbow's wake. Seriously? Sunset couldn't believe it but didn't want to be bested.
Twilight watched in awe as Sunset also ponified on her next air. Fire literally burst from the transformation. She couldn't help but cheer louder now that the battle had heated up so much. Her point calculation thus far had given Rainbow a good lead with the last ponified airtime. That 1800 trick would be hard to beat-
Sunset roared out of the pipe with a fiery wake, flipping and corkscrewing an impossible 2160 in the process.
Twilight felt her jaw drop.
The phoenix of a redhead made a perfect landing, her fire-spraying trail melting the snow all the while. When she skidded to a stop before a stationary Rainbow Dash, the force splashed her friend with the cold water of the melted ice.
“Sorry,” Sunset apologized to a quickly de-ponified Rainbow Dash.
The poor girl had a tick in her eye. There was no way she had just been beat at her own game. “What's the score?”
“We can review it at the lodge,” Twilight called out as she ran to them. Rainbow's voice had carried well enough through the relatively quiet surroundings for her to comprehend. “We need to get you out of that soaked coat before you catch a cold.”
Of course, later on when they reviewed the footage, Rainbow found out the truth. A bad start for Sunset had penalized her score, but her strong ending got her the push she needed. Rainbow had indeed been beat.
By a single point.
The concert was over. Thank goodness. Twilight enjoyed pop, rock, and electronic music as much as the next person, but three hours of it had given her a throbbing headache. She laid on the old room's equally old sofa, ignored the rips and tears in it, and tried to focus on the calming noises of the city drifting through the cracks in the walls. The aspirin was barely starting to work.
“I know the feeling,” Octavia spoke softly to her as she perched daintily on the edge of the once-was-white sofa. “She gets me like this every night.”
Vinyl Scratch, dressed in her theatrically bright club clothes, shrugged from the adjacent kitchen. “She can't take a few decibels.”
Sunset saw the long-suffering expression given in return. If any couple were exact opposites then it would be them. The redhead leaned back off the living room wall and sat at the kitchen table, which wasn't too far away. Vinyl quickly warned her not to put too much pressure on the table since it had just recently been patched back together.
“What keeps you two together again?” Sunset shook her head and stretched her legs beneath the table. Her tight jeans and high-heeled boots had somehow managed to make her feel stiff after those hours downstairs in the concert.
“The free room literally upstairs from her club gig?” Octavia replied from the sofa, deadpan. “I don't know what keeps me here, though. I'm certain I must have been offered better room and board at some point in my life.”
“The bedroom. That's what,” Vinyl smirked. Her glasses were off since she was in her pad with her friends. There was mischief in her cerise eyes.
“Nice bed?” Sunset asked, having not seen the small room behind the door next to the fridge.
“It's not so much the bed-” Vinyl replied.
“Vinyl,” Octavia growled out the name with frustration and warning.
“-as it is our experiences on it,” Vinyl gave a toothy grin and laughed.
Octavia ground her teeth and Twilight was too busy holding her head and trying to rest to notice. Sunset shook her head. In some ways, Vinyl was a lot like Dash. It was probably a good thing that Rainbow had to go back to the apartment to sleep for tomorrow's tryouts. They would have been insufferable together.
“I'll leave that one where it is,” Sunset tried not to smile in spite of herself. “You've gained a lot of rep, though. I mean, I think the crowd was as excited about you as they were for Countess Coloratura. And she was supposed to be the show-stopper.”
“Heh heh,” Vinyl blushed and rubbed her neck.
“It's getting to her head,” Octavia managed to seethe through her teeth.
“Maybe it'll mean we can get a real place someday, babe,” Vinyl replied.
“You even dress different than you used to back at CHS,” Sunset commented off-hand.
Vinyl looked at her clothes again. She had pure white shorts and a half-jacket of the same spotless hue. Her tank top revealed her midriff and contrasted with her jacket since it was a bright baby blue. She had many rings of bracelets on her arms in every collar to form a rainbow. Her shoes were a striking white as well, though the bottom edges showed the black scuffing typical of any well used pair. They looked to be some kind of tough above-ankle hiking boot. There were bracelet-like rings around them in every color, though they looked too big to be regular anklets.
“Isn't it cold?” Sunset turned quizzical.
“You know,” Vinyl furrowed her brows, “it wasn't until you mentioned it. Tavi, toss me that blanket thing.”
“It's called a throw,” Octavia shook her head, grabbed the small blanket on the far end of the sofa's arm and tossed it to her girlfriend. “And before you say something snarky or suggestive, don't.”
Vinyl put her hands up in innocence after wrapping the blanket haphazardly around her exposed mid-section. She then looked to Sunset. “You know that Color chick ain't bad. Talked to her backstage for a bit. She's alright.”
“Huh,” Sunset's lips slanted. “Not stuck-up? Big names tend to be.”
“Nah. I mean, her manager is a real ha-”
“Vinyl,” Octavia gave her an evil eye.
“Tw-”
“Vinyl.”
“D-”
“Vinyl!”
“Meanie,” Vinyl settled for something bland. “Geez. Can't get passed the language police around here. We're all grownups, right?”
“I'm trying to maintain some manner of dignity and class. It's the least we can have in this dreadful place. You could start by at least attempting to make an effort.”
Sunset giggled. Meanwhile, Twilight groggily got back to her feet. Octavia assisted her with a kind and gentle shoulder.
Vinyl sighed and looked back to Sunset once more. “Hey, thanks again for checking out my schtick. You wouldn't believe how many other people drag in when they hear the Shimmers got interested.”
Sunset was legitimately confused. “What do you mean? It's not like we're VIPs or anything.”
“You don't think you are,” Octavia pointed out. “But everyone back at CHS knew the two of you got married and word spreads like fire. There are lots of people who consider the magic couple a royal affair. Not to mention Twilight's familial connection to Cadance.”
“We live on 67th East Street,” Sunset tried to argue, not entirely sure why she felt the need to. “It's nice, but it's not rich-people-ville.”
Octavia gave her the most unamused look she could muster. Vinyl had to get a word in quick to keep her girlfriend from getting too grouchy. Or simply blowing up. Maybe Vinyl could cool her off after company left by giving her one of those candlelit evenings she loved so much.
“It's a step up,” the DJ swiftly insisted. “Better than here in downtown. Besides, you've got some powerful friends. Heck, you are powerful friends. Now get on out before I wub you to death.”
Sunset giggled while Twilight smiled and then winced from her vengeful headache. The aspirin hadn't solved it very well. Vinyl was strong and jumpy with the hugs she gave them each in parting, and Octavia kept to her classy but loving hugs. After the married couple was out the door and the unmarried one was safely alone, Octavia took her first shot.
“Thanks for the bed line,” the cellist grumbled. “I'm sure that won't be going through their heads whenever they think of us.”
“What?” Vinyl played innocent while also pulling her girlfriend into her arms. “It was true.”
“You are a real work of art,” Octavia humphed and squirmed in the other woman's embrace. “I didn't-”
Her words cut short when Vinyl latched their lips together. When they parted, Octavia gave an “ugh” and rolled her eyes.
“Change into your pajamas and get in bed,” the classy girl finally got out of the DJ's arms. “It's cold and we need to warm up together if we're going to get any sleep.”
“I love you too,” Vinyl replied, half-lidded and loyally heading to the bedroom.